You don’t have to look far to find great barbecue in the US. In Texas every business serving brisket thinks they’re one of the best. But here we look at the places that really stand out. From a Kentucky mutton restaurant to a North Carolina whole hog barbecue, these joints are a cut above the rest. Due to COVID-19, be sure to check local travel restrictions, including state travel advisories, and individual restaurant websites for dine-in, takeout and delivery options before you visit.
When L&N railroad worker Bob Gibson dug a barbecue pit in his backyard in 1925, he had no idea he would end up creating a world championship business. Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q is one of the most esteemed joints around, known for its hickory-smoked pulled pork shoulder and white barbecue sauce. Check out one of its platters and take a look at all its trophies on display to believe it.
Never had Texas barbecue in Alaska? Then you need to head to Turnagain Arm PiT BBQ, which serves hickory-smoked meats, sumptuous sides and the occasional salmon or halibut special. The Boar Tide Sandwich (with pulled pork and bacon), baby back ribs and smoky spicy beans are its most talked about dishes. Its original location in Indian on the waterfront is beautiful, and it has a second outpost in Anchorage.
Get ready to wait in line if you’re heading to Little Miss BBQ. Customers know husband and wife team Scott and Bekke’s fatty brisket and meaty beef ribs are second to none and are prepared to arrive well before opening time to get their order in. How do they make it so good? Great quality beef, simple seasoning and a blend of Arizona white oak, pecan, pistachio and mesquite firewood in its smokers.
An Arkansas institution, Sim’s Bar-B-Que dates all the way back to 1937 and has three locations in Little Rock. It’s not fancy but customers love the mom-and-pop vibe with its red and white tablecloths and friendly staff. What to order? One of the sandwiches (pork ribs, chopped pork, chopped beef, smoked sausage or bologna) on white bread and its signature sweet and tangy sauce.
This roadside barbecue joint, which landed the best restaurant in America in 2015, just moved to a larger location down the street. It’s still a casual affair with picnic tables and plastic takeaway boxes. On the menu is beef tri-tip, pulled pork and pork ribs. It’s all described as tender and smoky by customers who recommend the sweet Hawaiian rolls, creamy potato salad and spicy mac ‘n’ cheese.
There’s no shortage of options at Georgia Boys BBQ, a restaurant with cool interiors and a patio in Longmont and Frederick. It has brisket (sliced lean cuts and fatty burnt ends), ribs, pulled pork, smoked sausage, smoked turkey and chopped chicken. The brisket fries with melted jack cheese, buttery Texas toast and sweet potato casserole get glowing reviews.
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A great independent business, Pig Rig BBQ is owned by Army scout veteran Daniel Lanigan. The star dishes are the beef brisket (which is chopped and shredded perfectly), the fatty burnt ends and smoked mac ‘n’ cheese (which has pulled pork and bacon mixed in). Although you don’t come to a barbecue joint for a hot dog, the one sold here is a must-try.
Adored by barbecue fanatics, Limestone BBQ and Bourbon in Wilmington is the place if you’re hungry. The Philthy Feast (featuring brisket, pulled pork, two chicken quarters, ribs, hot Italian sausages and five sides) is enough food to feed a family. However, if you do have space, the pimento cheese dip served with barbecued tortilla chips is another great choice.
When it comes to finding decent barbecue, you’re spoilt for choice in Florida – but you can't go wrong with family-run Shiver’s Bar-B-Q. This unassuming spot is a local landmark that has been running for over 60 years. Customers absolutely rave about the meats that have been smoked for 12 hours or more as well as the side dishes. They say the green beans are fresh, the fries non-greasy, the cornbread soufflé excellent and the coleslaw delicious.
Pitmaster Wiley McCrary has won numerous competitions as well as diners’ hearts. Wiley’s Championship BBQ is praised for its Redneck Nachos (covered in pulled pork, cheese and jalapeños), homemade sauces, juicy beef brisket and pulled pork. What’s more, the servers are always friendly and the food arrives super speedy.
A Texas barbecue joint in Wahiawa, Sunset Smokehouse is a hidden gem. It smokes its meats (mainly beef brisket, but also ribs, pulled pork and sausages) with hickory and mesquite for 12 to 18 hours until they’re perfectly charred, smoky and tender. The brisket is only rubbed in salt and pepper, but so flavourful you can eat it with or without barbecue sauce. Complimentary sweet Hawaiian rolls, pickles and onions are an amazing touch.
Ask for the best barbecue in Boise and people will tell you Rib Shack Barbecue, a casual sit-down spot serving Kansas City-style, dry-rubbed, slow-smoked meat with dozens of homemade sauces. It's known for its sweet and smoky baby back ribs and beef tri-tip served spicy and rare – its leftovers are great for making sandwiches. Customers also love the crunchy coleslaw and five-bean baked beans.
Your new favourite barbecue restaurant, Smoque BBQ is known for incredible, Texas-style brisket that’s so fatty and flavoursome it doesn’t need any sauces. However, you’ll use them anyway and buy a couple of bottles to take home they’re that good. Get a brisket platter or brisket sandwich with spicy slaw, baked mac ‘n’ cheese and a cornbread muffin, they're the favourites.
Hank Fields opened Texas-style barbecue Hank’s Smoked Briskets in 2004 after missing the taste of home and still travels back to his native state to buy mesquite wood. The briskets, corned beef, mac ‘n’ cheese, house sauce and caramel apple pie are so good, the takeaway is always busy. Regulars say it’s the best barbecue they’ve ever had.
Widely known as the best around, Jimmy Jack’s Rib Shack is a charming barbecue restaurant with two locations in Iowa City and North Liberty. It’s not just the meat that’s prized, but the sides and sauces too. Customers love the fatty beef brisket sandwich (with sweet and smoky “cowboy sauce” and provolone cheese), ribs, honey cornbread, fries and Carolina mustard.
Formerly Oklahoma Joe’s, Joe’s Kansas City-Bar-B-Que located in a busy gas station is legendary. Everyone raves about The Z-Man Sandwich featuring slow-smoked beef brisket, provolone, onion rings and sweet or spicy barbecue sauce in a toasted Kaiser roll. Still feeling hungry? Get the fries, mac ‘n’ cheese and burnt ends. It has two other locations in the state, but this is the best.
A joint that’s over 100 years old, historic Old Hickory Bar-B-Que is still family owned and serving its signature hickory-smoked mutton. It’s tender, has a distinct lamb taste and comes served with a choice of bold vinegar-based barbecue sauces. Order it in a sandwich or as a plate with pickles, onion, bread and two sides (choose between beans, green beans, coleslaw or potato salad).
New Orleans has a solid reputation for serving Southern and Creole cuisine, but less so American barbecue. Nevertheless, there are a number of good places that smoke on site including neighbourhood hangout The Joint, which even featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Here you can get incredible pulled pork, barbecued beans and sweet, vinegary barbecue sauce.
A cool joint in Portland known for its pit-smoked whole hog barbecue and being a great place to hang out. Wilson County Barbecue is owned by a North Carolinian and cooks its meats North Carolina-style with tangy sauces. The dishes to order are the Barbecue Sandwich (with pulled pork and slaw in a toasted bun) and the Barbecue Chicken plate (with hushpuppies or a biscuit). The collard greens and baked beans are also said to be perfect.
New and exciting 2Fifty Texas BBQ has already earned quite a name for itself. Opened by a couple from El Salvador, it’s Texas-inspired barbecue with a Central American twist. Its most popular dish is wagyu brisket so tender it “forks apart like chocolate cake”. Sides such as caramelised pineapple and sweet beans with brisket are the perfect complement. Be sure to pre-order to avoid disappointment.
Growing from a trailer to a shack, B.T.’s Smokehouse is a flourishing Southern-style barbecue joint in tiny, historic Sturbridge. It serves dry rubbed, 14-hour hickory and applewood-smoked meats as plates or stuffed into burritos, reubens and sandwiches. Standouts are the pulled pork, ribs, brisket, cucumber salad, mac ‘n’ cheese and collard greens.
Set up to help regenerate downtown Detroit in 2005, Slows Bar-B-Q continues to impress. It offers great slow-cooked food and craft beers in a trendy space. Everyone loves the North Carolina-style pulled pork which comes bathed in vinegar sauce – get it in a grilled roll topped with coleslaw and dill pickles (called The Reason) or on its own with waffles fries and mac ‘n’ cheese. It has two new locations in Midtown and Grand Rapids, plus a food truck.
Food truck Animales Barbecue which you can find parked permanently outside Able Seedhouse Brewery has a cult following. Its menu of smoked meats including ribs, hot links (Southern sausage), pork belly and moist chicken drumsticks, and rotating specials such as birria tacos and nachos, keep customers coming back with anticipation to try something new. Not to mention its accompanying sauces and fresh side salads.
It seems like everybody is talking about Clay’s House of Pig, a hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint located inside a bait and tackle shop. Owner Clay Coleman has only been serving barbecue since 2017, but has made a name for himself with his pecan-smoked pork butt, brisket, ribs and huge baked potatoes loaded with queso, green chillies, jalapeños, meat and Memphis-style (tomato and vinegar) sauce.
Butcher’s shop and barbecue joint City Butcher and Barbecue was set up by classically-trained chef Cody Smith in 2014. Here you can get Central Texas-style barbecue (seasoned with just salt and pepper). Think: brisket, burnt ends, ribs and hot links. Customers say it’s on par with Franklin Barbecue in Austin. Find it at one of its two bricks-and-mortar locations or food truck.
The name is so good it would be a travesty if the food wasn’t. Fortunately for Montanans, The Notorious P.I.G., which uses St. Louis-inspired techniques, is great. It serves pulled pork sandwiches, juicy racks of Memphis-style pork ribs, the best Kansas City burnt ends you’ll ever taste and devilled egg potato salad. Try it for yourself at one of two locations in Missoula.
The best brisket in Nebraska can be found at Smokin Barrel BBQ, a former food truck run by a Texan, that now has a permanent spot in a strip mall. It has an incredible bark and is the perfect smokiness. The ribs, potato and beans (with brisket mixed in) are also excellent. Though the location is bare bones, the service is second to none.
Meat is a big deal in Las Vegas and there are steakhouses and barbecue joints aplenty. But John Mull’s Meats and Road Kill Grill is another level, both a meat market and a barbecue restaurant. It’s loved for its hot links, slow-cooked beans, macaroni salad, fluffy cornbread and mac ‘n’ cheese. It even has the approval of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives' Guy Fieri.
A taste of the Lone Star State in New England, Smokeshow Barbeque’s signature dish is tender, smoky brisket chopped up with turkey and pork loin and sautéed in sauce. Named “Goodness” on the menu, it certainly lives up to its name. Other star items are the spicy jalapeño, Cheddar, beef and pork sausage shipped from Texas, the Jack’ D Up Mashers (mashed potato with cheese and sour cream) and the sweet and moist cornbread.
Run by two former marines, Red White & Que Smokehouse gets hundreds of great reviews and press, and even featured on Food Network's Guy’s Big Project. Highlights include the bark on the beef brisket, the pastrami sandwich with thick slices of meat and soft, succulent ribs. It also has great sauces – customers love the mustard and sweet barbecue.
High up in the Lincoln National Forest Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue is a two-storey log restaurant serving the best barbecue for miles. It has unbeatable brisket, pork ribs, sausages and five different barbecue sandwiches. The best three are chopped brisket (customers love the soft bread), pulled pork and “Chile the Kid” (green chilli and beef).
Recently-opened John Brown BBQ in Long Island City is the new venture from pitmaster Josh Bowen of beloved Kansas City-style joint John Brown Smokehouse (which sadly had to close due to the impact of the pandemic). It has a similar menu – pulled pork, pork belly, rib tips, brisket, burnt ends, turkey breast and cured pastrami – but is said to be richer thanks to a brand-new smoker. By the looks of the great reviews it gets, it’s just as loved.
North Carolina is a barbecue hotbed, with numerous spots deserving of a mention. However, family-run Skylight Inn BBQ, which has been open since 1947, has more than earned its reputation, plus a prestigious James Beard "America's Classics" Award. It serves whole barbecued hog, chopped up with the crispy skin mixed in, and vinegar sauce. As well as terrific sides including coleslaw, potato salad and cornbread.
When the barbecue team at Spitfire Bar & Grill aren’t on shift they’re earning trophies on the competition circuit. For a taste of their award-winning meats, get the Spitfire Classic Chicken (seasoned and wood-fired rotisserie chicken) or the Gourmet Raspberry Ribs (slow-smoked ribs with a raspberry glaze) which come with a choice of coleslaw, waffle fries, garlic mashed potato, seasoned rice and beans.
Pork is the order of the day at Eli’s BBQ, a cool BYOB joint with outdoor seating and two locations in Cincinnati. The pulled pork sandwich (hickory-smoked pork piled high on a toasted bun with homemade barbecue sauce and optional coleslaw), dry rubbed ribs and all-beef smoked hot dogs (with sauce, coleslaw and pork crispins) are all winning options.
Family-run restaurant Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Ranch is something to behold. A barbecue restaurant attached to an RV park serving tender brisket, meaty ribs, hot links and incredible sauces. The portions are enormous, the prices decent and the service fast and friendly. If you are going to be on I-35 between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Oklahoma City, be sure to stop in – it’s a true hidden gem.
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One of Portland’s hottest culinary destinations, Matt’s BBQ is a fixed-location food truck with picnic tables on Mississippi Avenue. Come here for Texas-style oak-smoked brisket, ribs, pork belly burnt ends, pulled pork, sausages and more. Customers consistently comment on how the brisket melts in your mouth and the flavour of its char. They also love that orders come with sweet pickled onions and cucumbers.
You can’t go wrong with anything at Harvey’s Main Street BBQ, a dine-in barbecue restaurant run by competition-winning pitmaster Harvey Schademan. But if you’re struggling to choose, order The Decision Maker which comes with pulled pork, chicken, ribs, brisket, Cajun sausage, two sides and a roll. You’ll be served loads of food and can try everything with the house barbecue (vinegar, butter, ketchup and mustard) sauce.
Texas-style barbecue, posh sides, cocktails and beer is what people go to Durk’s Bar-B-Q in Providence for. Think: hickory-smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork and poblano Cheddar kielbasa (Polish sausage) served with soft, white homemade bread, pickles and vinegar sauce. Followed by braised greens with bacon and fancy mac ‘n’ cheese for good measure.
At this Charleston joint Texas barbecue is taken seriously. Meat is prepared in a custom-made smoker built by the pitmaster and many people say the brisket is the best they’ve ever had. You order at the counter and choose meat by weight (brisket, pulled pork, turkey breast, homemade sausages and ribs). It comes with pickles and a choice of three sauces (original, tangy and hatch green chilli). Kick back in the huge outdoor area and enjoy.
A catering business open for walk-ins Wednesday to Saturday, J.R.’s Rhodehouse BBQ PIT is known to sell some of the best Texas-style barbecue in South Dakota. Best-selling items include the brisket nachos, pulled pork nachos, brisket mac ‘n’ cheese, pork ribs and beans. Get down early to avoid disappointment as this place is not a secret and tends to run out quickly.
The barbecuing at award-winning restaurant Peg Leg Porker is done by experienced pitmaster Carey Bringle who has 30 years behind him and been asked to cook at James Beard House twice. Top choices are the dry-rubbed ribs, pulled pork and Memphis sushi (a platter of kielbasa sausage, cheese, crackers and white barbecue sauce). In terms of sides, get the creamy, crunchy coleslaw, mac ‘n’ cheese, French fries and barbecue beans.
As one of four areas that make up the barbecue belt, Texas prides itself on its ability to smoke meat. Most agree that the best Texan joint is Franklin Barbecue with people gladly waiting hours to be served its luscious sliced beef brisket with pickles, onions, barbecue sauce and white bread. Described by Anthony Bourdain as "the finest I’ve ever had”, nothing else on the menu (or in the state) compares to it.
Homely Charlotte-Rose’s Carolina BBQ is one of the few decent spots for barbecue in this state. You can get a great pulled pork sandwich on a butter-grilled bun with slaw, Redneck Brisket Tacos (slow-smoked brisket, Cheddar, red rice, slaw and sauce on corn or flour tortillas) and juicy baby back ribs with out-of-this-world cornbread. Plus, there are at least seven different sauces to choose from.
A surprisingly wonderful spot in a state not known for its barbecue restaurants. Bluebird Barbecue even got a feature on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for its meaty dishes. The best deal is the Barbecue for Two (three slow-smoked meats from options that include marbled pork shoulder rubbed with seasoning, ribs glazed with maple sauce and brisket, plus four sides and sauces). Customers say the portions are really generous.
Virginia is another state with a plethora of excellent barbecue restaurants, but HogsHead Cafe is the people’s choice – it receives hundreds of visitors who all have positive things to say about it. The baby back ribs have a smoky crust on the outside and the meat is falling off the bone. Meanwhile, the pulled pork is tender and juicy. Get both, plus two sides, by ordering the Hog Sampler. You won’t regret it.
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There are so many great dishes at Brileys BBQ & Grill, a sports bar type joint overlooking the lake, it’s hard to choose. Tried and tested options include the Harry Stamper (a pulled pork, jalapeño Cheddar sausage and bacon sandwich), sliced brisket (Texas-style with a salt and pepper rub) and baby back ribs. All of the meats are smoked over cherry wood and the portions are huge.
Charming Hickory House in the equally charming Jane Lew is the best place for barbecue in West Virginia. Pulled pork is the star of the show here. If you’re feeling hungry, get the Hickory House Pork Platter (hickory-smoked pulled pork served with baked beans, homemade slaw, pineapple and Momma Sue’s fruit dipping sauce). Customers say “Everything is tip-top, including the service."
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Run by a husband and wife team, Double B’s BBQ is a local favourite for barbecue plates featuring ultra-meaty baby back ribs and St. Louis spare ribs (spare ribs with the tough cartilage trimmed) rubbed with seasoning and smoked over a hickory fire pit. They’re served dry with sauce on the side, so you can try the flavour first before covering them in it – a true sign of great cooking.
A barbecue restaurant in a repurposed gas station, HQ BBQ is a great stop off. Highlights include the warm, buttery cornbread, sweet tea, hickory-smoked ribs and pulled pork which come with your choice of sauce (the bourbon habanero and Memphis-style dry rub are the best). The atmosphere is top notch and the prices are really reasonable. It even gets the approval of Texan visitors.
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