My favorite is Gates, but BBQ is highly personal.

As others have mentioned, Joe's (for the pulled pork, which isn't really what most people consider normal KC-style BBQ, but it's what they're known for--also, the Z-Man sandwich is great) and LC's for the burnt ends (very much a KC thing). I prefer the ribs at Jack Stack (and I'm not much of a rib person, so they have to be really good for me to like and bother with them) and don't recall being all that impressed with Arthur Bryant's, though it's been years since I've been there.

Pecan Lodge is Central Texas-style (though they do pull some outside influences in). In Texas, they believe that real barbecue (which, to them, is mostly beef) does not need sauce. If the meat is done right, the flavors imparted by the smoking process are good enough to eat alone, and sauce would just cover the masterpiece up. Thus, it's very different from NC-style BBQ (both eastern and western), since one of the big hallmarks of NC-style BBQ (and differentiation between eastern and western) is the base of the sauce, and in Texas barbecue, sauce is an afterthought at best. (Also, NC seems to be all about the pork.)

The brisket at Pecan Lodge was the second-best I've had ever, after Franklin. But--they also did an excellent job on the burnt ends, the pulled pork, the pork ribs, and the sausage--all things that aren't wholly native to Central Texas-style BBQ. (In fact, if you're going by overall quality, I might actually say that I prefer Pecan Lodge to Franklin, since while Franklin has truly brought brisket to an art form, the rest of his meats are inconsistent, in my experience.)

Having traveled fairly extensively around Texas, Missouri, and the South, I've had the chance to sample a lot of barbecue (and a lot of well-known, nationally-famous 'cue), and very few instances stand out in my memory like Pecan Lodge does.

Q39: yes! (No longer Oklahoma) Joe's: YES!

LC's - not so sure. I once went and found them mediocre, but
then Alan K. (forget his handle) gave me one off his plate, and
it was superb. Other two visits, quite acceptable but not what
people sing about.

I totally agree. I went this week. I immediately wrote a report on Trip Advisor. Outstanding.

Mt\y new Top 5 in KC are, Q39, Jack Stack (Union Station area), Joes, the Woodyard and Smokin' Guns.

I totally recommend Q39 - the Burnt Ends were awesome.

Hmmm I'm intrigued too - vinegar based is my preference for pork (though I tend to use more Western NC BBQ for chicken). I'm a big The Pit fan (which was mentioned upthread by CMK10) though the Durham version isn't quite as good as the Raleigh original.

I did go to Oklahoma Joe's while on a project in KC back in 2011 and it was quite the experience.

Definitely going to try to hit Q39 or Joe's. Thanks!

Isn't Austin pretty much the BBQ capital of the U.S.? I had Franklin's when I was there and it was absolutely outstanding. People get in line at 7am.

Just had lunch with somebody from Austin the other day and he swore the best in Austin wasn't Franklin's or Salt Lick, it was...and I can't remember, dang it. It'll come to me

I'm with you on the top 3, not necessarily in that order.

Woodyard is good, but I didn't think it quite in the same league.
I'd substitute BB's Lawnside or perhaps the Country Club Plaza
location of Jack Stack (weird decor, great burnt ends).

I've always had plans to go to Smokin' Guns, but something else
has always intruded.

No, you've got to try to hit Q39 and Joe's.

You can perhaps be reminded by paging back through this
rather delicious thread.

==

Franklin is truly great though pricy; Salt Lick quite
good, but I'd put these with them - one might be
the place you're forgetting:

Freedmen's - a fashionable whiskey bar near the University,
but the food makes up for the setting. Prices high.

Black's - meat trucked in daily from Lockhart in climate-
controlled vehicles. When I ate there, it appeared to be
a good facsimile of the real thing.

Ironworks - I really liked it; I may be in a minority on
this, but I thought the quality of the beef made up for
whatever quirks the place displays.

Micklethwait's Craft Meats - this is a trailer not far
from Franklin. I loved the brisket, even though it was
cold out and we had to eat it in the car.

Terry Black's - run by Kent Black's renegade nephews and
named after his brother, this also causes fierce disputation
among aficionados. I thought it almost as good as the real
thing, and the service, something people complain about,
seemed perfectly fine to me.

==

John Mueller is well regarded, but I had a bad experience
there, to wit - I asked for a pound of extra moist, and
the guy taking the order cut me a sample, and it was,
well, almost moist enough, so I said that, and when my
meat came out, it turned out to be way not moist enough.
Luckily the sauce (more like salsa with beef in it)
made up for that - it was good enough to drink, and I did.

Places I've not been but that get stellar notices -

LeAnn Mueller's La Barbecue; we were cowed by the long
line and reported 2 hr wait;

Brown's, which was closed for ice the day we went.

Excellent advice ^:)

Ha, 2 hours is cake. I waited 5 hours for Franklin's when I went in July. And by the way, I got there at 9am. Didn't eat till 2pm. The line was already that long.

OMG -that is outrageous - no way would I have had that sort of patience. :eek:

I had to go to the Walgreens next door and get a lawn chair. Had an old retired couple behind me. We talked about trips and dream trips. Wonder if they were FT members ;)

1) Order 5+ pounds ahead: https://franklinbarbecue.com/preorders/ (additional tips at http://austin.eater.com/2014/7/14/61...nklin-barbecue)

2) Join a FlyerTalk event where the whole restaurant is rented out. That's how I ate there twice without having to wait more than a few minutes. :)

Plus, meet The Man, The Legend himself:
Unfortunately, I think the days of FlyerTalk events renting Franklin out are over, unless you want to step up and lead one...