The Texas BBQ Posse loaded up and headed south to Austin this morning for our Central Texas 5-Star BBQ Tour II. This is the first anniversary of our inaugural tour to central Texas last November.

We were 13 strong when we pulled into Franklin BBQ at 1pm. As usual, they were sold out by shortly after noon, but we called earlier in the week and owner and pitmaster Aaron Franklin held back one brisket, some sausage and a rack of ribs for us to sample. The photo above shows the amazing spread of meat we devoured.

On to Lambert's BBQ in downtown Austin for round two. We toasted our anniversary at the bar and enjoyed a sample plate of meats and some of the best mac and cheese you'll ever have.

Stay tuned for more updates from the barbecue trail, our next stop is Southside Market in Elgin, then to Taylor for an overnight stay and dinner at the Taylor Cafe.