20 Best Barbecue Cities in America

[Richard Chrz]

No LaCrosse Wi? lol

[Mr. Bones]

We're countin ya to Change this, Brother!!!

No Pressure...

[mnavarre]

The fact that Los Angeles is on that list at all... Just.. no. San Diego is a better Barbecue town than LA. Also still a better beer town. And better taco shops. I mean, maybe if you're talking about Korean barbecue.

[synodog]

Thought the same thing RE: LA and Korean BBQ. Which is great but not what I consider bbq in the traditional sense

[TripleB]

I don't know about SD, but LA ahead of Austin, Tx......Please. Or any city in the South. And I live in LA.

[klflowers]

Here is my list: Best BBQ place in Chattanooga: my deck. Depending on how much beer and bourbon I consume during the cook

[Mr. Bones]

Road trip!!!

[klflowers]

Mr. Bones, come on down!!! It is an inverse relationship, the more beer and bourbon, the better the BBQ. Strange how that works...

[MBMorgan]

Denver? Denver??? We have an abundance of wonderful things around here but sadly, great BBQ isn’t among them. 😐

[Potkettleblack]

If you dig deeper into the data, the quality marking becomes interesting...

Rating of these may be by local standards... Minneapolis is rated #3 on quality, which, due to a paucity of BBQ there, may get higher numbers on Yelp or other local rating services, because adequate BBQ is better than no BBQ for diners, where Austin may get dinged for long lines at Franklin, La Barbecue, and the other big joints, and small flaws in top flight BBQ may get dinged by a stronger connoisseur base.

Chicago has a good number of restaurants, but nowhere near the number in Kansas City. We have some good BBQ, but folks rating here may be rating the BBQ as a cuisine, against others, rather than critically against other BBQ.

Any rating system will be inherently subjective.

[Murdy]

Kind of like the BCS

[Murdy]

I don't have a problem with cities like St. Louis and Chicago appearing on the list that have a long bbq tradition. Not sure about places like Grand Rapids or Cincinnati though.

[smokin fool]

Top 10 BBQ cities in Canada:

Lemme see
Ummm
Errrr
Wow
Holey crap
I dunno
Thinking
Hmmm
Oh my
Ahhhh

Let them have they're fun keeping us all informed.
Potkettleblack nailed it, all lists are subjective and if this boasts they're readership for a month, good on em.

[Spinaker]

You forgot Ooooh Geez

[Mr. Bones]

Lik3 Spinaker , I find myself rather surprised that Shucky Darns, an Idunno didn't make th list..

[ecowper]

You can get damned good Smoked Meat (aka Pastrami) in Montreal and Toronto. Probably as good as anything you can get in NYC and Chicago. So, that's something.

[Spinaker]

Um....as a life long Minnesota resident and unfortunately, former resident of Minneapolis,....I can categorically say that Minneapolis does not belong anywhere near this list. LOL. We do have good lutefisk though. (If that is even possible)

We have a couple of good spots, and they are damn good. But to say Minneapolis is a BBQ city is absolutely ridiculous. And it is almost offensive to think that Minneapolis ranks higher than Austin, TX when it comes to BBQ. Eeeeeeasily the best joke I have heard all year. LOL

[Panhead John]

Thanks John, that’s good to hear and carries a lot of weight, coming from someone who lives there….and knows his cue.

[Panhead John]

I’m just gonna throw my 2 cents in…again. I’ve spent a few hours this morning, (cause I don’t have a life) compiling a list of our top BBQ Restaurants which are located in Houston or the suburbs. My list is compiled from 41 years of living here, Texas Monthly’s Top 50 list, The Houston Chronicle and some online reviews from various websites. Most of these restaurants are consistently mentioned in all my sources. When pretty much everyone praises you, you’ve gotta be good. Troutman and others here in Houston, let me know if I left anyone off my list.

I know Houston isn’t the only great BBQ city in our country, we luckily have many….Kansas City, Memphis, Raleigh, North Carolina; St. Louis, Austin etc. And I’m sure that each one produces world class cue’. But I also believe that when it comes to great BBQ, no one is more picky or critical of ourselves than when it comes to Texas BBQ. If you don’t put out good cue’ here in Houston, you won’t be around long.

Houston is the 4th largest city in America, on our way to replace Chicago for 3rd. I think because of a combination of our size, a long tradition of Texas having outstanding BBQ and the fierce competition in BBQ these days, I, Panhead John, hereby declare HOUSTON THE #1 BBQ CITY IN AMERICA (If Trip Advisor can make a list, why can’t I?) 🙄 This is my list of Houston’s Top BBQ joints which aren’t just my opinion, but all have received much critical acclaim from respected people and organizations. Keep in mind this isn’t all the good and great BBQ joints in town, but these are ones that are all recognized by most people as top notch. How many other cities can claim this many?

1. Tejas Choclate and BBQ (ranked #6 by Texas Monthly)
2. Corkscrew (#7 by Texas Monthly)
3. Truth BBQ (#10 by Texas Monthly)
4. Brook’s Place BBQ
5. Gatlin’s BBQ
6. Pinkerton’s BBQ
7. The Pit Room
8. Killen’s BBQ
9. Roegals Bar-b-Cue
NUMBERS 4-9 ARE ALSO ALL IN TEXAS MONTHLY’S TOP 50
10. Pizzatola’s BBQ
11. Feges BBQ
12. Blood Bros. BBQ
13. Fainmous BBQ
14. Goode Company BBQ
15. The Brisket House
16. Ray’s BBQ Shack
17. Luling City Market
18. Demeris BBQ
19. Harlem Road Texas BBQ
20. Southern Q

NOTE: None of these places are "Korean" or other styles of BBQ. These are all traditional BBQ joints. My list is not a ranking of the restaurants, just a list.

[Troutman]

The only one you missed on the list is 21. "Troutman's Awesome BBQ Joint"

[Clark]

Panhead John I don't have much faith in Texas Monthly as it is no longer a very good magazine. Back in the 60s, 70s, & 80s it was reliable and informative. Us old geezers remember! Now it isn't much more than a "we feel good" rag. The advertisers must feel pretty much the same as I do, as the quantity and quality have fallen way down.

[Troutman]

I keep singing the praises of Houston BBQ. Houston has actually become one of the foodie hot spots of America in general. The Asian variety and types are amazing for one. There's nothing else to do here but go out and eat.

As to @Panhead John's list, that's pretty comprehensive. To that I would add that just here in Katy alone, one of the largest suburbs, we also have a number of franchised operations; Spring Creek, Cooper's, Rudy's as well as another "young gun" by the name of Brett's (not related to the Rockdale Brett's). It's somewhat like Starbuck's, you can throw a stone in any direction and hit a bbq joint in this town.

[ecowper]

Dallas is not on the list, but Elk Grove, CA is? Elk Grove is a suburb of Sacramento, it has about 170K people. 40 years ago, Elk Grove had 10K people. It seriously has no identity except as a former farm town that is now a commuter suburb. And it most certainly does not have a better BBQ culture than Dallas. Or Raleigh, NC for that matter.

How do I know? Well, my mother's family is from Galt and Lodi, just down US 99 from Elk Grove. And I lived in Elk Grove for a couple years in the early 2000's, after the Army and before I got smart and moved to WA. It is really the ultimate commuter suburb, nothing more or less. Don't let this article fool you into a BBQ pilgrimage to Elk Grove, you will be very disappointed.

[Eric2662]

Ive lived in Los Angeles my whole life and can safely say that we do NOT have bbq that belongs on a list like this. There are a few decent places, but nothing that belongs on a "best of list." Unless of course they are talking about my backyard