Texas BBQ Crawl
- Thread starter RG 2.0
- Start date
DivotMaker
New member
Woo Hoo!! Have a safe trip, Jason! Looking forward to some killer pics! 
Walt
New member
Jason,
When traveling through to Texas, I like to stop in Iowa, LA @ exit #44 @ Rabideaux's for crawfish or jambalaya stuffed boneless chickens, boudin balls, rabbits, quail and they have beautiful pork bellies. The lunch is ok, mostly all fried stuff (not really our thing), but the meats are outstanding. It a couple blocks south of the interstate. Filled up a 65 qt ice chest last week on way back from Austin. Check it out if you have time.
When traveling through to Texas, I like to stop in Iowa, LA @ exit #44 @ Rabideaux's for crawfish or jambalaya stuffed boneless chickens, boudin balls, rabbits, quail and they have beautiful pork bellies. The lunch is ok, mostly all fried stuff (not really our thing), but the meats are outstanding. It a couple blocks south of the interstate. Filled up a 65 qt ice chest last week on way back from Austin. Check it out if you have time.
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RG 2.0
New member
Okay guys and gals. Here's an update for y'all.
Trying my hand at tapatalk so I can share some pics.
This is from LA Barbecue. We got into Austin late and by the time I got to LA, they were out of everything except chopped beef sammiches and sausage. So....I got what I could, a sandwich each for the wife and I and one link to sample. The sandwich is chooped brisket, tossed in a little sauce and served on a potato roll. I ordered it to go and they wrapped it up in plastic wrap then pink butcher paper. It may not look like much but it was excellent! I was talking to the girl there, told her I drove from Georgia and that I was going to see her "Nemesis" tomorrow (today). She smiled and said that Aaron is not her nemesis, more power to him. We started talking about rubs, she said that he (Franklin) does NOT just use salt and pepper but her Brother-in-law, John Mueller of Mueller BBQ just uses salt & pepper. She said to not eat his bbq 'cuz it sucked, lol. Family feud? I think so!
Once I get back home, I will be editing this post with more pics and possibly more info.
Trying my hand at tapatalk so I can share some pics.
This is from LA Barbecue. We got into Austin late and by the time I got to LA, they were out of everything except chopped beef sammiches and sausage. So....I got what I could, a sandwich each for the wife and I and one link to sample. The sandwich is chooped brisket, tossed in a little sauce and served on a potato roll. I ordered it to go and they wrapped it up in plastic wrap then pink butcher paper. It may not look like much but it was excellent! I was talking to the girl there, told her I drove from Georgia and that I was going to see her "Nemesis" tomorrow (today). She smiled and said that Aaron is not her nemesis, more power to him. We started talking about rubs, she said that he (Franklin) does NOT just use salt and pepper but her Brother-in-law, John Mueller of Mueller BBQ just uses salt & pepper. She said to not eat his bbq 'cuz it sucked, lol. Family feud? I think so!
Once I get back home, I will be editing this post with more pics and possibly more info.
RG 2.0
New member
We got there at 8:15 after ALMOST not going at all! We got up a little before 7 and went down to eat our hotel breakfast. I ate half of a Belgian waffle and drank a chocolate milk (yeah.....it's a 5 year olds breakfast) and when we got back to the room I googled directions to Franklin BBQ and Google said they were closed Sat & Sun! I about lost it, lol. I told my wife that it must be an error and that I didn't drive 20 hours to NOT eat there! So we loaded up and went and by the time we parked and got there, they were indeed open and there were at least 150-200 ahead of us.
There is a girl that comes around asking what you plan to order and she'll tell you what they can't guarantee. By the time she got to us, pulled pork was not looking like it would be there still so we decided to order 1/4 pound turkey, 1.5 brisket (half lean, half fatty), 1 sausage link and 1 Beef rib. The beef rib wasn't part of the original equation but Mrs. RG wanted one. The girl said they only serve them on Saturday so we lucked up! She also said they average about 1 pound.
We made it into the building at about 12:30 and ordered at about 10 til 1:00. They still had pulled pork so we got 1/4 pound of that just to try it and on the way in we saw a dude eating pork ribs and they looked great so we added 2 bones (he gave us 3). So we ended up with a sample of every meat they have, lol. That 1 pound beef rib turned out to be 2.2 pounds! $46.00 for that alone!
We got up to the register and it came to $106! After we got back to the hotel, I saw that she didn't even charge us for the pulled pork so it seems like I saved about 4 bucks
The brisket is super intensely beefy. Very moist and tender. Every morsel. The lean and the fatty were brisket perfection. Nice bark, very peppery. The beef rib, same deal. The pork ribs were fantastic as was the turkey. The pulled pork was moist but really peppery, I liked it but was glad I only got 1/4 pound. The sausage was not as good as LA BBQ.
Overall, it was killer! That is how brisket is done! We ordered no sides, only bread. The sauces were good, I tried all 3 but really liked the espresso sauce.
I left out of there in pain and wishing I hadn't eaten so much. We brought about 1/2 of it back to the room.
BedouinBob
New member
Jason, thanks to you both for taking it for the team. The food looks great. Now all we have to do is figure out how to replicate that at home. I think most of us make at least close to that with our SI. 
The food looks great. Now all we have to do is figure out how to replicate that at home. I think most of us make at least close to that with our SI. 
gregbooras
Moderator
I am just catching up with some of the posts and I was glad you were able to taste Franklin's brisket. Excellent stuff and you are right, lots of pepper, very tasty.
Greg
Greg
DivotMaker
New member
Sounds like you ate enough to make up for the serious weight loss to you wallet! 
Yikes! But, hey, it's Franklin BBQ! Only thing that would have made it better is if you'd have got to meet him!
Yikes! But, hey, it's Franklin BBQ! Only thing that would have made it better is if you'd have got to meet him!
RG 2.0
New member
DivotMaker said:Sounds like you ate enough to make up for the serious weight loss to you wallet!
I did meet him , shook his hand. Told him I came from Georgia and he said he appreciated it and told me the food should be decent, lol.
DivotMaker
New member
Well, that made it worth the price of admission! I didn't think he spent as much time there, now that he's famous! You might have mentioned that in your post - guess I missed it!
RG 2.0
New member
Ok guys and gals, here is the whole sorted mess, some of this may be a repeat but there'll be more new than old.
City and Food Log:
Day one : Starbucks coffee and breakfast sammy on the way out
Lunch was a Bacon Cheese Burger at a dive bar somewhere in Alabama at a joint called Butch Cassidy's
For dinner it was Po Boys and gumbo with a buddy of mine at Parkway Bakery in Nola
Day two : "Breakfast" at the Hyatt in New Orleans
Muffuletta from Central Grocery that my Cajun friend brought us for lunch
LA Barbecue for dinner
Day three : Very light breakfast at Residence Inn in Austin
Franklin BBQ for lunch (with leftovers that were brought home)
Slice of pepperoni pizza and Voodoo Doughnuts for dinner
Day four : Nasty breakfast again from the Residence Inn
In-N-Out burgers for lunch on the way to San Antonio
Dinner in SA was a burrito as big as my head, brought leftovers back to the room that were never eaten and left for the maid
Day five : Breakfast at Drury Inn before leaving out to head back to New Orleans
Lunch was Whataburger which should be renamed to Whatamistake. That crap was horrid!
Dinner was right down the street from us on Canal Street at a place called The Creole Kitchen. Overpriced, small portions, not so great
Day six : No free Breakfast at the Hotel Astor (ritzy snooty place, you want breakfast? That'll be $40.00!)
We decided to cram one more BBQ joint in for good measure since we skipped The Salt Lick. We ate at "The Shed" in Mississippi for lunch.
Finally home, dinner was warmed in the oven Franklin BBQ leftovers (not all that good but for $106.00 nothing was going to waste!)
Here are some notes and some more pics, some repeats but it'll keep you from going back to see the others
Day One - Parkway Bakery in New Orleans
Upon arriving in New Orleans to meet our Cajun buddy we ate dinner at Parkway. Po Boy's and Gumbo (GOOOOOOOD STUFF!!)
My Wife's Shrimp Po Boy
We got up early and hit the road to Austin Texas. Upon arriving we ate what little la Barbecue had left It was good though!
Day Two - la Barbecue in Austin
They were sold out of everything except chopped beef (brisket) sandwiches and sausage by the time I got there. I got a sammich a piece for the wife and I and we shared a sausage link. $24.00
That night I couldn't sleep. Tired from the road but mostly because I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve
Day Three - Franklin BBQ in Austin
We got there at 8:15 after ALMOST not going at all! We got up a little before 7 and went down to eat our hotel breakfast. I ate half of a Belgian waffle and drank a chocolate milk (yeah.....it's a 5 year olds breakfast) and when we got back to the room I googled directions to Franklin BBQ and Google said they were closed Sat & Sun! I about lost it, lol. I told my wife that it must be an error and that I didn't drive 20 hours to NOT eat there! So we loaded up and went and by the time we parked and got there, they were indeed open and there were at least 150-200 ahead of us.
There is a girl that comes around asking what you plan to order and she'll tell you what they can't guarantee. By the time she got to us, pulled pork was not looking like it would be there still so we decided to order 1/4 pound turkey, 1.5 brisket (half lean, half fatty), 1 sausage link and 1 Beef rib. The beef rib wasn't part of the original equation but Mrs. RG wanted one. The girl said they only serve them on Saturday so we lucked up! She also said they average about 1 pound.
We made it into the building at about 12:30 and ordered at about 10 til 1:00. They still had pulled pork so we got 1/4 pound of that just to try it and on the way in we saw a dude eating pork ribs and they looked great so we added 2 bones (he gave us 3). So we ended up with a sample of every meat they have, lol. That 1 pound beef rib turned out to be 2.2 pounds! $46.00 for that alone!
We got up to the register and it came to $106! After we got back to the hotel, I saw that she didn't even charge us for the pulled pork so it seems like I saved about 4 bucks
The brisket is super intensely beefy. Very moist and tender. Every morsel. The lean and the fatty were brisket perfection. Nice bark, very peppery. The beef rib, same deal. The pork ribs were fantastic as was the turkey. The pulled pork was moist but really peppery, I liked it but was glad I only got 1/4 pound. The sausage was not as good as LA BBQ.
Overall, it was killer! That is how brisket is done! We ordered no sides, only bread. The sauces were good, I tried all 3 but really liked the espresso sauce.
I left out of there in pain and wishing I hadn't eaten so much. We brought about 1/2 of it back to the room.
Arriving at 8ish
While in line, my Wife spotted him nearby and got these pics of him but not of me talking to him, lol
The long line, there were at least 150 in front of us and 75 or so behind us!
Me and Mrs. RG sweating our butts off in the parking lot, lol
My morning coffee They came around about 10am selling suds, I was hot and thirsty so I bought one, then another about an hour later. Tasty beer, reminds me a lot of Landshark Lager.
These guys played beer pong for 4 hours. By hour 2 they were missing pretty badly, lol
I stared at this graffiti for hours while waiting, I like it!
More Random pics from Franklin
After leaving Austin, we headed to San Antonio. When we arrived in San Antonio at the Drury Inn on the river at The Riverwalk, a VERY cool and hip place btw, we walked right out of the hotel and went up and down the river, sight seeing, ate a little ice cream at Ben & Jerry's and scouted out our dinner options. We ended up eating at a Mexican joint.
Day Four - The Original Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio - Riverwalk
This burrito had beef (chuck roast type), rice and beans. Covered in "Ranchero" sauce and cheese. It had to have weighed close to 2 pounds.
2 single scoop cups of ice cream - $12!!
Cool boat tours. $10 a person, we passed as I needed the exercise after all of the grub I had been chowing on
The next day we headed from SA back to New Orleans. The traffic was BAAAAAAD! It took me 11 hours I felt like some seafood so we ended up at....
Day Five - The Creole House in New Orleans
Once back in Nola, we ate a place right down from the hotel Astor where we stayed called The Creole House. It was supposed to be good but I found it to be just okay and WAY overpriced!
Blurry pic taken while walking
My Wife got A Fried Combo platter, shrimp and oysters
I got Shrimp & Grits
$56.00 before tip. Good Lawd!!
On the way home back to Georgia we saw a sign in Mississippi for "The Shed". Since we ditched going to The Salt Lick (was sick of BBQ after eating at Franklin's, lol) the Wife and I decided that we had room for one more joint on the BBQ bucket list.
Day Six - The Shed
On the way back, traveling through Mississippi I saw a sign for "The Shed" so after discussing with the wife we decided to give it a whirl. I had watched their TV show and always wanted to give it a shot. They named this place appropriately, I felt like we were eating in a junk yard! It is just a bunch of rickety buildings kind of just strewn about the place. The bathrooms are not even in the main "structure". The floor in the dining area is the same as the parking lot, GRAVEL, lol!! I played it safe and went with a pulled pork plate with Mac and Baked beans for my sides. My wife, still thinking about Franklin's Brisket, ordered the brisket plate. They serve everything sauced, not a big deal for me as I like sauce (we've covered that already, lol) but my Wife is not one to eat sauce on BBQ and if she does, it's only on ribs if I put MY sauce on it, pulled pork can only have a vinegar based sauce and for brisket, ONLY a little on burnt ends, NEVER EVER on slices. She ate it anyway, I tasted a small piece and right away I noticed they sliced it wrong! It was stringy like pot roast. They had sliced it WITH the grain, a BIG no no. It was tender but was severely lacking smoke and was bland. It actually NEEDED the sauce. My pork was decent. Not great, not bad....middle of the road I guess. It too was sauced. It had enough smoke but wasn't the moistest stuff I've had. The sides, in typical BBQ fashion, were nothing special. I am going to get on my soapbox for a sec here. I know that NO ONE ever goes to a BBQ joint for the sides BUT my logic is that if you care enough about what you're doing, make some sides that are better than the next guy. Make them spectacular! Every 'cue joint I've eaten at that has had better than average sides, always had great 'cue as well. The mac was ok, but it was a velveeta type of deal, fake cheese sauce instead of the real deal. The beans were doctored up bush's. Not the end of the world, but a missed opportunity I'd say. Would I eat there again? Maybe. I'd get chicken or ribs though, those might be better.
Walking in
Waiting on our order, there is so much clutter in here it's CRAZY!
My Pork Plate
My Wife's Brisket Plate
Their outdoor stage for live Blues bands
I like this
We also got my Daughter her share of Vegan crap to eat. She ate fries and had a sweat tea at Butch Cassidy's in Alabama. She ate a Vegan "Southern Fried" Po Boy and Mac&Cheese from a place in Nola called "Seed". She loved it. On the way to Austin she ate a quad hashbrown peppered and capped from Waffle House for lunch. In Austin she got a vegan "Bacon Cheeseburger" and fries from a place call Arlo's. Loved it. In San Antonio she just ate toast and potatoes for breakfast at the hotel and Vegan Ice Cream at Ben & Jerry's and then Rice and Beans and chips and salsa at the Mexican joint. At both Whatamistake and In-N-Out she ate fries and at The Shed she ate fries. She also had some vegan doughnuts from VooDoo Doughnut in Austin as well as some vegan Miso Noodles while in Austin. In San Antonio her dinner was 3 Avocado Sushi rolls and Miso Soup delivered to the hotel. So....she was happy too!
Thanks for taking the journey with me!
City and Food Log:
Day one : Starbucks coffee and breakfast sammy on the way out
Lunch was a Bacon Cheese Burger at a dive bar somewhere in Alabama at a joint called Butch Cassidy's
For dinner it was Po Boys and gumbo with a buddy of mine at Parkway Bakery in Nola
Day two : "Breakfast" at the Hyatt in New Orleans
Muffuletta from Central Grocery that my Cajun friend brought us for lunch
LA Barbecue for dinner
Day three : Very light breakfast at Residence Inn in Austin
Franklin BBQ for lunch (with leftovers that were brought home)
Slice of pepperoni pizza and Voodoo Doughnuts for dinner
Day four : Nasty breakfast again from the Residence Inn
In-N-Out burgers for lunch on the way to San Antonio
Dinner in SA was a burrito as big as my head, brought leftovers back to the room that were never eaten and left for the maid
Day five : Breakfast at Drury Inn before leaving out to head back to New Orleans
Lunch was Whataburger which should be renamed to Whatamistake. That crap was horrid!
Dinner was right down the street from us on Canal Street at a place called The Creole Kitchen. Overpriced, small portions, not so great
Day six : No free Breakfast at the Hotel Astor (ritzy snooty place, you want breakfast? That'll be $40.00!)
We decided to cram one more BBQ joint in for good measure since we skipped The Salt Lick. We ate at "The Shed" in Mississippi for lunch.
Finally home, dinner was warmed in the oven Franklin BBQ leftovers (not all that good but for $106.00 nothing was going to waste!)
Here are some notes and some more pics, some repeats but it'll keep you from going back to see the others
Day One - Parkway Bakery in New Orleans
Upon arriving in New Orleans to meet our Cajun buddy we ate dinner at Parkway. Po Boy's and Gumbo (GOOOOOOOD STUFF!!)
My Wife's Shrimp Po Boy
We got up early and hit the road to Austin Texas. Upon arriving we ate what little la Barbecue had left
It was good though!Day Two - la Barbecue in Austin
They were sold out of everything except chopped beef (brisket) sandwiches and sausage by the time I got there. I got a sammich a piece for the wife and I and we shared a sausage link. $24.00
That night I couldn't sleep. Tired from the road but mostly because I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve
Day Three - Franklin BBQ in Austin
We got there at 8:15 after ALMOST not going at all! We got up a little before 7 and went down to eat our hotel breakfast. I ate half of a Belgian waffle and drank a chocolate milk (yeah.....it's a 5 year olds breakfast) and when we got back to the room I googled directions to Franklin BBQ and Google said they were closed Sat & Sun! I about lost it, lol. I told my wife that it must be an error and that I didn't drive 20 hours to NOT eat there! So we loaded up and went and by the time we parked and got there, they were indeed open and there were at least 150-200 ahead of us.
There is a girl that comes around asking what you plan to order and she'll tell you what they can't guarantee. By the time she got to us, pulled pork was not looking like it would be there still so we decided to order 1/4 pound turkey, 1.5 brisket (half lean, half fatty), 1 sausage link and 1 Beef rib. The beef rib wasn't part of the original equation but Mrs. RG wanted one. The girl said they only serve them on Saturday so we lucked up! She also said they average about 1 pound.
We made it into the building at about 12:30 and ordered at about 10 til 1:00. They still had pulled pork so we got 1/4 pound of that just to try it and on the way in we saw a dude eating pork ribs and they looked great so we added 2 bones (he gave us 3). So we ended up with a sample of every meat they have, lol. That 1 pound beef rib turned out to be 2.2 pounds! $46.00 for that alone!
We got up to the register and it came to $106! After we got back to the hotel, I saw that she didn't even charge us for the pulled pork so it seems like I saved about 4 bucks
The brisket is super intensely beefy. Very moist and tender. Every morsel. The lean and the fatty were brisket perfection. Nice bark, very peppery. The beef rib, same deal. The pork ribs were fantastic as was the turkey. The pulled pork was moist but really peppery, I liked it but was glad I only got 1/4 pound. The sausage was not as good as LA BBQ.
Overall, it was killer! That is how brisket is done! We ordered no sides, only bread. The sauces were good, I tried all 3 but really liked the espresso sauce.
I left out of there in pain and wishing I hadn't eaten so much. We brought about 1/2 of it back to the room.
Arriving at 8ish
While in line, my Wife spotted him nearby and got these pics of him but not of me talking to him, lol
The long line, there were at least 150 in front of us and 75 or so behind us!
Me and Mrs. RG sweating our butts off in the parking lot, lol
My morning coffee
They came around about 10am selling suds, I was hot and thirsty so I bought one, then another about an hour later. Tasty beer, reminds me a lot of Landshark Lager.
These guys played beer pong for 4 hours. By hour 2 they were missing pretty badly, lol
I stared at this graffiti for hours while waiting, I like it!
More Random pics from Franklin
After leaving Austin, we headed to San Antonio. When we arrived in San Antonio at the Drury Inn on the river at The Riverwalk, a VERY cool and hip place btw, we walked right out of the hotel and went up and down the river, sight seeing, ate a little ice cream at Ben & Jerry's and scouted out our dinner options. We ended up eating at a Mexican joint.
Day Four - The Original Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio - Riverwalk
This burrito had beef (chuck roast type), rice and beans. Covered in "Ranchero" sauce and cheese. It had to have weighed close to 2 pounds.
2 single scoop cups of ice cream - $12!!
Cool boat tours. $10 a person, we passed as I needed the exercise after all of the grub I had been chowing on
The next day we headed from SA back to New Orleans. The traffic was BAAAAAAD! It took me 11 hours
I felt like some seafood so we ended up at....Day Five - The Creole House in New Orleans
Once back in Nola, we ate a place right down from the hotel Astor where we stayed called The Creole House. It was supposed to be good but I found it to be just okay and WAY overpriced!
Blurry pic taken while walking
My Wife got A Fried Combo platter, shrimp and oysters
I got Shrimp & Grits
$56.00 before tip. Good Lawd!!
On the way home back to Georgia we saw a sign in Mississippi for "The Shed". Since we ditched going to The Salt Lick (was sick of BBQ after eating at Franklin's, lol) the Wife and I decided that we had room for one more joint on the BBQ bucket list.
Day Six - The Shed
On the way back, traveling through Mississippi I saw a sign for "The Shed" so after discussing with the wife we decided to give it a whirl. I had watched their TV show and always wanted to give it a shot. They named this place appropriately, I felt like we were eating in a junk yard! It is just a bunch of rickety buildings kind of just strewn about the place. The bathrooms are not even in the main "structure". The floor in the dining area is the same as the parking lot, GRAVEL, lol!! I played it safe and went with a pulled pork plate with Mac and Baked beans for my sides. My wife, still thinking about Franklin's Brisket, ordered the brisket plate. They serve everything sauced, not a big deal for me as I like sauce (we've covered that already, lol) but my Wife is not one to eat sauce on BBQ and if she does, it's only on ribs if I put MY sauce on it, pulled pork can only have a vinegar based sauce and for brisket, ONLY a little on burnt ends, NEVER EVER on slices. She ate it anyway, I tasted a small piece and right away I noticed they sliced it wrong! It was stringy like pot roast. They had sliced it WITH the grain, a BIG no no. It was tender but was severely lacking smoke and was bland. It actually NEEDED the sauce. My pork was decent. Not great, not bad....middle of the road I guess. It too was sauced. It had enough smoke but wasn't the moistest stuff I've had. The sides, in typical BBQ fashion, were nothing special. I am going to get on my soapbox for a sec here. I know that NO ONE ever goes to a BBQ joint for the sides BUT my logic is that if you care enough about what you're doing, make some sides that are better than the next guy. Make them spectacular! Every 'cue joint I've eaten at that has had better than average sides, always had great 'cue as well. The mac was ok, but it was a velveeta type of deal, fake cheese sauce instead of the real deal. The beans were doctored up bush's. Not the end of the world, but a missed opportunity I'd say. Would I eat there again? Maybe. I'd get chicken or ribs though, those might be better.
Walking in
Waiting on our order, there is so much clutter in here it's CRAZY!
My Pork Plate
My Wife's Brisket Plate
Their outdoor stage for live Blues bands
I like this
We also got my Daughter her share of Vegan crap to eat. She ate fries and had a sweat tea at Butch Cassidy's in Alabama. She ate a Vegan "Southern Fried" Po Boy and Mac&Cheese from a place in Nola called "Seed". She loved it. On the way to Austin she ate a quad hashbrown peppered and capped from Waffle House for lunch. In Austin she got a vegan "Bacon Cheeseburger" and fries from a place call Arlo's. Loved it. In San Antonio she just ate toast and potatoes for breakfast at the hotel and Vegan Ice Cream at Ben & Jerry's and then Rice and Beans and chips and salsa at the Mexican joint. At both Whatamistake and In-N-Out she ate fries and at The Shed she ate fries. She also had some vegan doughnuts from VooDoo Doughnut in Austin as well as some vegan Miso Noodles while in Austin. In San Antonio her dinner was 3 Avocado Sushi rolls and Miso Soup delivered to the hotel. So....she was happy too!
Thanks for taking the journey with me!
RG 2.0
New member
BedouinBob said:Jason, thanks to you both for taking it for the team.
No disrespect, but no. We, at least I, can't make anything close to what he's doing
I think I am capable of making some dang good brisket but his IS stellar. If his is a 10, then mine is a 6. I used to think it was an 8 or 9 on a good day. Nope. I've got a long way to go!
As for taking one for the team, it was a pleasure (besides the driving and the traffic!)
