Pierce's in Williamsburg, Virginia. Sorry if this has already been mentioned. It's not Carolina style, which I also love. It's just .......Pierce's. Spicy, tomato and not like any other barbeque I've had. Really good!!

Best BBQ in the USA
 

The best in Kansas City. Fiorella's Jack Stack BBQ. ^

http://jackstackbbq.com/

Every time I am in town I will eat there.

Growing up in Richmond, my dad would make a special stop at Pierce's whenever we went to Va. Beach in the summer. I still remember it fondly. Yum.

Goode Co. in Houston also does large-scale catering. You've never really lived until you've seen those guys take care of service for 500 ... it's an absolutely amazing thing. Every single brisket done to perfection.

I'll also give props to the County Line here in Texas for how they do beef ribs. That's a tremendous preparation.

Best BBQ in US - Big City BBQ in Phoenix
 

When in Phoenix, visit Big City BBQ in either Mesa or Tempe. Big City was started by an executive chef who used to work in the resort industry. Rather than just doing a single type of barbecue (Kansas or Memphis or Texas), he created the menu sampling the best barbecue techniques used in Big Cities around the US.

The website is www.BigCityBBQ.com

Lockhart, Texas - BBQ capital of the world
 

OK, it's officially the BBQ Capital of Texas, according to the Texas Legislature. This small town (population 9000) has several truly wonderful BBQ spots. I grew up near Lockhart and regularly stopped at Kreuz' Market as a small child and adolescent with my parents and as a college student, on my way home for the weekend. When old Smitty died, the family had a dispute and split up, with one side taking the name Kreuz to a new site on the edge of town. The original site is now called Smitty's. Lockhart residents go to one or the other - you have to choose. Black's is a distant 3rd, IMO, as is Central Market down the road in Luling.

We lived in North Carolina for 8 years. Anything served with an ice cream scoop is NOT BBQ! And what is with the glob of cold slaw on the meat. Yuk!

Couldn't agree more... meat on brown paper no utensils.... salt lick in driftwood has pretty darn good pork ribs

Must do mileage run to Austin. I was going to a couple of weeks ago, to go to Blacks but ended getting a better fare and schedule somewhere else. Must really do Austin and try Smittys. When we lived there we always went to Blacks. A lot of people in Austin told me they werent much different. MUST GO TO ALL THREE DURING MILEAGE RUN. MUST GET CRESTOR SCRIPT!! :)

If in the San Antonio, here are a couple of ideas. Believe it or not, there is a place called Rudy's which is usually located attached to a gas station that has some of the best brisket and pulled pork! There are several in Texas. I used to frequent the one off of I-35 in Schertz. Also if in the Cibolo area, small town north of Randolph AFB, there's a great family run place called Harmon's BBQ. I am now in SC and really miss good ol Texas BBQ Brisket!

Indeed. :D :D

Kreuz's has a sign on one door to their dining room: "Vegetarians enter here; normal people go straight ahead".

Fiorellas is very good...but my favorite is one of the originals...Gates BBQ in KC

Recently had some excellent Texas style Bar-B-Que at Hoke's in Westminster Colorado, probably the best I've found in Colorado. All of the meats (ribs, beef, and chicken) were tender and moist, and the sauce was very flavorful but not overpowering.

On a visit to see relatives in North Carolina last weekend I got to revisit Stamey's BBQ in Greensboro, home of the NC-style chopped pork and brunswick stew that I used to eat growing up - still tastes great!

For some reason my memory of Stamey's was this massive clock over near the serving line... it's been over a decade for me

I found a surprisingly good BBQ place near the University of Massachusetts, of all places. I believe it was called Buddy's. But haven't been there for some time...

Santa Maria style BBQ
 

Santa Maria, California style BBQ is the best.

My personal trifecta in no particular order....

Greenbrier, Huntsville, AL

Dreamland, Tuscaloosa (or Birmingham), AL

Zarda's, Kansas City

Honorable mention, if its still there....

Jim's Rib Haven, Rock Island, IL

Definitely Gone, but not forgotten...

Big John's, Peoria, IL

I think that actually sounds intriguing. What does it taste like? Is it wet, dry?

OK I have some time coming up in the Killeen TX area (and flying inbound into AUS, but don't think we will have time there)

BBQ reccomednations? A local BBQ Store owner reccomended

Baker's Ribs in Fort Worth, and Cooper's Pit in Luling, but
something in Killeen would be great!!

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7520/4.0.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 UP.Browser/5.0.3.3 UP.Link/5.1.2.16)

I second (third,fourth) Jack Stack Fiorella's in KC. I had the pleasure of sharing a meal with pinniped and MCI777 this week. The next day I had smokehouse Joe's, another KC favorite. Joe's is located in.a Diamond Shamrock station.

Armadillo Willy's, all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Anybody know any good BBQ places in Tampa?

YUMMY

soooo good :) not as good as my dads though! ;)

The best of the BEST:
The BBQ House in Nacogdoches, TX

not only the BBQ but the beans are incredible............

Santa Maria Style BBQ is very good. There's a place out towards ONT if any of you happen to be out that way, WELL WORTH THE TRIP, but keep in mind they're closed on Sunday.
Highest recs: Tri Tip (of course) Pork Ribs (if you eat pork) and must have the pinqito beans whatever you do.

http://www.buckboardcateringcom.veri...e.com/welcome/

BBQ When in Denver/Broomfield/Boulder ColoRADo I found this place and though it's not cheap, it was a real treat and alot of fun history goes along with it. They even have BBQ School!!!
Highest recs: Beef Brisket with Memphis BBQ Sauce on the side.

http://www.ktsbbq.com

Boulder Ice Cream an essential stop (Hey, you're in Boulder anyway Off topic, but can't pass this up!!)
Highest Recs: Sweet Cream (plain) is great or choose from the list of 40 flavors including Oreo Speedwagon.

http://www.bouldericecream.com/shoppe/shoppe.htm

I eat meat maybe twice a year. One or both of those times it's going to be a pulled pork sandwich at Oklahoma Joes Barbecue in Olathe, Kansas. Absolutely pureheaven for the tastebuds. They also have a location in Kansas City, KS.

We just got back from a Rocky Mountain Vacation, and we patronized some additional BBQ restaurants that were pretty good:

Caldonia's BBQ (Aurora CO): Good food! My wife got BBQ chicken and I got brisket and smoked sausage:

Bubba's BBQ: Ate here in Cody, WY, Jackson Hole, WY, and Greeley, CO. Supposedly they also have locations in Pocatello, ID and Breckenridge, CO.

Each was a little different. Their smoked sausage was outstanding, and my wife said the BBQ chicken was among the best ever. Fried cream corn appetizer in Cody was nice! In Greeley the restaurant was a BUFFET with pork, several varieties of brisket, chicken, etc. in a BBQ Buffet. Pretty good!

I've been there and it is quite good! Damn I need to go there now.

Being from Syracuse myself I was quite excited to actually find the sauce in my grocery store here in New Hampshire (now if only I could find their BBQ macaroni salad I would be so happy). And I need to give a thumbs up as well to Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington, MA - great everything and awesome greens. Not really a fan of Redbones myself. I found it far too dry.

I never found a favorite BBQ place when I was living in Dallas a few years back, seemed we always went to a different one each time we got BBQ for lunch.

Absolute Best - Smitty's Market, Lockhart, TX
A Close Second - City Market, Luling, TX
Three Way Tie for Third - Kreuz's Market, Lockhart, TX; Black's Market, Lockhart, TX; Louie Mueller BBQ, Taylor, TX
Honorable Mention Rudy's Country Store, Leon Springs, TX; Cooper's BBQ, Llano, TX; Salt Lick BBQ, Driftwood, TX

Of course, the measuring stick here is the pure smoky goodness of a slab of beef brisket. Unadulterated with "sauce" (if it needs sauce, it ain't cooked right). Sure, most all make a sausage, Coopers cooks lots of chickens, Kreuz's cooks a shoulder clod and a prime rib, a few of them will cook various and sundry pig parts, some even cue a goat or venison or even fish. But I'll forgive them for these silly distractions if they can make a good brisket.

I'm a steak lover and think I grill 'em to near perfection, but the single best piece of meat I've ever eaten was a 1/2" slab of fatty brisket from Smitty's - rich, moist, smoky, tender, pure heaven.

There's a cook book out "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que" which has the BBQ Macaroni salad recipe and MANY other great recipes! We have it, and every recipe in there is delicious. We have made the mac salad, and black beans and rice quite a bit. There are also quite a few more recipes not found in the restaurant. Well worth the purchase!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...80082653&itm=1

Informal surveys of locals seem to mention Smitty's the most. Of course now that I know all of these, I haven't had to travel back there!!

Another one I would add to this list is Ironworks in Austin. It is roughly on par with Salt Lick in my experience. Certainly not as good as, say Blacks. But the advantage is that it is right in Austin and hence a lot more convenient than the places in Lockhart or where Salt Lick is if you are short on time. At certain times of the year, especially when the wildflowers come out, the drive to Lockhart from Austin is really beautiful. But it does take a while and Ironworks is very convenient.

As a British transplant to Kansas City, who has now caught the meat smoking bug, you can't beat KC BBQ! I've eaten my way around a lot of the more popular joints in town.

Best ribs (and fries): Rosedale BBQ. Truly the best tasting, leanest and moistest fall-off-the-bone-est ribs I've ever had. You REALLY don't need the sauce - they're SO tasty without. A true sign of quality. Dinner (rather than lunch) has always produced the best ribs for me. Fries MUST be cooked in something very lard-y. So crispy on the outside, softy and fluffy in the middle. Screw the diet, you GOTTA try this place for ribs and fries.

Best sandwiches: Arthur Bryants. The "downtown" location is an institution - even visited by celebreties and ex-presidents! Order a sandwich and fries and you will have another meal for the next day right there too! HUGE! Fries, in complete contrast to Rosedale, are the soggy soft kind, but OH so good too. Ribs no-where near as good as Rainbow. Bryants location out by the NASCAR track has comparible food, but somehow it just doesn't taste the same in the yuppified location!

Avoid at all costs: The yelled "HI, MAY I HELP YOU" from Gates, and the hugely variable food quality and and frequenty dried out ribs.........

BBQ. It's not just for breakfast, lunch, and dinner anymore.......

1 - Please report this place to the North Carolina SBI. Our constitution bans calling anything BBQ that is made with catsup.

2 - Kansas City BBQ in San Diego. You know, the place made famous by the movie Top Gun. Look for my convention IDs on the wall. It's a long story involving recipes, but oddly enough, my favorite place for eastern NC style BBQ is now in San Diego.

3 - For the record, there are two styles of NC 'Q. Vinegar with no tomato is the eastern style. The barbarians west of Bahama (middle 'a' is long) seem to think they live in Texas, based on their penchant for tomato paste from Food Lion.

New Hampshire
 

While travelling through NH, stumbled upon the Yankee Smokehouse in West Ossisippi. Excellent cue.

Funny you should mention KC BBQ, I was also just in San Diego and ate their. Pretty good. Their onion rings are probably the most fatty deep fried rings I've ever had... they were great! Sausage was quite different .. but good. Brisket was quite good. Some scene from "Top Gun" was filmed there....

Having just watched the great Bamaque cookoff from Mobile it brought back many memories of Alabama BBQ. Haven't found anything close to it since leaving Alabama in 1962 except what I cook myself. Babybacks and pork shoulders cooked with sauce on from the beginning. In fact at one point I gave some thought to starting my own BBQ cafe modeled after "Chessers BBQ" in Fairfield, Al.
This topic is making me hungary, I have a BBQ pork shoulder for dinner tonight. Along with corn on the cob and watermelon, what could be better?
Bob

I would vote for Cooper's in Llano, TX. Great place!!

Otto's in Houston Texas. Brisket that falls off the fork . . .

Head to Eastern North Carolina for Great BBQ
 

I live in Seattle now and so far haven't found any good bbq here (seems like thick ketchup-based sauces, a little bit of Pulled pork and lots of Beef brisket passes for bbq in the Pacific NW ...now, that just isn't considered bbq where I'm from.) I grew up in eastern North Carolina where everyone knows that BBQ is Chopped PORK, not pulled or sliced pork.... and Absolutely NO, and I do mean NO... beef or ketchup are allowed on the premises! :p Try the "Barbecue Hut" in Fayetteville, NC just off I-95 or "Wilber's Barbecue" in Goldsboro for some authentic eastern NC bbq.