Best BBQ City/State? (restaurants, cooker, tomato, meal)

[JoCo freak]

What city/state do you think has the best bbq? I would make this a poll, but there could be arguments for nearly all states. What are the best restaurants in the cities/states as well?

I would have to say Memphis. The bbq they have there is the only reason why I even visited. The Rendezvous has great dry rub ribs. Thats probably the best bbq I have ever had.

[Andy]

Draw a circle around Austin, TX for your answer. Austin itself has Franklin BBQ and J. Mueller Meat Co. One has the best brisket and the other the best beef rib. Outside of Austin are BBQ destinations like Lockhart, Taylor, Lexington, Driftwood, Luling, and Burnet. Also, Rudy's, the BBQ chain from Leon Springs has the best quality of the BBQ chains.

[JoCo freak]

I've heard of Lockhart and Lexington before. I'll have to visit them and Austin to taste. I've never been anywhere in Texas south of Dallas

[momtothree]

Carolinas for their rubs and vinegar sauce. Nothing sweet or thick sauces on my bbq please.

[CowsAndBeer]

I'm a northerner with no car in the race (our bbq simply doesn't compare) and I've extensively sampled all the regions. For me, it's Memphis hands-down, but the regional varieties are part of what makes southern bbq such an interesting thing in the first place.

[WestCobb]

I'm a Californian by birth, so I don't have a dog in the fight either. My vote goes to Memphis too.

[jlawrence01]

Which supermodel is the most beautiful? if you rank them from 1-10, does that make #10 a dog?

I have been to about 30 BBQ places in the Carolinas and Virginia, 10 places in Tennessee. 10 in Kansas City, and perhaps 15 in Texas. Each region has its better and worst places but if you hit them at the right time, you are going to have some great eating. I know that SOME people refuse to admit that the others serve good food. However, those people are really missing out if they instantly dismiss the other types of BBQ.

My favorites:

Whole hog BBQ chopped in the Carolinas
Lamb ribs at the Smokestacks in Kansas City
Sausage at the Southside Market in Elgin, TX
Brisket at the Central Market in Luling, TX


WARNING

I have had some really BAD BBQ at some of the big name places when I hit the restaurants at the wrong time. For example, I hit Arthur Bryant's right after opening and had some burnt ends that obviously had been cooked the night before. It was very disappointing. At Cooper's in Llanos, TX, we had some cabrito (goat) that was so overdone that they should not have sold it.

What I am trying to say is that two people can visit the same place on the same day. One person can receive the meal of a lifetime while the other is disappointed.

[texantodd]

Different spots have different specialties but the strongest overall to me is cenral Texas with a huge star set in Austin as the epicenter of that. Obviously just my opinion, but i have lived and travelled extensively throughout the states, I am a foodie, and that is my personaly educated opinion.

[Dirt Grinder]

We go to Memphis quite often to visit in-laws and we have eaten bad/mediocre BBQ in Memphis so many times that we just don't eat BBQ when we visit now. There are lots of other great restaurants in Memphis.

[no kudzu]

In the South - not including Texas or Oklahoma BBQ only means pork. My mother was born and raised in N.C. while my father was born and raised in Oklahoma. I lived my whole life with the BBQ Battle! Pork for me and I make a mean BBQ myself in my slow cooker with 3-4 lbs of Boston Butt and a special rub. 6 hours later and the whole house smells wonderful.

I love tomato based sauce(Lexington style) while most of eastern N.C. likes vinegar based sauce. Yuck.