I've done several BBQ tours on my monthly trips from Houston to Austin, and Salt Lick consistently requires a fork.
The half-dozen times I've had Franklin's BBQ, I've witnessed the brisket slab wobble like jello, and can't help but describe the moisture as butter-esque. Seriously, that stuff is so rich you can't eat it often at all.
Still, I've found that even in Texas everyone argues over which bbq is better. Some argue against any sauce, any forks, or anything to imply the meat is less than perfect. I've even had pitmasters argue that tearing at a rib bone with your teeth because the meat is dried on is "correct", and fall-off-the-bone is over/undercooking.
At the very least, Franklin's is different from Rudy's is different from Salt Lick is different from whatever.
It's all preference, but one thing you can bet on is good BBQ will have a good line :)
Salt Lick and Franklin have fundamentally different approaches to brisket. Totally cool if you don't have a preference, but it's sort of like saying programming language X is no different than language Y.
Franklin dudes have been grinding for years and I'm so stoked that they are starting to get national recognition outside of foodies and chefs.
I'm not an expert, but I've had both (and dozens of others), I smoke my own brisket, and I feel like I have a decent understanding of it. Salt Lick mops their brisket with a mustard based sauce. They smoke their meats indoors over a direct heat, open pit. Franklin uses a "domino rub" of just salt and pepper (for brisket). They're dry smoked (no sauce) in closed, indirect heat, offset smokers (the wood is in a chamber to the side of the grills). Franklin can control the temperatures of his smokers MUCH better than Salt Lick can. You can taste the meat and smoke better on a Franklin brisket. Salt Lick has a lot more sauce flavor though, and the mopping does add moisture but not tenderness. I have a very strong preference to Franklin's. I think his is the best brisket I've ever had, but that being said, it's not so much better that I want to wait in line for 4 hours (It's a guaranteed wait of 4 hours whether you show up at 7AM or 10AM, but show up after 1, and they're sold out) more than once a year or so.
Consider dropping the silly hipster-bashing when commenting. It shouldn't have a place on HN. And your comment could go an extra step to explain the reasoning behind why you think that way, otherwise it's not contributing much.
I believe that's actually their third location. The one on Riverside has been open for a couple months as well -- and even (surprisingly?) annoying neighbors with BBQ smoke[0].
And as a bonus, no hipsters.