America just love barbecue. That’s why many barbecue restaurants have prospered, and many more, particularly the specialty BBQ joints, are joining the market. However, not all such restaurants will enjoy success if they only serve mediocre BBQ fare.
The best joints have the finest BBQ in their menu, ones that are cooked just right. Whatever meat might be used – pork, beef, or lamb – cooking process should be low and slow, at approximately 225 degrees for a maximum of 8 hours. This renders the BBQ beautifully charred on its surface, and juicy and tender inside – just perfect for the discriminating taste.
Here are the country’s top ten best Barbeque restaurants, each one of which deserves a visit the next time you crave for some barbeque.
The Salt Lick
One of the major BBQ destinations in Texas is the Salt Lick, and indeed, throngs visit just to have a good serving of its fine barbecue – especially its Texan beef brisket. Another great dish is its Beef spareribs, the unique preparation of which allows the dish to acquire a uniquely smoked taste not found in others. It even got praises from Top chef Bobby Flay, who swore it was the best ribs that he tasted.
Hot Rod’s Real Pit BBQ
Affordable yet delivers great barbeque is how one may describe Hot Rod’s Real Pit BBQ. Lucky indeed are the residents of Wharton as they have a superb BBQ joint in their midst. Chef Tony Sibona’s childhood dream-turned-to-a-reality, he made sure that all the barbeque meat staples, like pork, brisket, and ribs, meet high standards to ensure optimum dining enjoyment of the guests.
Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ
The joint must have perfected its way of barbequing because first-time guests turn to loyal clients overnight upon tasting its dishes. Indeed, Oklahoma Joe has created a fine reputation of serving the best barbeque in the Midwest. Lunch and dinner are served, although the line starts to build even before noon time. What I like about Oklahoma Joe are its fast service, no dirty spot or corner that is otherwise characteristic of other joints, and of course, its BBQ meals of exquisite taste.
Dinosaur BBQ
It’s only in Dinosaur barbeque where you will find authentic barbeque dishes of a great variety. Everything is delicious that you are given a hard time to choose. Briskets, pork ribs, sausages – everything is barbequed and served on a large platter just the way you like it, and complete with sides, of course. Best of all, dishes can be had at affordable prices.
The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint
For the BBQ lovers who only go for authentic tastes, the best option is The Shed. The joint never runs out of great barbeque options to offer. From chicken to pulled pork – everything in the menu is a gastronomical delight. You prefer pork ribs? They are some of the restaurant’s specialties. It’s best to try out the full-sized ribs and baby backs since they are just uber-delicious. Great sauces complement the barbeques, and one of the best is the tasteful, infused-styled Carolina mustard.
California Dreaming
A tiresome venture into far North can be compensated by some great BBQ eats at Georgia’s California Dreaming. Fine service from staff members, sumptuous barbeque meals, and laidback yet modern dining ambiance – these are what you can expect from this top Augusta BBQ joint. Some of the best dishes to try are its Chipotle Chicken, salad with mustard-honey dressing, and Barbeque Chicken Nachos.
Sweet Cheeks BBQ
If you’re a fan of both Tiffani Faison of Top Chef fame and delicious barbeque, then it worth going on a trip to Sweet Cheeks. Faison’s very own BBQ restaurant has been a great success from day one. In fact, Sweet Cheeks is one of the favorite hangouts of top celebrities in Boston sports. Authenticity, meat cooked just right, and pleasant dining ambience are basically the ingredients that make Faison’s baby a hit this side of the Massachusetts State.
17th Street Bar & Grill & Memphis Championship Barbecue
A few names evoke fine barbeque when mentioned – and one of them is Mike Mills, owner of 17th Street Bar and Grill, and Memphis Championship Barbeque. Mills is a BBQ industry legend simply because of his Magic Dust dry rub seasoning, which is made from a secret recipe. The Magic Dust is what he uses when grilling meat of all kinds, turning each one of them to BBQ perfection every time. It’s the same dust that makes Mill’s restaurants highly successful ventures.
Central BBQ
You can call Memphis a BBQ hotspot with its numerous joints. But if you must choose one from the lot, it should be Central BBQ. For one, it’s a winner, literally, of many awards like the “Best BBQ” from the Memphis Flyer reader’s poll. It received the Best BBQ Gold Medal from Memphis Magazine. While all BBQ dishes are outstanding, a must-eat is the home style kettle chips dish that comes with bleu cheese. Another option is the fresh pork rind dish with its special BBQ dry rub as seasoning.
Hitching Post and Hitching Post 2
These twin restaurants use only the finest quality meat – pork, burgers, steaks, and seafood; grilling them slowly over an open fire with the use of special wood. The process churns out fine BBQ treats that keep locals trooping to the restaurants day after day. The owners are not shy in saying that they owe their success to the open fire method as it helps the meat acquire the most delectable BBQ flavor.
