Had the best brisket of my life today at Louie muellers... It was on a whole nother level from what I've had there before and also what I've had at snows, kreuz, Fargo's etc....

Standing in line an hour and a half for BBQ? No thanks.

The bark on Mueller's Brisky is fantastic

I wonder where Franklin's buys their meat from?

Not sure but most brisket competitors are buying CAB briskets. Your neighborhood market can get these, you just have to ask for them and they are 3-4 times as expensive as a packer.

A question that I asked as well. Like 4Weight said.. several of the pit bosses have told me that they use cert angus beef... a butcher up in Ohio of all places told me that Franklin uses Meyer CAB that is all natural with no hormones, etc.... claims it's "almost prime"....

I bought a CAB all natural brisket at Central Market in Fort Worth for $4.80 a lb and it was very good..... this time I am trying just a standard choice grade brisket from the meat market in Springtown called Old Plantation... I want to see how much difference I notice between it and the one I got at Central Market. I paid $3.09 for the choice brisket at old plantation.

Indeed... I have been there a handful of times and liked it each time of course... but this last time was just on a whole nother level... it was by far the best i've had.

Post you findings BobWillsFan, I'm interested to see. I bought two briskets from Sam's for $2.29/lb and they came out outstanding. I think it would be real hard for me to pay nearly $5/lb for brisket unless there was a big difference, but mine from Sam's were hard to beat.

I too will be interested in your little experiment. Keep us posted and as always, enjoy your work !!

Anyone been to Pecan Lodge yet? I hear it is awesome. Problem is they are only open 3 days a week.

See above in this tread.

Guys, I still haven't smoked that 17lb choice brisket that I got in Springtown.... been working my [censored] off.... anyway, I was down in the Austin area this last weekend and in the past when I've been down there, I've given Rudy's a chance and it's been pretty marginal.

I wanted to report that I had some of the best moist brisket that I've had in a while (outside of Mueller's and Snow's)... especially for a chain it was primo..... It was at the Rudy's in Round Rock @ the NW corner of Old Settlers and I-35... the fat was well rendered, it was nice and moist.... seasoned well and had good smoke... I will go back next time I'm there.

I also went to the Rudy's off of 620 just outside of Austin the next day and it was just a notch below the report above.... still very much worth the stop.

I was surprised by these b/c in the past, it's been very marginal.

I live outside of Fort Worth and I still have yet to hit the Lodge..... no excuses here.... just haven't done it yet. I'm not a big fan of going to Dallas for anything at all!

My updated list:

Louie Mueller in Taylor
Snow's in Lexington
Kreuz Market in Lockhart
Fargo's in Bryan
Cooper's in Llano
Blue Moon outside of Hearn
Post Mountain in Burnet
Smitty's Market in Lockhart
Black's in Lockhart
Buzzie's in Kerrville
Stanley's in Tyler
Rudy's in Round Rock
Whoop Boomerang in Marlin
Hard Eight in Stephenville
Lum's in Junction
Hard Eight in Coppell
Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas
Cooper's in Mason

Little town of Calvert tx has a damn good BBQ place called Butch's Brick Pit BBQ. Awesome restaurant built from the ground up. Smoker and all by the owners. Loved it.

Meshacks..average at best..

Anyone been to 3 Stacks Smoke and Tap House in Frisco? Opened in February and has been getting a lot of hype. May have to go try it out because Collin County has notoriously been a BBQ wasteland.
http://texasbbqposse.blogspot.com/2013/02/first-trip-to-3-stacks-smoke-tap-house.html

i finally went two weeks ago and it was good, not great, but good bbq, i enjoyed it.

I went to Pecan Lodge in Dallas over the weekend. Best BBQ I've ever had. I've never been to Lockhart, so if those places are better, I can' wait to go.

Its good it more of what I call East Texas Style BBQ. I like it!

I hav e been hitting up Hutchins in McKinney lately. Their brisket has been rocking the last few trips. They cut it how you want and I usually have them cube up the burnt end.

for those following my smoking... I finally smoked that 17lb choice brisket this weekend that i bought at Old Plantation in Springtown... I made the mistake of putting salt on it when I aged it..... it was way too salty.... almost unbearable... Ill be making chopped out of the whole thing I think..... back to the drawing board

I work at Target and rumor is we order pretty good meat.
Anyone with experience on the grade and quality of the stuff we get?
Should be down to $.99/lb with a $3 off coupon tomorrow morning!

Worth a shot?

Jack Perkins, owner of Maple and Motor, has a BBQ joint opening this week called Slow Bone. Lot of buzz around it in the last couple of months via various publications and blogs. Gonna try to give it a try sometime soon.

where do we get that coupon my friend?