Video: Barbecue Boss Aaron Franklin Is The Beer Geek We Pretty Much Expected

"What we do is salt and pepper and...fire," pitmaster Aaron Franklin told us about the trademark Texas barbecue he sells out of his insanely popular Franklin Barbecue on the Eastside of Austin. People have waited up to four hours for his brisket, ribs and a Central-Texas play on pulled pork, which can run out at the inhumanely early hour of 10 a.m. The man is a legend. He's also, as we find out in this latest episode of the Beer Diaries, a red-blooded beer geek — effusing the joys of a favorite "sessionable porter" and telling host Greg Zeschuk about all his favorite local breweries in Austin. "When I lost my barbecue hobby I almost took up brewing," he jokes. Well, half-jokes. There is no doubt Franklin will release a beer in his lifetime. We're thinking smoke will be involved.

Also see: 10 Craft Beers On Our Radar This Spring