Top 20 BBQ Cities

[Fijimn]

According to readers of Time magazine. Some interesting ones on the list. Providence, R.I. for one; however, the write up sounds pretty good.

http://time.com/3898636/best-barbecue-american-cities/

 

[DanC78]

Whaa...no Chiefland or Perry Florida....they don't even know!

 

[FSUTribe76]

Whaa...no Chiefland or Perry Florida....they don't even know!

Eh..most of the best BBQ places like Red Bridges, Sweatmans, Skylight, Abe's BBQ, Bill Ellis, Lexington, BBQ Center, Big Bob Gibson and on and on are not in what most people would call a real city. They're either completely in the boonies or in small towns like Shelby, Lexington, Owensboro and Goldsbro. It's actually pretty rare for there to be larger/mid sized cities like Memphis and Kansas City with great BBQ. Take NC for example, it's the best state for BBQ bar none in my opinion, but the places in Charlotte, the Triangle, Asheville and OBX almost universally suck with only a couple of exceptions. Other larger southern cities like Norfolk/Virginia Beach, NoVa, Nola, Atlanta and others are pretty bad as well. Only Birmingham takes their Q seriously like Memphis.

A couple of other things, I was literally just up in Rhode Island four days ago and did my research prior to going. It is NOT some bastion of great BBQ. In fact, if there were New England states worthy of BBQ mention it would be Maine and New Hampshire with Vermont a distant third. At least those three get some influence from Quebec which does have great smoked meats (just not BBQ the way Deep South southerners think of it with a sickeningly sweet sauce). But in my travel planning the only place I seriously considered was Mainely Meat in Bar Harbor Maine as it is supposedly decent and next to the Atlantic Brewing Company but we didn't have enough time to make it. New York does have great BBQ from the southern transplants and the Jewish delis but I consider it midatlantic not NE. If it counts then obviously NY would leapfrog Maine.

 

[FSUTribe76]

So even though I prefer all three Carolina styles (four if you count the very rare "green"), they won't show up on my list of top 20 BBQ cities as none of the great examples are in "Cities". Because while I enjoy visiting, Shelby, Lexington, Goldsboro and Owensboro are not real cities just pleasant small towns.

I would rank the mid and large sized cities thusly

1) Memphis
2) Birmingham
3) Kansas City
4) St Louis
5) Santa Maria/Santa Barbara
6) Nashville
7) NYC
8) Santa Fe
9) Austin
10) Albuquerque
11) Tucson
12) Phoenix
13) Charleston
14) Richmond
15) Baltimore
16) Montreal
17) Savannah
18) Lafayette
19) Tampa
20) Atlanta

Near misses would be Louisville, Dallas, Cleveland, Houston, LA, Orlando, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Portland Oregon, Portland Maine, Amarillo, Raleigh, Durham, and Louisville in no particular order.

And personally I think there's huge dropoffs between 5 and 6, between 12 and 13 and between 16 and 17. In other words, I'd rate the top five true vacationworthy/focus your time around BBQ and give them a 10/10. 6th through 12th would get 8s, 13th through 17th would get 7 and 6s, and 17-20 plus my other mentions would get 5s.

 

[CobNole]

So not one single city in Alabama is on the list yet Tampa made it. Weird list.

 

[KitingHigh]

So even though I prefer all three Carolina styles (four if you count the very rare "green"), they won't show up on my list of top 20 BBQ cities as none of the great examples are in "Cities". Because while I enjoy visiting, Shelby, Lexington, Goldsboro and Owensboro are not real cities just pleasant small towns.

I would rank the mid and large sized cities thusly

1) Memphis
2) Birmingham
3) Kansas City
4) St Louis
5) Santa Maria/Santa Barbara
6) Nashville
7) NYC
8) Santa Fe
9) Austin
10) Albuquerque
11) Tucson
12) Phoenix
13) Charleston
14) Richmond
15) Baltimore
16) Montreal
17) Savannah
18) Lafayette
19) Tampa
20) Atlanta

Near misses would be Louisville, Dallas, Cleveland, Houston, LA, Orlando, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Portland Oregon, Portland Maine, Amarillo, Raleigh, Durham, and Louisville in no particular order.

And personally I think there's huge dropoffs between 5 and 6, between 12 and 13 and between 16 and 17. In other words, I'd rate the top five true vacationworthy/focus your time around BBQ and give them a 10/10. 6th through 12th would get 8s, 13th through 17th would get 7 and 6s, and 17-20 plus my other mentions would get 5s.

KC at 3 I guess ai can let that pass even though it's so wrong.
I just lost all respect for your foodyness on NYC at 7 though. In no way shape or form does NYC make a top 100 list much less top ten. There is some great food, but BBQ ain't it. Please tell me you are counting everything ethnic that is remotely related to BBQ and not referring to American BBQ.

 

[FSUTribe76]

KC at 3 I guess ai can let that pass even though it's so wrong.
I just lost all respect for your foodyness on NYC at 7 though. In no way shape or form does NYC make a top 100 list much less top ten. There is some great food, but BBQ ain't it. Please tell me you are counting everything ethnic that is remotely related to BBQ and not referring to American BBQ.

I'm counting Jewish brisket and especially pastrami which both have more flavor and seasonings than Texas brisket and are cooked low and slow as well. And the Korean BBQ places can't be beat anywhere in the US. But Fette Sau, Dinosaur, Hill Country and Alchemy are individually better than any traditional BBQ places in Atlanta, Tampa, etc...

 

[FSUTribe76]

But yeah I would take Katz pastrami any day, EVERY day over Franklin BBQ or any other Texas "BBQ". Although Langers in LA trumps Katz in my book. But NYC has far more choices than LA.

 

[FSUTribe76]

So not one single city in Alabama is on the list yet Tampa made it. Weird list.

Yeah THAT is total garbage. Birmingham is the best "unsung" BBQ city period.

 

[KitingHigh]

I'm counting Jewish brisket and especially pastrami which both have more flavor and seasonings than Texas brisket and are cooked low and slow as well. And the Korean BBQ places can't be beat anywhere in the US. But Fette Sau, Dinosaur, Hill Country and Alchemy are individually better than any traditional BBQ places in Atlanta, Tampa, etc...

No, just no.

 

[FSUTribe76]

No, just no.

The only thing wrong is that apparently Alchemy closed due to a lease issue but the pit master is still in business at the John Brown Smokehouse. But other than that, if you've got hate for NYC BBQ it's just old North South bias not based on actual taste. If you said NYC pizza is overrated I'd agree with you. But if you think there's any place in Atlanta and Tampa on par with Katz Deli pastrami or Fette Sau's St. Louis style ribs that would probably finish second or third in actual St Louis then you'll have to point these magical places out to me. Champions in Tampa used to be good five years ago but after the Pitmaster died it went immediately downhill. And Biguns is in Brooksville not Tampa proper.

 

[KitingHigh]

The only thing wrong is that apparently Alchemy closed due to a lease issue but the pit master is still in business at the John Brown Smokehouse. But other than that, if you've got hate for NYC BBQ it's just old North South bias not based on actual taste. If you said NYC pizza is overrated I'd agree with you. But if you think there's any place in Atlanta and Tampa on par with Katz Deli pastrami or Fette Sau's St. Louis style ribs that would probably finish second or third in actual St Louis then you'll have to point these magical places out to me. Champions in Tampa used to be good five years ago but after the Pitmaster died it went immediately downhill. And Biguns is in Brooksville not Tampa proper.

I'll give you the pastrami is good there(though I'll take Texas brisket over it 4 days out of 5), but I've been taken to places in NYC by people making your claim and trying to prove me wrong. Sorry, but no NYC sucks at traditional BBQ. It has nothing to do with bias. It has to do with taste. You would think someone who could Q would move there and open a good place but it just isn't there. Probably New Yorkers just don't have the taste for it and tourists aren't looking for that kind of food there.