The salt lick South of town in Driftwood. It is BYOB so bring a cooler of beer and order the family style BBQ. Best in the country.

Also, Lamberts downtown is great and the Green Mesquite at Riverside & S Lamar (1 mile from downtown).

Ranch style beans

Try the ones with Jalapenos....mmmm...goood !!!

Stwe with BBQ just does not seem right

That's what I hoped you meant. Definitely belongs on the list!


Brunswick stew.

I'd definitely agree with Rudy's and Salt Lick. Rudy's even has a few locations in Austin, so if you get hungry, you're really never far from a Rudy's.

County Line, on the other hand, I can't stand. I think their meat is not all that good, dry and tough, and their sauce tastes like orange juice. A McRib is better BBQ than County Line, in my book.

That would be correct. Red's is on the bypass.

To answer the OP, yes there are pockets in the US that are bonkers for barbeque. I have traveled far and wide in the US, and my favorite is still Brothers BBQ in Denver.

I wouldnt do County Line for brisket and sausage but I'm a fan of their dinosaur-sized beef ribs

Some more places that popped into my head for in-city dining:

-Artz Ribz on South Lamar.... 4/5 times you'll get good ribs (who wouldve thunk)
-Iron Works downtown.... decent brisket

Forgettable food at Green Mesquite but its at a great location with nice patio seating and live music

...well, what would Aggies know about good food?

And that tells us your major wasn't agriculture, Spanish, or food history, eh?
They are a heirloom bean still grown on the central coast of California brought by the Spanish colonists in the early settlement period. They are small, pink, and full of flavor. And yes, they are served as they would have been on the California rancheros. ...which I guess makes them ranch-style with a Spanish accent....that didn't have to be poured out of an [unspeakable] can.

Yes, having tasted Texas salsa, I can understand why... In my experience, Texans seem to equate hot with good salsa, missing that heat without the depth of flavor and nuance of taste is just battery acid.
And I suppose all the REAL cowboys have run off with any sourdough starter worth eating...leaving you Aggies to eat supermarket-bought white bread.

Anyone like St. Louis style ribs?

Ho Yeah!!!

A friend had me come with his family for a holiday in a resort whose name slips my mind, but which had a buffet including such a dish.

This friend (let�s call him Dave ) and I tried to see who could go the longest, with the most ribs.

He won, but it was gut bustingly good!

I grew up on CA's Central Coast (literally an hour from Santa Maria), and I'm ashamed to say I've never experienced this! Actually, growing up I associated the term "barbecue" more with grilling than slow-cooking with smoke, so my idea of barbecue was more along the lines of F. McLintock's in Pismo Beach or A.J. Spurs in Templeton. How much I missed!

Can you recommend any good restaurants serving true Santa Maria barbecue so I can check them out next time I'm down? (I still have family in the area.) I have heard good things about Alex Bar-B-Q (or maybe it's just in my memory because I used to drive past it every week), but their menu just appears to contain your typical barbecue-served-in-a-non-barbecue-area food.

On another note, I lived in Fairbanks, AK for a summer and ate at Big Daddy's. I'm not sure where the guy learned his trade, but I went right from FAI to a two-month tour of the South. I ate brisket and more at Arthur Bryant's in MCI and Corky's wet ribs and pulled pork in MEM, and honestly, Big Daddy's beat them both. (It appears they can hold their own against Outside teams in the annual State Barbecue Championship, at least...). Of course, my barbecue taste buds are hardly the most refined (and it's been a few years, too), so I was wondering if anyone's been to Big Daddy's in FAI and what their impression of it was. And if anyone's going to FAI anytime soon, make it a point to drop in at Big Daddy's and post back your verdict!

Even as someone who grew up thinking the only "real" barbecue was SC mustard sauce over pulled pork I have to agree with mlshanks. Santa Maria barbecue is a spectacularly good thing to do to a cow, and the sides served with it make an excellent accompaniment.

Shaw's Steakhouse.

Well... to stretch the bounds outside the BBQ Belt ... I have a favorite place to 'dig in' in Florida... been there more then once... first trip in 93 when I was 5... loved it ever since- might be more nostalgia... but I had a dryspell of about 12 years w/o it and this past spring I enjoyed Sonnys BAR-B-Q again!

Great ribs & sauce... plus its All You Can Eat

(ie- arrive early & leave late )

Also... Kalabi Ribs (Hawaiian Style) are ONOlicious!!! Especially Island Raised Beef!!!

Sonny's is just a chain and I won't say anymore......