Recipes

Austin's Franklin Barbecue To Pop Up In New York City

Aaron Franklin Arthur Bovino
Arthur Bovino|

Has nobody else in New York food media seen this? And if they have, how has the excitement of brisket-loving New Yorkers who have finally gotten a taste of the real thing not reached fever pitch since Aaron Franklin tweeted about his trip to New York City yesterday afternoon? One of America's most heralded brisket wizards is doing a pop-up in New York City. "New York Cit-ee?" No, no need to get a rope. Austin, Texas' Franklin Barbecue is going to be doing a pop-up at one of the city's best barbecue spots, Elizabeth Karmel's Hill Country Barbecue (celebrating its six-year anniversary the day before, incidentally — one hell of a way to party). Barbecue Jesus himself didn't tweet the news, but Franklin's Twitter feed did the good deed yesterday (is Barbecue Jesus the best Twitter handle ever?).

There's much more information available at TMBBQ.com under the heading "TMBBQ Smokes Manhattan" (seriously, how can you not love Twitter?).

"We love Texas barbecue so much we want to share it with the rest of the world. And with the TMBBQ Pop-Up Joint that's exactly what we'll do. Think of it as barbecue evangelism. On June 6, TMBBQ and Aaron Franklin, owner and pitmaster at Franklin Barbecue, our number one joint in the state, are heading to New York City. Aaron will be smoking meat at Hill Country Barbecue Market, and sharing his hard-won barbecue wisdom. Guests will enjoy Franklin's legendary brisket, ribs, and sausage, as well as visit with Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn [most coveted job ever?]. And when it's all over, we suspect we'll have converted a few more to the gospel of Texas barbecue.  Come on out, New York City, and see what the fuss is all about."

If you haven't tasted Franklin brisket, you're forgiven for not having made the pilgrimmage... for now (some lucky New Yorkers may have sampled Franklin's fare at his pop-up a few years ago). But truly, if you're not familiar with the fuss, you probably don't really care very much about barbecue. In that case, you should. Franklin is generally (and for good reason) considered some of the best in America. People start queuing at 9 a.m., forming a 150-person-long line that have caused the spot to sell out before it even opens. Texas Monthly recently (and quite ceremoniously) put it at the top of its list of The Top 50 Barbecue Joints. And yes, it is that good (read on for the details).

With New York's Big Apple Barbecue Block Party going on just a few days later (June 8 and 9), and the Potlikker event going on at Blue Smoke on June 7, New York City is just about to be Southerned and barbecued up. Tickets for the pop-up include admission, all you can eat BBQ (while it lasts), and all you can drink Shiner, Lone Star, tea, and soft drinks. We have our tickets. See you on line. We'll be taking "all you can eat" seriously by the way. Fair warning.

Arthur Bovino is The Daily Meal's executive editor. Read more articles by Arthur, reach him by email, or click here to follow Arthur on Twitter.

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