After a gluttonous morning at Franklin BBQ, we went back to our hotel to take a quick nap and then went for a little dip in the hotel pool.

Unfortunately, it started to rain and then by the time we got back up to our room, it became a giant downpour and flooded the streets for a bit. Once the rain stopped, we headed back out to explore the city one last time. It happened to be Austin’s Pride Weekend and they had a parade down Congress Avenue that evening.

It seems more like a corporate-sponsored parade with every corporation with a presence.  It was still a fun celebration and fun to watch.

Before the end of the night, we went back to SanJac for one more night of live music before heading back to the hotel.

But of course a late night would not be complete without a quick meal off a street cart.

We picked up a couple tacos and ate it on the street.

After a good night’s sleep, we headed back to the airport for an early morning flight back to the Bay Area. What a fun no-kid trip!

Our morning at Franklin BBQ started early. Unfortunately, I overslept and Jes woke me up by 7:00. My original plan was to get to the line by 7:00 but we got there closer to 7:30.

By the time we arrived, the line was out to the white car in the parking lot and there were two chairs left under the stairs for us to borrow.

Luckily it didn’t rain and the heat in the morning wasn’t bad. Once we got settled, I walked back to the hotel, just one street away, to buy coffee and breakfast.

During our wait, we met two girls who were engineering majors at University of Texas. Next to them was a group of guys from the Sacramento area. There was a bigger group of guys in front of us in line who brought chairs, music, and a cooler of beer. We weren’t nearly as prepared but when the store upstairs opened at 9am, we got to buy beer and wine and use their restroom whenever we needed. It was also nicely air-conditioned in there so I got to cool off a bit each time we needed a refill.

Here’s their Line Manifesto, which is posted out front.

At 11am, the restaurant opened and everyone got up from their chairs and started filling the line inside. We ended up just at the bottom of the ramp and got some shade for the rest of our wait. The buckets of beer continued to follow and the girls joined our little party.

By noon, we were at the front of the door. Woohoo!

Once inside, we got to enjoy the A/C and check out what everyone in front of us had ordered.

Here’s the menu. They only serve beef ribs on Saturdays (main reason we chose to come on this day) and we were one of the last ones in the line who could get some. Earlier in the morning, a guy came around to take our tentative orders so he could predict who would likely get beef ribs. He designated me and my hat as the marker for the last beef ribs so the guy cutting would be able to pace himself.

By the time we got to the counter, there was plenty of beef ribs to go around to the 2-3 groups behind us. The guys in front of us didn’t realize how large they were and cut their order down quite a bit. I’m sure that’s what a lot of people did.

Here’s what we ordered: one beef rib, 1/2 lb brisket, one sausage, potato salad, a key lime tart, and a bourbon pecan tart.

Look at this brisket! I thought yesterday’s was good at la Barbecue but THIS was SO MUCH BETTER!

I didn’t think that was possible but Mr. Aaron Franklin really knows what he’s doing and his brisket is worth the wait!

The look on Jesse’s face this morning was priceless.

Here’s a video of our three groups sitting together to enjoy our meal. Everyone was so happy.

Now for the beef rib. One rib was plenty. The bark was so tasty and the meat was super tender.

Here’s another perfect bite: white bread, brisket with lots of bark, and a pickle on top.

Aaron came out to chat and greet everyone while we were there and was happy to take a photo. Cool dude.

The verdict: If you have the time and another buddy who is just excited for some real Central Texas BBQ, the 5-hour experience of camping out, meeting new people, morning drinking, and happy-halo-over-your-head grubbing on meat is well worth the experience.