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It's been a few years since I was in Memphis. Blues City Cafe is probably the best BBQ spot in the Beale St. area downtown, and agreed -- very good.
I actually preferred The BBQ Shop (on Madison), A&R (downtown location), and the now-closed Neely's (on Jefferson). Central BBQ was okay, maybe not quite as good as the rest of these. Definitely did not like the airport outposts of Corky's or Interstate, no idea if the original locations are good. Didn't get to places like Cozy Corner, Germantown Commissary, Payne's, or Rendezvous (last two were closed for vacation at the time).
Impossible question to answer. Real BBQ is so ethereal. It's so dependent on the conditions on the particular day. Quality of the meat, the temp/humidity, the wood, how much sleep the pitmaster had that day..... For me the best BBQ is the one Google says is closest when the mood strikes. I'm perfectly happy with our local Famous Dave's. That said being from the Northeast I dream about places like Lockhart, Austin, Memphis....
I live in KC. I'm not a fan of Bryant's. My favorites are Jack Stack and Q39, with an honorable mention to Joe's KC. Jack Stack was actually my favorite but I think now it's Q39. Ribs so tender and good even without sauce, and great brisket and burnt ends too.
We tried a bunch of different BBQ restuarants while in KC last summer. Jack Stack was my least favorite. I ordered burnt ends, but was given sliced brisket. When I mentioned this, both the server and manager insisted that the sliced meat on my plate was actually burnt ends. The brisket wasn't bad, but I would never go back to a place that treats their customers like idiots. Plus their sides weren't good.
I live in the South. There is a hole-in-the-wall place about 3 miles from our house. Basically, it's a shed on the side of the road with a sign that simply says BBQ. They keep odd hours and aren't open every day, but if you drive by when they are serving customers you will see a full parking lot. It's the real deal and the pies are also grand. Our realtor gifts their pies to his customers each Thanksgiving. Lucky us
Have been to several BBQ places over the years. And maybe my luck is just good, but I’ve had very few bad experiences. Not counting those places I know have closed as of now or national chains:
Joe’s BBQ (Kansas City, KS). Great. Best I’ve ever had, actually.
Fiorella’s Jack Stack BBQ (Kansas City). Great.
Arthur Bryant’s BBQ (Kansas City). Very good.
Gates BBQ (Kansas City). Good.
Maurice’s Piggie Park BBQ (Columbia, SC). Very good.
Bessinger’s BBQ (Charleston, SC). Very good.
The Pit BBQ (Raleigh). Good.
Clyde Cooper’s (Raleigh). Good.
Salt Lick BBQ (Oklahoma City airport). Good.
The BBQ Shop (Memphis). Great.
A & R BBQ (Memphis). Very good.
Blues City Cafe (Memphis). Good.
Central BBQ (Memphis). So-so.
Corky’s (Memphis airport). Bad.
Interstate BBQ (Memphis airport). Bad.
Where Pigs Fly (Dover, DE). So-so.
Phil’s BBQ (San Diego). So-so.
Virgil’s BBQ (NYC). Not good.
Sonny’s BBQ (Largo, FL). Very good.
Fox Brothers BBQ (Atlanta). Very good.
Buz and Ned’s BBQ (Richmond, VA). Good.
Jack’s BBQ (Nashville). Good.
Jethro’s BBQ (Des Moines). Good.
Redbones (Somerville, MA). Good.
Blue Ribbon BBQ (Arlington and Newton, MA). Very good.
Bub’s BBQ (Sunderland, MA). Very good.
Rosebud (Somerville, MA). Not good.
Bison County (Waltham, MA). So-so.
Firefly’s (Marlborough, MA). So-so.
Pit Stop BBQ (Mattapan, MA). Good.
Have been to several BBQ places over the years. And maybe my luck is just good, but I’ve had very few bad experiences. Not counting those places I know have closed as of now or national chains:
Joe’s BBQ (Kansas City, KS). Great. Best I’ve ever had, actually.
Fiorella’s Jack Stack BBQ (Kansas City). Great.
Arthur Bryant’s BBQ (Kansas City). Very good.
Gates BBQ (Kansas City). Good.
Maurice’s Piggie Park BBQ (Columbia, SC). Very good.
Bessinger’s BBQ (Charleston, SC). Very good.
The Pit BBQ (Raleigh). Good.
Clyde Cooper’s (Raleigh). Good.
Salt Lick BBQ (Oklahoma City airport). Good.
The BBQ Shop (Memphis). Great.
A & R BBQ (Memphis). Very good.
Blues City Cafe (Memphis). Good.
Central BBQ (Memphis). So-so.
Corky’s (Memphis airport). Bad.
Interstate BBQ (Memphis airport). Bad.
Where Pigs Fly (Dover, DE). So-so.
Phil’s BBQ (San Diego). So-so.
Virgil’s BBQ (NYC). Not good.
Sonny’s BBQ (Largo, FL). Very good.
Fox Brothers BBQ (Atlanta). Very good.
Buz and Ned’s BBQ (Richmond, VA). Good.
Jack’s BBQ (Nashville). Good.
Jethro’s BBQ (Des Moines). Good.
Redbones (Somerville, MA). Good.
Blue Ribbon BBQ (Arlington and Newton, MA). Very good.
Bub’s BBQ (Sunderland, MA). Very good.
Rosebud (Somerville, MA). Not good.
Bison County (Waltham, MA). So-so.
Firefly’s (Marlborough, MA). So-so.
Pit Stop BBQ (Mattapan, MA). Good.
This could be one of the best posts ever on City Data!
I'm another fan of upstate SC. Some great BBQ around there. When she was in college, daughter really loved Smokin Pig near Clemson. The kind of place most people wouldn't walk in if they didn't know about it.
Best I ever had was an old fellow with a stereotypical side of the road place. Didn't cook every day, but when he did, people would come from a hundred miles away and line up to buy some. Had a very good vinegar/red pepper based sauce. His belief was if you needed a thick, sweet, tomato sauce for BBQ, then the meat wasn't cooked right.
The other big thing in that area when I grew up was whole hog. Chopped or minced so you could get all the different flavors of hog in every bite.
Sad for me to see so many of these little joints disappearing because it takes a lot of work to cook BBQ right and they just can't compete with the chains in volume, even though their quality is better.
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