Franklin BBQ Makes the Eater 38 (Again)

Last year, Aaron Franklin of Austin's Franklin Barbecue raised a lot of eyebrows when he was named Best Chef Southwest by the James Beard Foundation—an unprecedented accolade for barbecue pitmasters, who have seldom been deemed to be on the same plane as fine dining chefs. Earlier this year, Bill Addison put Franklin Barbecue on his list of the 38 best restaurants in America for Eater.

Now, after a year of more traveling beneath his belt, Bill Addison has come out with his updated picks for the 38 Best Restaurants in America for 2016, and Franklin Barbecue made the cut once again.

"Like seeing the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty," Addison writes, " Everyone should experience the long waits and ample rewards of Franklin Barbecue at least once." Having done the three-hour-plus wait myself, I'm not quite sure I would characterize that aspect of Franklin's as a "can't miss" experience, but the brisket that waits at the head of that long line is indeed splendid stuff.

Barbecue's cachet appears to still be going strong.