Richmond, VA: ZZQ

ZZQ was written up highly in Texas Monthly, and it is only a two-hour drive from the DC area, so if you can't make it to Texas, this is definitely a nice day trip for excellent Texas BBQ!
Go on Saturday for their beef ribs!

They open at 11am on Saturday, and when we arrive at 10:30am, we were the first in line.

We ordered the beef ribs, moist brisket, and jalapeno sausage.

They were all excellent choices.

Final assessment: ZZQ, being within driving distance and no line, is an excellent substitute for Franklin.