Barbecue god Aaron Franklin served his first Wagyu brisket in Dallas Monday

by Sarah Blaskovich

If you've stood in line at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Monday's meal in Deep Ellum was much closer, and almost as tasty.

Photo by Sarah Blaskovich

Aaron Franklin made a Wagyu brisket pizza that was good, but the brisket tasted a little dry.

DEEP ELLUM — Barbecue does not belong on pizza, but if chef-lebrity Aaron Franklin is making it, we'll certainly eat it.

The man behind Franklin Barbecue in Austin stopped into Cane Rosso in Deep Ellum Monday night for Celebrity Chef Nights, owner Jay Jerrier's smart idea to bring food lovers to the neighborhood on a sleepy Monday night. Even before Monday rolled around, we knew that having Franklin as the guest would be a hit, despite the fact that his award-winning brisket isn't a natural fit on pizza. Barbecue nerds marked their calendars, lined up outside Cane Rosso, and were plenty pleased with the outcome.

Photo by Sarah Blaskovich

Winner winner, pork dinner: Aaron Franklin made a pork pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella, and spicy bacon marmalade.

Franklin made two pies. Pizza 1: Wagyu brisket with onions, mushrooms, fontina cheese, and espresso sauce. Franklin told us he had never cooked Wagyu brisket, and for his first attempt, it was tasty -- unsurprisingly so, given Franklin's barbecue cult status. But the brisket paled in comparison to his pork pie.

Pizza 2 was the star of the night, a pork pizza topped with grape tomatoes, mozzarella, and spicy bacon marmalade. Bites smacked with garlic and a sweet finish, grounded by the fatty pork taste. Bites were inconsistent, though, as happens with pizza: One taste with all the toppings was followed by one missing a little sweet, or overloaded with a burst of tomato. We nommed on the whole pork pizza, searching for perfect bites. We found many -- a fun game.

Photo by Sarah Blaskovich

Aaron Franklin dons a "PILF" shirt from Cane Rosso. It doesn't mean what you think it means.

A friendly Franklin made the rounds at Cane Rosso, talking to guests while wearing a "PILF" T-shirt from Cane Rosso. (That's Pizza I'd Like to Finish, thankyouverymuch.)

If you're someone who's stood outside Franklin Barbecue in Austin for two hours or more (and I have), a Monday night at Cane Rosso -- with just a 10-or-so minute wait outside -- was a great way to get Franklin's famous barbecue without a trip South. It wasn't as good as the real thing, but it was close.

We think we came up with the perfect Twitter hashtag for the evening: #BBQgeekout.