Franklins Barbecue is closed for two weeks from June 23-July 7 to finish up construction on the extended smokehouse and perform other maintenance. So where can one go for smoky brisket, fall-off-the-bone ribs and good ol’ southern sides? Here are my favorite spots for barbecue in Austin.
Best Barbecue in Austin (Besides Franklin Barbecue)
Table of Contents
La Barbecue
What To Order: Beef ribs, The El Sancho (pictured above)
The gigantic beef ribs are a must. I didn’t believe it until I devoured one myself (see picture above). The meat is fall-off-the-bone moist and tender with a peppery and salty crust that tastes like candy. The secret? Smoking the meat with post oak in an indirect-heat pit low and slow for twelve to fifteen hours. Pitmaster John Lewis has also started crafting his own sausages called “hot guts,” and they’re super meaty and spicy. Free beer Friday through Saturday.
John Mueller Meat Co
What To Order: Fatty brisket and barbecue sauce
Word of caution, John Mueller may yell at you – but he makes mouth-watering fatty brisket. So just don’t take it personally. Located just down the street from his sister (La Barbecue), John Mueller smokes his meat with oak in an indirect-heat pit. The distinctive difference is the peppery crust and rosy meat. Don’t forget about the sauce. I know, good barbecue doesn’t need sauce. But John Mueller’s homemade barbecue sauce is more of a hearty tomato stew with chunky tomatoes, sweet onions and a ton of black pepper. I’d drink it like soup. Free beer and bloody mary bar on the weekends.
Micklethwait Craft Meats
What To Order: Brisket, potato salad and their homemade pies
Micklethwait Craft Meats is stationed just down the road from Hillside Farmacy in a small picnic area with plenty shade. Barbecue method of choice? Oak in an indirect heat pit, which creates beautiful juicy meat with an intense smokey flavor. Everything’s made in house, including the hand-crafted sausages, pickles, pork loin, chicken, ribs, mustard potato salad, sweet and slow slaw, and homemade pies.
Freedman’s Bar
What To Order: Brisket and sausages
Freedmen’s is a laid-back lounge, beer garden, and smokehouse serving barbecue and retro-inspired cocktails in an historic Austin building, Franzetti Store, which was built in 1869 by a former slave named George Franklin. Pitmaster Evan LeRoy makes some mean smoked brisket, sausages, spare ribs, and pork belly.
