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4 Great Barbecue Towns

Savory meats, sauces and spices are a major attraction at these locales across the country

a man cooks meat on a grill at hard eight barbecue in the colony texas
Texas-style barbecue at Hard Eight Pit BBQ includes lean cuts of beef and sausage seasoned with a salt-and-pepper-based dry rub.
Nancy Farrar Photography
By

Adam Pitluk,

 
AARP
Published July 06, 2023

Perhaps no culinary question inspires as much debate as this: “Where can you find the best barbecue?” Most meat aficionados will agree that the holy trinity of barbecue has you going to the Carolinas for pulled pork shoulder in a semi-spicy mustard sauce, Kansas City for ribs and chicken or turkey in a molasses and brown sugar sauce, and Texas for lean cuts of beef and sausage seasoned with a salt-and-pepper-based dry rub. 

​While most barbecue lovers will agree on these three, the knife-sharpening really occurs when trying to determine the next sausage link in the pecking order. There’s Memphis, Tennessee, St. Louis and Chicago. Alabama is known for white barbecue sauce, and California boasts a distinct smoky style. 

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​With so many delicious options and styles to choose from, here’s a short list of towns from coast to coast with impressive barbecue.

the skyline of charlotte north carolina and an inset of carolina barbecue with hushpuppies hashbrowns and collard greens
Pulled pork is a staple in North Carolina.
Alamy

​Charlotte, North Carolina 

Carolina barbecue began on the coast in the 1500s and slowly expanded westward to the Appalachian Mountains. The different regions of North and South Carolina put their own unique twists on barbecue over the centuries, but one issue remained constant: What’s now the most populous city in the Carolinas didn’t have impressive barbecue.

​All that changed when Midwood Smokehouse founder Frank Scibelli opened his first barbecue joint in Charlotte in 2011 because he was frustrated that the Queen City only had barbecue fit for a jester. To wit, North (and South) Carolinians would drive many a weary mile for homemade vinegar-based sauce on pulled pork, they just wouldn’t go to Charlotte for it. Midwood caught on like wildfire and now boasts six locations across the Carolinas. Be sure to try the hickory-smoked chopped pork in eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce.

​The Charlotte location on Central Avenue is 3 miles from Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. 

​If the wait is too long: Sweet Lew’s BBQ is another response to the “Does Charlotte have any great Carolina barbecue?” question. The pork shoulder is smoked over a blend of pecan, hickory and peach woods. Bring your appetite: The sandwiches are big. 

​Where to stay: The Sonesta ES Suites is a short drive to several Midwood locations, as well as Carowinds theme park and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

the sign for gates bar b q in kansas city missouri
Gates Bar-B-Q has been a go-to spot for great food since 1946.
Alamy

​Kansas City, Missouri 

The mass production of KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce made western Missouri/eastern Kansas famous for its smoked meats in the late 1970s. But generations of locals have been flocking to Gates Bar-B-Q since 1946 when patriarch George Gates opened his first pit in Kansas City. These days, people make the pilgrimage from all over the region just for a slab of Gates’ original recipe ribs with sweet, tangy molasses-based barbecue sauce. 

Gates Bar-B-Q has a location in the nearby town of Independence (about a 20-minute drive from Kansas City), 2.5 miles from Arrowhead Stadium, home of football’s Kansas City Chiefs. Translation: You now have your tailgating meal during football season. 

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​If the wait is too long: Jack Stack Barbecue has a similarly thick molasses-based sauce but with its own distinctive taste, at its six locations across Missouri and Kansas.

​Where to stay: The Truitt, a boutique hotel, is a short drive to a Gates in Kansas City and within walking distance of the world-famous Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. 

a table full of barbecue from hard eight pit b b q in texas
Hard Eight Pit BBQ has four locations throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
Nancy Farrar Photography

​​The Colony, Texas 

Dallas first became known as a barbecue town in the 1970s with the establishment of three seminal restaurants: Smokey John’s, Meshack’s and Baby Back Shak. As the Dallas footprint expanded northward into the suburban areas, so did Dallas barbecue. The family-owned Hard Eight Pit BBQ helped put The Colony on the culinary map, and the addition of Warren Buffett’s Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) added to the allure of The Colony as an eat-and-shop municipality. 

​Located about a 20-minute drive north of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), The Colony is the most popular of the four Hard Eight locations throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The slow-smoked brisket and jalapeño sausage make the best two-plate combo of its kind. Be sure to get a side of the fries and buttered corn on the cob. 

​If the wait is too long: Head to Barrel & Bones for a half-pound of sliced brisket, house-made pickles and Texas toast served on wax paper and silver cafeteria trays. Drinks are served in fun glass jars. 

​Where to stay: NYLO Dallas Plano is an affordable and stylish option less than a 10-minute drive from The Colony. 

skyline of oakland california and inset of smoked ribs
Visitors can find delicious smoked meats in Oakland, California.
Alamy / Getty

​​Oakland, California 

Oakland-style barbecue was born out of hard times in this industrial city in the 1960s, and it was the pride and grit of the Black Power movement that made Jenkins Bar-B-Que on Seventh Street the original place to meet, eat and discuss social issues. (In the 1970s, the place to be would be Everett and Jones on 14th Street.)

​Roderick’s carries on the classic tradition of meeting over quality meats and discussing all things Oaktown. Ribs are smoked for four hours, the chicken for two hours and the brisket and pulled pork are hickory- and oak-smoked daily for a minimum of 12 to 16 hours. 

​If the wait is too long: While Everett and Jones BBQ can see lines form out the door, its three locations (two in Oakland and one in Antioch) help hedge your bet that you’ll get some of that good stuff.

Where to stay: The retro-but-restored Kissel hotel in Uptown features modern rooms and suites with views of the courtyard and downtown. It’s also about a 20-minute drive to the Oakland Coliseum, where you can catch the Oakland Athletics baseball team through 2024 before the expected move to Las Vegas.

Adam Pitluk is an award-winning journalist and book author. He is the group publisher of Midwest Luxury Publishing and Groom Lake Media. 

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