Any Rudy's BBQ & Grill in Texas!

Red Hot & Blue in Virginia...it's of course not the best, but it works for over here!

Ah yes an BBQ Chain restaurant that is pretty good. Sometimes I have found them to be variable, I have had some delicious meals there (Laurel MD, Arlington TX), but a few other times (Raleigh NC I recall one) I came away dissapointed. Have others noticied this inconsistency?

Another chain I have enjoyed in the SE is Sonny's, but I have heard others say they have come away dissapointed.

Best in SoCal at least in the VALLEY
 

Best in SoCal: Dr Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texan Barbecue. up in the valley somewhere on sepulveda. incredible.[/QUOTE]

cross street is roscoe blvd then south on sepulveda.
just off the 405 frwy in van nuys.
also the BEAR PIT farther up sepulveda at the 118 frwy.
BBQed lamb to die4. imho.

first amendment
 

he is entitled to his views. but corprations are also entitled to protect there profits if they think his opinons can have a negitive effect on there bottom lines. and also they have First Amendment rights also.

just my 2 cents

karl

BBQ in the Northeast
 

I can't say I have ever really had BBQ down south, but Redbones in Somerville, MA has the best BBQ I've ever had... they also have an excellent beer selection from PBR all the way the Rogue from the NW!

Check it out if you are ever in Boston.

Alphaguy

Ridgewood - Bluff City, TN
 

Here's another vote for Ridgewood in Bluff City, TN (Near Elizabethton). Hickory smoked pork with a sweet sauce. Also has very good beans (they put some of the BBQ in the beans) and fries. It out of the way, but well worth the trip.

Ridgewood: A Barbecue Icon

For pork, Dreamland BBQ in AL/GA tops my list.
http://www.dreamlandbbq.com/main/default.asp

For beef, it's always been about Salt Lick in Austin.
http://www.saltlickbbq.com/

"I didn't get to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian."
-g

I have to give a vote to Carmen's in Hayward, CA

Jamaican family owned, a nice mix of southern BBQ and Jerk... and deadly hot sauce.

I have made the three-hour drive from Toronto to Rochester on a number of occasions to dine at Dinosaur BBQ. ^ ^ from me.

WELL worth it! They did our wedding last year, catered it was just as good also! Be aware too that supermarket chains in Western NY will sell their sauces, you should be able to pick them up at Wegmans as close as Buffalo or Niagara Falls.

A friend of mine in Brantford really reccomends "Camp 31 BBQ" in Paris, Ontario at the junction of routes 2 and 5. Have to check that out myself sometime, I think he thinks its better than the Dinosaur!

Bessinger's BBQ in Charleston, SC is wonderful. This restaurant is run by the brother and nephew of the outspoken Maurice Bessinger (whose restaurant chain is in the Columbia, SC area) but they steer away from the politics that Maurice embraces.

The restaurant is on Savannah Highway in Charleston, SC and has a sandwich shoppe on one side and a homestyle buffet (open Thurs-Sun nites and Sun lunch only) on the other side. The buffet has amazing catfish stew, fried catfish, BBQ pork, veggies, salad bar and homemade desserts.

:)
Kelley

So many wonderful suggestions! Let me add Country Tavern in East Texas to the list. Establishment has been there for over 50 years - hardly a light in the place, save a candle on each table. No menu, just two choices: ribs or brisket and that's it. Comes with potato sald, dill pickles, onions, bread (Mrs. Bairds of course), and sauce to die for. Located between Kilgore and Tyler. Next time your swinging through Texas on I-20, between Tyler and Kilgore, keep it in mind. ^

My vote:

1.Sammy's BBQ behind the Federal Reserve building in Dallas.
2.Coopers in LLano or Junction. BEst pork chop ever.
3.Rudys in SA on I-10W at Leon Springs.

I often drive to Llano from SA just to pick up the BBQ at coopers. And as another poster suggested, I have flown there with private pilots. When I was taking flying lessons, I would do my cross country's from LRD to Llano solo just to get the BBQ.

For the best BBQ, you definintely have to take the road less traveled (literally).... some of the best BBQ I've ever had came from driving down some back road in TN, AR, or KY and stopping at some shack or gas station that said "BBQ here!"

I can't tell you exact locations, names of places (yes, it was THAT far out of the way).... but if you're willing to explore Americana, you'll be rewarded.