A Beginner's Guide to the Best BBQ Joints Across America
By Lily Lou
As summer winds down, it's time to enjoy the best the season has to offer while there is still time. It's time to embrace your inner American spirit and feast on barbecue.
If you’re new to barbecue, let us hook you up with our kickass BBQ guide - click here to view the awesome BBQ guide. Once you’ve understood the basics, head to one of these Spoon approved BBQ restaurants.
Horse Thief (Los Angeles, California)
Who knew that there was good BBQ in Los Angeles? Located in Grand Central Market, Horse Thief brings BBQ with a modern twist. It’s got an Instagram-worthy atmosphere, so remember to charge your phone before arriving.
MORE: 50 Things You Need To Eat In LA Before You Die
Fat Matt’s Rib Shack (Atlanta, Georgia)
Located next to a MARTA station, people come into Fat Matt’s Rib Shack by accident, intrigued by the line outside. Once they bite into their first set of spare ribs, they understand the hype. Even though there’s a long line, it moves quickly and there’s live music to make the wait more enjoyable. But it doesn’t matter - their ribs are worth waiting forever for.
MORE: The Fattiest, Most Carnivorous Atlanta Sandwich That You Have to Try
Smoque BBQ (Chicago, Illinois)
Smoque brings BBQ to Chicago with St. Louis style ribs, Memphis style rubs, and Texas sausage under one roof. Smoque has huge serving sizes and cheap prices – no wonder Guy Fieri covered it on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
MORE: 24 Must-Visit Chicago Restaurants from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
The Joint (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The Joint is a barbecue shack that doesn’t skimp on the details (read: the sides). They always have a batch of mac & cheese and baked beans ready to serve with their homemade ribs. Don’t let their hipster, hole-in-the-wall look fool you, they can cook barbecue better than anyone else, Ron Swanson style.
MORE: The Top Five New Orleans Food Trucks
Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque (Kansas City, Missouri)
Arthur Bryant’s sandwiches are overflowing with meat (the meat to sandwich ratio is around 10:1), so if you really love barbecue, there’s nowhere else to go. Make sure to try their burnt ends sandwich, aka the best item on their menu.
MORE: The Great BBQ Debate: To Sauce or Not to Sauce
They’re not big on presentation here, but more about taste and humongous serving sizes. Bonus: Obama went here once.
Allen & Son Bar-B-Q (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Next to University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Allen & Son Bar-B-Q serves the best comfort food for a low price. Though it’s located in North Carolina, their barbecue is a blend of Kentucky and North Carolina barbecue (best of both worlds). If you decide to stop by, don’t forget to grab dessert, which is just as good as their pulled pork.
MORE: 18 Chapel Hill Foods You Must Try Before You Graduate
B’s Barbecue (Greenville, North Carolina)
You know a restaurant is great when the road it’s on is named after it. B’s Barbecue started in the late 1970’s and has kept up with the North Carolina barbecue tradition – it’s one of the stops of The NC Barbecue Society’s Historic Trail, the best meat trail in the nation.
MORE: 20 Reasons I Went Back to Eating Meat
Unfortunately, with barbecue this good, it tends to sell out on a daily basis, so get there early.
Eli’s BBQ (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Eli’s BBQ brings the approachability and warmth of a backyard barbecue with all the benefits of a restaurant (guaranteed good food, not having to clean up, being served, etc.). Go here for good food, good music, and good company.
MORE: How to Grill Your Entire Meal On the BBQ Like a Badass
Franklin Barbecue (Austin, Texas)
You know a restaurant is good when there’s a long line on a Wednesday afternoon. Franklin Barbecue opens only for lunch, and they sell out almost everyday.
MORE: The 7 Best Restaurants to Make You Feel Like an Austinite
Trust us, it’s well worth the 2-hour wait just to get a bite of their brisket. And they’re so good at barbecue they literally wrote a bestselling book on it.
FOR THE FULL LIST, CLICK HERE.
Photos courtesy of Austin 360, Horse Thief, Go Rolling Out, Reddit, Lost Kat, Delta, The Paupered Chef, Gallivant and Serious Eats.
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