Best BBQ Joints

[WBill]

Last weekend, wife and I had great beef brisket sandwiches at The Harley Davidson Cafe right on the Las Vegas (NV) strip. If you can stand riding The Strip, you can't miss it for the huge H-D front end sticking out over the front door. WBill

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Big Ed's on Rte. 50 in Fallon, NV.... did a detour to Nevada before heading to Moscow for some pulled pork. I liked it (twice).

 

[germany]

Buster's in Calistoga. I've seen people sweat while heating the hot sauce.

https://www.busterssouthernbbq.com/

 

[Knifemaker]

Just noticed this thread. So have to give a shout for Pappy’s Smokehouse;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappy's_Smokehouse
Best ribs other than my own

 

[harper]

I go to Kansas City fairly frequently and when I do I restaurant hop at BBQ places with a friend of mine. We'll go to a half dozen places he's found in a variety of neighborhoods (several of them questionable) any time I'm there. The ones that became big recently were Jack's Stack, Oklahoma Joe's, Slap's, and Q39, all of them really good. Hayward's used to be my favorite years ago. KC Masterpiece was also good back in the day. I was never impressed with Gate's and Sons but my brother-in-law, who lives there, swears by it. Arthur Bryant's is probably the most famous but I always thought it was just OK...even the original on Brooklyn Ave. I can't remember the name of my current favorite. It's a place on the Kansas side that opens at 11:00 and sells out of burnt ends by 11:15. It was the bomb but too much for this 70-year-old memory.

Edit: Slap's is the fast sell-out burnt ends place in KC Kan.

 

[Fred W]

Just noticed this thread. So have to give a shout for Pappy’s Smokehouse;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappy's_Smokehouse
Best ribs other than my own

Has to earn the prize for oldest zombie thread. I can’t even remember when it came up originally, and I’m a huge BBQ fan.

All of that said, we really don’t have any “good” BBQ up here in the northeast. It’s pretty easy to beat the ones out there because they aren’t really all that great.

I’m still working on improving my game. Just put a big order down with WildFork because we can’t get a decent full packer brisket here. And since I was paying their shipping rate I threw 8 racks of pork back ribs and a beef roast for Christmas on the order. Gotta make the $20 shipping fee worth it!

 

[harper]

All of that said, we really don’t have any “good” BBQ up here in the northeast. It’s pretty easy to beat the ones out there because they aren’t really all that great.

Tell me about it. Finding good BBQ in the Pacific Northwest is like finding good sushi in Kansas City.

 

[RiderJoe]

If you live in central or Southern California, or just passing through, Jocko's steakhouse in Nipomo (just South of Santa Maria on the 101) will certainly fix your BBQ craving. I lived in this area for more than 40 years, and many folks have the same opinion as I do - Jocko's is one of the (if not THE) best around. Go there for dinner, and make reservations ahead of time - 2+ hours of wait time is not unusual if you don't. It is not a fancy place by any means, but the food is great!

 

[vaskeet]

Dukes Walterboro SC
https://destination-bbq.com/dukes-bbq-style-hash/

 

[Bounce]

I went to get the link and learned they now ship! Woot!

https://www.louiemuellerbarbecue.com/
The list of KC joints reminds me of when I had to go there all the time for work. It's been a while and I didn't know that some of the giants had fallen. Thanks for the update. I remember going to get a take-out box at Gates and no one at the register, so I went behind the counter to get my own. The floor was so greasy back there that it was like skating on ice. Good Q though.

That steak house sounds great for steaks...as for "best 'California" BBQ", well...

 

[spectreman]

I'm chuckling w/all you west coasters talking about BBQ. Honestly, WTH do you people west of the Mighty Mississippi know about BBQ? Fer real.

I've eaten a lot of BBQ during my adult life, primarily in the south- TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, TX but the BEST BBQ I'd found anywhere was in Fort Smith, Arkansas at a place called the Pink Flamingo. I judge BBQ by the brisket served- not the pulled pork/chicken, sausage or ribs- it's brisket, period. The Pink Flamingo made the absolute best brisket I've had anywhere... until yesterday.

A new joint opened up in Vero Beach, FL- The Pepper & Salt BBQ- Texas style BBQ. Except it was better than ANY TX BBQ I've ever had. To describe their brisket as fantastic would be an understatement. It was the perfect brisket- deep bark, tender, properly seasoned, moist- just sensational. It put every other brisket I've ever had to shame. So for those of you in FL looking for a RTE for brisket, here's the place. It's amazing and that's no exaggeration.

My son swears by Kansas City BBQ but sadly I've never had the opportunity to partake.
Lee

 

[Bounce]

I'm chuckling w/all you west coasters talking about BBQ. Honestly, WTH do you people west of the Mighty Mississippi know about BBQ? Fer real.

I've eaten a lot of BBQ during my adult life, primarily in the south- TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, TX but the BEST BBQ I'd found anywhere was in Fort Smith, Arkansas at a place called the Pink Flamingo. I judge BBQ by the brisket served- not the pulled pork/chicken, sausage or ribs- it's brisket, period. The Pink Flamingo made the absolute best brisket I've had anywhere... until yesterday.

A new joint opened up in Vero Beach, FL- The Pepper & Salt BBQ- Texas style BBQ. Except it was better than ANY TX BBQ I've ever had. To describe their brisket as fantastic would be an understatement. It was the perfect brisket- deep bark, tender, properly seasoned, moist- just sensational. It put every other brisket I've ever had to shame. So for those of you in FL looking for a RTE for brisket, here's the place. It's amazing and that's no exaggeration.

My son swears by Kansas City BBQ but sadly I've never had the opportunity to partake.
Lee

You haven't found the right places then. LOL

 

[biknflyfisher]

That’s the beauty of the hunt - you never know what great BBQ will turn up next.

 

[biknflyfisher]

If you are driving on Highway 395 along the east side of the Sierra Nevada in CA, look for the Copper Top BBQ in Big Pine.
Not going to claim it’s the best BBQ ever, but it’s pretty dang good and the scenery is awesome!

 

[spectreman]

You haven't found the right places then. LOL

Well, make some suggestions and next time I'm in TX I'll check 'em out.

 

[Bounce]

Louis Muellers, Taylor TX
Franklin's, Austin
Lockhart, Texas City
Kreuz, and Blacks, in Lulling (2 great joints near each other - City Market is nearby too)

If I don't want to ride far, then either Railhouse (several locations in the DFW area) or Angelo's (1 in Ft. Worth).

 

[pilot]

I'm chuckling w/all you west coasters talking about BBQ. Honestly, WTH do you people west of the Mighty Mississippi know about BBQ? Fer real.

I've eaten a lot of BBQ during my adult life, primarily in the south- TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, TX but the BEST BBQ I'd found anywhere was in Fort Smith, Arkansas at a place called the Pink Flamingo. I judge BBQ by the brisket served- not the pulled pork/chicken, sausage or ribs- it's brisket, period. The Pink Flamingo made the absolute best brisket I've had anywhere... until yesterday.

A new joint opened up in Vero Beach, FL- The Pepper & Salt BBQ- Texas style BBQ. Except it was better than ANY TX BBQ I've ever had. To describe their brisket as fantastic would be an understatement. It was the perfect brisket- deep bark, tender, properly seasoned, moist- just sensational. It put every other brisket I've ever had to shame. So for those of you in FL looking for a RTE for brisket, here's the place. It's amazing and that's no exaggeration.

My son swears by Kansas City BBQ but sadly I've never had the opportunity to partake.
Lee

You do realize both Texas and Arkansas are West of the Mississippi, right? So is Missouri.

 

[allrider]

When I did business in S.C. and Alabama I would always ask folks where's your favorite BBQ? I found dozens of great BBQ places there. Gained a lot of weight too.

Branks BBQ in Sumner WA. Is pretty good. These folks hail from South Carolina originally and brought the recipes with them.
https://www.branksbbq.com/

Miss Myra's was one of my all time favs. Just outside Birmingham AL.
https://www.missmyras.com/

 

[Niehart]

I miss Dr. Rich, the fellow that started this post.

 

[Nowheelies]

I cannot add to the list of barbecue joints to frequent, but I can add to the list of places to avoid. Mrs. N and I were in the Twin Cities area last weekend. No idea where to eat so we did a search for smokehouse barbecue etc. and found Old Southern BBQ which was right on our way to the motel we were staying that night.

Never heard of it so was somewhat surprised to find it looked like a chain restaurant , albeit a small one. Had a vibe somewhat between a Famous Dave's and Dickey's, more on that later. Smelled fabulous entering the front door so appetite was whetted. But...bummer, it was not very good at all. We got a variety of brisket, rubs, pulled pork, chicken and sausage. None of it was horrible, just disappointing. I had to work at detecting any smoke flavor despite everything having a visible smoke ring and bark. The ribs had a dried outer layer which was probably the worst of it. The brisket, chicken and pork were seasoned okay, moist enough and looked good, but again no smokiness to be found.

I did a search on the place and as it turns out the place is run by Famous Dave's son, there are several of them. Hence the similar look, but had the process of ordering similar to a fast food place, much like Dickey's if you have ever been there. Come to think of it, I had the same experience at Dickey's as well.

 

[Danh650]

Hooks BBQ in Troy AL

Good every time I have stopped there. Both the meat and sides are good. Sadly, they do not do brisket. Just ribs, chicken and pork.

You can see the smoke coming out of the building!!