Now we're talking. Someone who really knows what barbeque is supposed to be all about. ^

Dixie's BBQ in Bellevue WA has THE MAN. I think that they have pretty good BBQ, but I'm not positive- took my mouth a few months to recover from that hot sauce! If you're in the Seattle area & see the bumper stickers that say "I met the man!" -this is the place they refer to.

The purpose of really hot BBQ sauce is to cover up poorly flavored BBQed meat ;)

Curious ... I had The Man sauce at Porter's in Tacoma (now
apparently gone). Any relation?

Come on!!!
 

How can anyone who has ever been in KC not say ARTHUR BRYANTS!!

Dripping Springs (austin)
 

SALT LICK.....

by far

Is that a real dumpy place almost like a shed? Im pretty sure I hit that place when I lived in Austin. Good, but not Blacks in my opinion. Actually, in Austin I thought Bill Millers, which was a local BBQ fast food chain was better than County Line. County Line had great views though. Bill Miller sold fresh brewed iced tea buy the 1 gallon bucket. Nice to go with the BBQ on those 110 degree days :) I think there was a Bill Miller on Speedway out near Research, but this was like 1986.

In Houston...

Luling Street, Pappas or Goode company...there are a few "hole in the wall" places, but I can never remember the names, just know how to get there.

Best to get the sauce on the side. :cool:

Oh, if you have time go up to Huntsville (1 hour north on I-45) to Mt. Zion Baptist church (most call it BBQ church) for all you can eat family style BBQ that will make you want to sing the gospel...

Best Franchised BBQ
 

I know, I know, the best BBQ in the US thread is just below this one at the present time. I suppose franchised BBQ = good BBQ is mutually exclusive but are there any chains that offer something halfway decent?

I often find myself not having the time to drive around for the hole-in-the-wall place. Let's define BBQ (for the purpose of this thread) as anything that resembles a slab of connected bones, lose meat, etc, does not qualify. A chain is anything with at least 10 restaurants in more than one state.

Personally, I find Damons (http://www.damons.com) to have the best "chained" offering yet. Famous Daves is ok but often inconsistent, Chili's need not apply, same with Applebees and any place that unwraps precooked ribs, reheats and covers (up) with brown goop.

Was surprised to see a Corky's in Springfield IL, and the ribs
were decent (a hair oversmoked, but the dry rub was
identifiably Corky's). Don't know if it's a chain as you define it, tho.

Well, I dunno if I'd want to say they're the "best", but one nice thing about Tony Roma's is that they're all over the world and pretty much consistent. When you're hungry for ribs in a country where BBQ = "grilled", it serves a purpose.

It's like a port in a storm, covered in modified food starch and high fructose corn syrup.

I don't know why, but I really like the BBQ ribs from Rock Bottom Brewery. Very meaty ribs, and the sauce has just the right amount of kick.

So what you are really looking for is the best franchised ribs. Because brisket, pulled pork, etc is definitely BBQ.

Rib Crib is a decent BBQ chain still based mostly in Oklahoma.

I kind of like Tony Roma's. The original sauce is good.

Sonny's BBQ and their sweet sauce is the best

The McRib from McDonalds, now that's good eatin' ;)

I am flying into BHM today, and can't wait to visit Dreamland. I have been told by friends it is amazing. I think I will goto the original Tuscaloosa location tomorrow. I always plan my trips in the southern states around Good BBQ and Mexican! Both are lacking in my neck of the woods.

I have eaten at Virgils in NYC and thought it was really good, especially since you are in Times Square. My favorite spot so far was a rib joint in Lexington Kentucky called Billy's. It was around 7 years ago, and I remember it being pretty dumpy, but excellent ribs. I have tried Carolina style BBQ in Charlotte, and wasn't impressed. I have also tried doing Carolina style on my smoker at home, and you can keep it.

The ribs I smoke at home are smoked with Mesquite, and I rarely use sauce. The sauce really covers up the true taste of the smoke and meat. Makes me want to fire up that Weber right now!

I've had some wonderful BBQ in Memphis/Nashville.

Fresh back from BHM, and made a visit to Dreamland on Monday night. I would rate the quality of the ribs as excellent, but the sauce as terrible. The ribs would have been excellent dry.

The Banana pudding was unbelievable!

Famous Dave's opened across from Corky's in Knoxville. Cork's was closed within 6 months.

^

Sonny Bryants is decent. I hear good things about Red Hot and Blue.

If you really, really, want the "best" BBQ, there's only one way to get it.

Get certified by the Memphis in May committe as a BBQ judge and then go to the contests and judge them.

Or do the same for the Kansas City group.

Either way, you will get BBQ cooked to a 15-minute window for absolute perfection. There is no way that any restaurant can cook food to that demanding standard.

Best part, it is free food!! (Well, you have to pay your own way, pay for your own lodging, etc., but what price perfection?)

Sonny's was always good eatin'...
 

It's been a few years, but when we lived in GA, Sonny's always fit the bill! The food was great! Let me know if they are still around.

I'm partial to the Carolina Honeys myself. A few notes on Tony Roma's,

-their Shanghai location occassionally gets absolutely enormous potatos
-the skillet cookie sundae is one of my all time favorite desserts
-the Makati Tony Roma's is insanely cheap

mmmmmmmm......BBQ
 

^ "Rudy's", based mainly in Texas and the rest of the West, is without a doubt my favorite. Meats prepared with drry rubs with wet/hot sauces on the table. Food handed to you on a piece of paper and a stack of white bread thrown in. Billed by the owner as "The Worst BBQ in Texas", it's not.

Corky's runs a distant second for me. Just ate at one in Miami. It was OK, compared to the lack of any good BBQ in New Jersey.

For a chain, I like Sticky Fingers. They are mostly in SC, but gradually expanding into a few other states. I've eaten at their restaurants in CHS and HHH. I was happy to find their sauces at local grocery nearby my home and use it for making ribs.

^ for Rudy's. When I spent a lot of time working on the north side of Austin Rudy's would be a regular lunch stop alog with the penthouse club. :D

I don't think I've ever had really good chain BBQ. Tony Roma's and Damon's are passable, but perhaps I live in the wrong part of the country.

Then again, many foods don't lend themselves kindly to chain treatment - such as Chinese.

Mike

This BBQ stuff is so subjective.
Some like dry rub some don't.
Some like sweet some like spicy.

I don't like large chains of any type of food.
Lucilles BBQ is only 6 stores in So Cal but for a chain they are quite decent. I like my BBQ SPICY HOT!! I never even liked BBQ until a couple of years ago when I was in Kansas City.

http://www.lucillesbbq.com/

On occasion, the ribs from Outback have been good, but quality has varied from very good to pretty bad, even from the same location.

Oh man, after reading this now i need to go get some ribs for dinner tonight!

For a chain, my vote goes to Famous Daves. The Brisket is delicious!

http://www.famousdaves.com/

It's a local chain here in NJ, but it is ***REALLY GOOD*** -- Big Ed's BBQ. All you can eat ribs, all the time!

Well, I now have my reference points for BBQ as practiced in the USA, having spent the past weekend in Kansas City. Suffice to say, I both agree and disagree with various of the posts, but thank everyone for their contributions. As we all know, taste is a very personal thing, but in many ways it is wonderful that we don't all agree all the time.

In my case, I did not find the perfect BBQ experience in a single spot, though I did find some good reference points. I stuck to ribs, which is my pet indulgence. So here goes -- all by the way, washed down with Boulevard Pale or Belgian Flat Tire ales -- my impressions.

GATES had the best sauce, albeit a long way from the best I've had in my limited experience. Their hotter version beats the regular. Unfortunately, I found their rub too intense and while acceptable, a bit overpowering.

ARTHUR BRYANT'S is just about everything it is advertised to be. Here I prefered the rub and the meat, and found both version of their sauce to be lacking any kick.

The all round loser -- save for my dining companion -- was JACK'S STACK SMOKEHOUSE. Characterless sause, moderately good rub on the mixed platter of pork, beef and lamb ribs.

I particularly want to thank mwp2paris for his notes over on the SPG forum to my querry.

Chicago BBQ
 

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

All this talk of BBQ and no mention of Chicago.

Hecky's BBQ - in Evanston but the best rib tips in the world. Try the Links.

Lems BBQ - 311 E 75th, Chicago or on 59th street.

there are other good BBQ places in chicago but not this good.

I concur
 

Famous Dave's is the best....those rib tips...yum.....I'm miss the one in Uptown Minneapolis.....hum...wonder if there's one in the DC area.....thanks for the website....

Hecky's
 

So being a Northwestern alum...I very much miss Hecky's and their rib tips....by far the best BBQ....

Hecky's trivia:

Northwestern named one of its email servers after Hecky's "@hecky.acns.nwu.edu"

Mayor of Evanston bet the Mayor of Pasadena (or LA) a meal shipped from the best restaurant for the winning mayor's staff when NU played USC in the Rose Bowl in 1996. Unfortunately, lots of people ate Heckys shortly after the game.

Luther's BBQ is pretty darn good Q for a large chain (in Texas and Louisiana), IMHO.

Rudy's! Rudy's! Rudy's!

I love their extra lean brisket! and their Sause is Boss

i like rudy's sauce too
 

one of my college roomies made off with the Rudy's sauce recipe during a summer job there; suffice it to say, his bbqs were pretty solid thereafter.