Franklin Barbecue is a barbecue restaurant located in Austin, Texas, founded in 2009 by Aaron Franklin. The restaurant has sold out of brisket every day since its establishment and has attracted a national following.
In 2009, Aaron Franklin launched the restaurant in a trailer. Franklin Barbecue moved to a brick and mortar location in 2011. The building's color scheme matched Franklin's original trailer.
The restaurant appeared on ' in September 2012. In July 2014, President Barack Obama visited the restaurant and bought lunch for those in line behind him.
The restaurant featured prominently in a scene in Jon Favreau's 2014 film Chef. Aaron Franklin and general manager Benji Jacob had speaking cameos.
In the early morning of August 26, 2017, a fire broke out in the smokehouse section of the Austin eatery and did significant damage to portions of the outer building. The main restaurant area suffered only smoke damage. The restaurant would close for three months before returning as a smaller operation in November 2017. By March 2018, the smokehouse had been redesigned and rebuilt.
Franklin Barbecue has been credited with leading the new-traditionalist barbecue movement. Their menu consists of pulled pork, pork ribs, sausages, turkey and brisket. For his Texas style brisket, Franklin uses post oak wood and Meyer Angus beef which is seasoned with salt and pepper.
In Bon Appetits July 2011 issue, editor Andrew Knowlton called Franklin Barbecue "the best BBQ in the country." In May 2015, Franklin Barbecue owner Aaron Franklin was awarded a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southwest. He is the first chef who specializes in barbecue to be nominated, or receive, the award. In 2013, Franklin Barbecue was ranked first in Texas Monthlys "The 50 Best BBQ Joints" and was featured on the list again in 2017. In 2020 Aaron Franklin was inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame.
Notable patrons include Barack Obama, David Chang, Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay, Jon Favreau, and Jimmy Kimmel.
In 2013, Austin PBS station KLRU worked with Aaron Franklin to produce a web series, BBQ with Franklin, on barbecue. This show appears on the Create TV network which is part of the PBS family.