Aaron Franklin is the American pitmaster, restaurateur and cookbook author widely recognised as the defining figure in contemporary Central Texas barbecue. Born 24 November 1977 in Bryan, Texas, USA, Franklin grew up in Bryan before moving to Austin in his late teens, where he played in local punk bands and worked various Austin jobs before taking up barbecue seriously in the late 2000s. He and his wife Stacy Franklin opened Franklin Barbecue as a small trailer on Interstate 35 in East Austin in December 2009, and moved the operation to its current permanent Franklin Barbecue location at 900 East 11th Street in East Austin in 2011.
Franklin Barbecue has become one of the most celebrated American barbecue restaurants of the 2010s and 2020s, known globally for its brisket cooked on custom offset smokers and for the legendary queues that form outside the restaurant every morning before opening. The 2026 Texas Barbecue Top 50 list, published in March 2026, reconfirmed Franklin Barbecue’s standing, and the restaurant continues operating in 2026 with Aaron Franklin, Sarah Petmecky and Matthew Van Orden as pitmasters. Franklin won the 2015 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest award and was the first barbecue chef to win the category. His cookbooks Franklin Barbecue (2015) and Franklin Steak (2019) are among the defining American barbecue books of the era.
TL;DR
- American pitmaster born 24 November 1977 in Bryan, Texas
- Franklin Barbecue opened December 2009 as small trailer on I-35 East Austin
- Moved to permanent location 900 East 11th Street East Austin in 2011
- Custom offset smokers; famously long queues every morning
- 2015 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest (first barbecue chef to win)
- 2026: Franklin Barbecue retains standing in Texas Barbecue Top 50 (March 2026)
Aaron Franklin key facts
| Born | 24 November 1977, Bryan, Texas, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Training | Self-taught in backyard barbecue from late 2000s; no formal culinary school |
| Restaurant | Franklin Barbecue, 900 East 11th Street, East Austin, Texas (opened trailer December 2009, permanent 2011) |
| Co-owner | Stacy Franklin (wife) |
| Pitmasters | Aaron Franklin, Sarah Petmecky, Matthew Van Orden |
| Method | Custom offset smokers (post-oak wood) |
| Major award | James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest 2015 (first barbecue chef to win) |
Early life and training of Aaron Franklin
Franklin was born on 24 November 1977 in Bryan, Texas, USA, about 160 kilometres north-west of Houston. He grew up in Bryan, a small-to-medium city in south-central Texas, and moved to Austin in his late teens. In Austin through the late 1990s and early 2000s he worked various jobs and played drums in local punk-rock bands, and has spoken in multiple interviews about the local Austin music and food scenes of the period as formative influences on his subsequent approach.
Franklin took up barbecue seriously in his late twenties. He built his first offset smokers himself in his backyard and practiced brisket cookery across years of backyard experiments, learning the Central Texas tradition of slow-smoking post-oak fires and the whole-brisket cookery that would define his subsequent business. The Austin backyard barbecue scene of the late 2000s was a formative environment, and Franklin’s self-taught approach gave him direct hands-on familiarity with the custom-offset smoker format.
In December 2009 Aaron and his wife Stacy Franklin opened Franklin Barbecue as a small trailer on Interstate 35 in East Austin, selling brisket and sides from a parking lot. The trailer operation built a rapid word-of-mouth reputation, and by late 2010 the daily queues were being documented in national food media. In 2011 the Franklins moved the operation to a permanent location at 900 East 11th Street in East Austin, and the restaurant has operated there ever since.
Aaron Franklin career timeline
- 24 November 1977: Born in Bryan, Texas, USA
- Late 1990s: Moves to Austin; plays in local punk-rock bands
- Mid-to-late 2000s: Takes up barbecue seriously in Austin backyard
- December 2009: Opens Franklin Barbecue trailer on I-35 East Austin with wife Stacy
- 2010: Trailer queues attract national food-media attention
- 2011: Moves Franklin Barbecue to permanent location at 900 East 11th Street, East Austin
- 2013: Bon Appetit and Texas Monthly rank Franklin Barbecue as best barbecue in America
- 2015: Publishes Franklin Barbecue cookbook
- 2015: James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest (first barbecue chef to win)
- 2015: BBQ with Franklin PBS television series launches
- 2017: Fire inside Franklin Barbecue forces 3-month closure; rebuilt and reopened
- 2019: Publishes Franklin Steak
- 2020-2021: Continued trailer and restaurant operation through Covid-19 pandemic
- 2023: BBQ With Franklin In Conversation With Mad Scientist BBQ YouTube episode
- 2024: Franklin Barbecue continues as flagship East Austin BBQ destination
- 2025: Franklin Barbecue retains national standing; long daily queues continue
- 2 March 2026: 2026 Texas Barbecue Top 50 list reconfirms Franklin Barbecue standing
- 2026: Aaron Franklin, Sarah Petmecky, Matthew Van Orden continue as pitmasters
Aaron Franklin signature style: Central Texas brisket on custom offset smokers
Franklin’s central argument, developed across more than 16 years of Franklin Barbecue operation, is that Central Texas barbecue centred on whole-brisket cookery on custom offset smokers fired with post-oak wood can operate at the highest level of American barbecue craftsmanship. The brisket programme at Franklin Barbecue uses a salt-and-pepper rub and slow-smoked post-oak fire, and has anchored the operation since the 2009 trailer opening. The queues that form outside Franklin Barbecue every morning before opening are one of the defining phenomena of American food-destination tourism of the 2010s and 2020s.
The second defining element is the self-taught, backyard-to-national-acclaim trajectory. Franklin did not attend culinary school, built his first offset smokers himself, and learned brisket cookery in his Austin backyard before opening the trailer in 2009. The trajectory from backyard to James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest in 2015 is one of the defining American self-taught chef stories of the modern era.
The third pillar is the cookbook and television output. Franklin Barbecue (2015) won a James Beard Foundation Book Award and became one of the defining American barbecue cookbooks of the era. Franklin Steak (2019) extended the output. BBQ with Franklin on PBS and the BBQwithFranklin YouTube channel continue the documentary side. Within the current American cooking cohort Franklin sits alongside peers including Guga Foods and Rick Bayless as one of the defining American food figures of the current era.
Notable Aaron Franklin work
Franklin Barbecue on East 11th Street in East Austin is the defining Aaron Franklin project. Operating since 2009 (trailer) and 2011 (permanent), the restaurant has been consistently ranked as one of the best American barbecue operations across the 2010s and 2020s. Franklin cookbooks include Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto (2015) which won a James Beard Foundation Book Award, and Franklin Steak (2019). PBS television series BBQ with Franklin has run since 2015, and the BBQwithFranklin YouTube channel continues with millions of views. The 2017 fire that forced a three-month closure was a defining moment, and the rebuild and reopening demonstrated sustained operation.
Aaron Franklin awards and recognition
- December 2009: Opens Franklin Barbecue trailer on I-35 East Austin
- 2011: Moves to permanent location 900 East 11th Street East Austin
- 2013: Bon Appetit and Texas Monthly rank Franklin Barbecue best in America
- 2015: James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest (first barbecue chef)
- 2015: Franklin Barbecue cookbook published (James Beard Book Award)
- 2015: BBQ with Franklin PBS television series launches
- 2017: Fire forces 3-month closure; rebuilt and reopened
- 2019: Franklin Steak cookbook published
- 2024-2025: Franklin Barbecue continues as flagship East Austin BBQ destination
- 2 March 2026: Texas Barbecue Top 50 reconfirms Franklin Barbecue standing
- 2026: Pitmasters Aaron Franklin, Sarah Petmecky, Matthew Van Orden continue
Aaron Franklin impact on American barbecue
Franklin’s most concrete contribution is the 16-plus-year Franklin Barbecue operation from December 2009 to 2026. The restaurant has been consistently ranked at the top of American barbecue for more than a decade, and the daily queues outside the restaurant have become one of the defining phenomena of American food-destination tourism of the era. The 2015 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest award made Franklin the first barbecue chef to win the category.
The second contribution is the documentation and teaching of Central Texas brisket cookery. The 2015 Franklin Barbecue cookbook won a James Beard Foundation Book Award and has been one of the defining American barbecue books of the modern era, teaching a generation of home and professional pitmasters the Central Texas brisket technique.
The third contribution is the continuing YouTube and PBS presence. Within the current American food cohort Franklin sits alongside peers including Guga Foods in the YouTube barbecue and steak cohort, Sean Brock in the US Southern regional cookery cohort, and Rick Bayless as one of the defining American food figures of the current era.
Aaron Franklin FAQ
Where is Franklin Barbecue?
At 900 East 11th Street in East Austin, Texas. Franklin Barbecue operated as a trailer on I-35 from December 2009 to 2011, and moved to the permanent East 11th Street location in 2011 where it continues to operate in 2026.
When did Franklin Barbecue open?
In December 2009 as a small trailer on Interstate 35 in East Austin, with Aaron and Stacy Franklin as founders. The operation moved to the permanent location at 900 East 11th Street in 2011, and has operated continuously at that location ever since.
Did Franklin win a James Beard?
Yes. Aaron Franklin won the James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest award in 2015, the first barbecue chef to win the category. His 2015 cookbook Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto also won a James Beard Foundation Book Award.
What is Franklin Barbecue famous for?
Central Texas brisket cooked on custom offset smokers fired with post-oak wood, and the legendary queues that form outside the restaurant every morning before opening. The brisket programme uses a salt-and-pepper rub and slow-smoked post-oak fire, and the daily queue has become one of the defining phenomena of American food-destination tourism.
Did Franklin Barbecue have a fire?
Yes. In 2017 a fire forced a three-month closure of the restaurant, and the building was subsequently rebuilt and reopened. The rebuild and reopening demonstrated sustained operation through a major setback, and the restaurant returned to its continuous operation with pitmasters and queues unchanged.
What is next for Aaron Franklin
Franklin Barbecue continues in East Austin through 2026 with pitmasters Aaron Franklin, Sarah Petmecky and Matthew Van Orden. BBQwithFranklin YouTube channel and PBS television continue. His public Instagram (@aaronfranklinbbq) is the best source for current updates.
