OT: Best BBQ Joint
- Thread starter Jeffreauxdawg
- Start date
Tourist traps are OK - I look at them like watching old timer's baseball games. You know they may not be what they were, but when one of those geezers rips a homer you are glad you went.
I liked Salt Lick for the experience. Agree about Franklin's and Blacks.
Others mentioning Rodney Scotts in Charleston are spot on too. I've been to his family's place in Hemingway, SC before Rodney went out on his own. It's damn good too.
We had a great place here on the coast of GA on St. Simons Island called Southern Soul, but they've been overrun since they became well known and it can be hit and miss.
For nostalgia, did anyone ever eat at Tom's BBQ in College Station? Its long shut down but they had a few locations in the area. They were not the best BBQ, but they had the Aggie Special. It was half a pound of sliced beef brisket, 2 pieces of white bread, a slice of cheese and a sliced dill pickle served on butcher paper and was brought out with a long dull steak knife. They had one type of bbq sauce that they made themselves that appeared to be a mix of tomato paste, chili powder and kerosene. That was back when I was a student at TAMU.
Rodney Scotts in Birmingham, well I guess the magic didn't transfer over. It's good, but nothing to write home about.
Rodney Scott's in Charleston is LEGIT. unless you ask the people that work there, they all say go to the one in Hemingway.
If ever in Houston, and want to spend a morning waiting in line, try Killen's in Pearland.
I completely forgot about Tejas Chocolate + Barbeque In Tomball, TX. Best Brisket and sausage in Houston area. But they run out fast. https://www.tejaschocolate.com/
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Drive on past Franklin BBQ and go to Mickelthwait Craft Meats on the same street. No lines and probably better brisket. Get the jalapeno cheese grits. They only have ribs on weekends.
Skip Salt Lick. Or try it at the airport.
This is exactly how I feel about Texas BBQ in general.
The most popular places don't hold up against the top joints, but that's because they are cooking most of their meat on gas fired commercial smokers and only using the pits for the show. But it's the best way to feed the masses and you can be really profitable and give a great experience and its still pretty good food to boot. The top of the line places that are cooking all stick fired or on open pits are usually only open for a few days a week and run out of food every day they are open. You just can't keep up once the hoards find you.
It's not very often you have the time to get up in the morning and make a pilgrimage to Franklin's or Snow's to wait in line for hours to get the top shelf stuff. It's always worth it when you do, but I find myself having just as good a time going to a Salt Lick in Driftwood or Hard Eight in the DFW area with a big group and pigging out. The experience is great and its still better BBQ than 99% of people in the country every get to enjoy.
My motivation for this thread is my moving out west and experiencing a real lack of quality Q... The first place I was recommended was a small chain that has a menu like Chili's and the exact same atmosphere. The 2nd place was Dickey's, which I have eaten a ton, but that is a drive thru fast food joint that is a competitor of McDonalds in my book. The final option was a Mongolian BBQ joint... Not what I was looking for to say the least.
I'm in the early stages of considering starting one of those tourist trap type BBQ places. I think if you get something like Salt Lick or Hard Eight outside of Texas, KC, Memphis, the Carolinas, or other hotspots it would be the greatest experience and possibly taste in your BBQ life. My goal would be to shoot for good Q and a great experience. Gonna have to fly back to Texas to find me pitmaster I guess, because try as I may, I don't have the touch. But I am an expert on identifying a need and I'm in a city of 800,000 people that are gun totin' red blooded carnivores and I have locals telling me the best BBQ joint in town is best known for the Strawberry/Apple/Pecan Spinach salad.
Excellent BBQ, wife loved the banana pudding. It's near Driftwood .. good drive out from Austin.
Favorite Austin BBQ place is Terry Black's. Better, cheaper, and less wait than legendary 'Franklin's!'
It will ruin eating brisket anywhere else. Would be a great place to spend a Saturday evening in the summer.
Wolf River is good but it's way over priced with small portions. I also wouldn't consider it a BBQ joint they just try to make brisket an overly complicated upscale dining. Brisket should be served on butcher paper with lite bread, onions and pickled jalapenos on the side.
I got some ribs and some meat at the Ranchero right before Covid in February.... it was pretty average
Food and especially BBQ talk will get a 3,4 sometimes 5 page thread going.
Some of my favorites and in no particular order.
Arthur Bryant’s - Kansas City
Hard Eight - Coppell TX, DFW area
Skylight Inn - Ayden NC
All kinds of good bbq places in small towns of NC but you have to like vinegar sauce, Tx Pete hot sauce and eating it out of a paper tray.
Commisary - Germantown
Rendezvous for ribs - still great I think although some nights are better than others.
Big Bob Gibson’s - Decatur AL
Martins BBQ and Peg Leg Porker in Nashville.
Maybe my favorite of all is
Fox Bros BBQ - just East of downtown Atlanta in area called Candler Park.
Some of my favorites and in no particular order.
Arthur Bryant’s - Kansas City
Hard Eight - Coppell TX, DFW area
Skylight Inn - Ayden NC
All kinds of good bbq places in small towns of NC but you have to like vinegar sauce, Tx Pete hot sauce and eating it out of a paper tray.
Commisary - Germantown
Rendezvous for ribs - still great I think although some nights are better than others.
Big Bob Gibson’s - Decatur AL
Martins BBQ and Peg Leg Porker in Nashville.
Maybe my favorite of all is
Fox Bros BBQ - just East of downtown Atlanta in area called Candler Park.
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Hard to believe Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint hasn't been mentioned. They do whole hog and the pits are viewable from the seating areas. The first was just outside Nashville, but he's opened other locations in KY SC and AL. I've only been to the 3 around Nashville and they're all great. Martin's is owned by a State fan I went to high school with in NE Mississippi. He moved across the state line to TN after high school and the rest is history.
Nashville BBQ | Whole Hog BBQ | Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint (martinsbbqjoint.com)
Whole Hog BBQ is Alive and Well in Nashville Thanks To Pat Martin's Bar-B-Que — How We Eat - YouTube
Nashville BBQ | Whole Hog BBQ | Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint (martinsbbqjoint.com)
Whole Hog BBQ is Alive and Well in Nashville Thanks To Pat Martin's Bar-B-Que — How We Eat - YouTube
Sugarfire in St Louis
Mid wood Smokehouse in Charlotte NC
Let’s don’t forget about the house of death aka Coleman’s BBQ.
Mid wood Smokehouse in Charlotte NC
Let’s don’t forget about the house of death aka Coleman’s BBQ.
Some of the very best meals Ive ever eaten have been at the Rendezvous. And even when the food hasnt been as good it was still a really good time.
Recently moved to Ardmore, OK and, to be a chain, Swadleys’s is surprisingly good. Caddo Street BBQ in Ardmore is really good if you’re ever headed down I-35.
Aint that the truth
Memphis is a great BBQ town, but why they've never really even tried to get brisket half decent is bizarre. I guess it's a demand thing and the locals just don't get fired up to buy it.
That said, Wolf River Brisket does a nice job but you gotta pay an arm and a leg for it. I'm glad they at least make the effort, bc otherwise it's a barren desert for us brisket lovers in 901 land. Spare ribs and shoulder is my go to, but a few years in Texas and Oklahoma really got me appreciating some good beef BBQ.
Memphis is a great BBQ town, but why they've never really even tried to get brisket half decent is bizarre. I guess it's a demand thing and the locals just don't get fired up to buy it.
That said, Wolf River Brisket does a nice job but you gotta pay an arm and a leg for it. I'm glad they at least make the effort, bc otherwise it's a barren desert for us brisket lovers in 901 land. Spare ribs and shoulder is my go to, but a few years in Texas and Oklahoma really got me appreciating some good beef BBQ.
There’s also a Dinosaur BBQ in Newark. I’ve not eaten at the one in Syracuse, but it’s solid in Newark.
Clay's House Of Pig - Tupelo, Miss.
Clay's House Of Pig - Tupelo, Miss.
I'm a huge fan, literally and otherwise, of Clay Coleman's operation in Tupelo. I've known him for a long time. He was the owner/operator of Clay's Bait and Tackle and tried several things to help expand his business in the slow times of the year -- His initial intention with his barbecue joint was to offer a few sandwiches on the side. Instead, it's changed his life and been a spectacular hit. All sorts of awards and recognitions. He's converted the original bait shop into a sit-down restaurant. They have a to-go window and offer pre-ordering through a smartphone app as well.
He's on Veterans Boulevard south of Main Street in east Tupelo. Everything they have is excellent. I especially like their barbecue & baked potato options. Great ribs, great brisket, great desserts. They're continuing to experiment and offer new things. It's just super.
Here's a review on TripAdvisor. Give them a try when you get a chance.
Clay's House Of Pig - Tupelo, Miss.
I'm a huge fan, literally and otherwise, of Clay Coleman's operation in Tupelo. I've known him for a long time. He was the owner/operator of Clay's Bait and Tackle and tried several things to help expand his business in the slow times of the year -- His initial intention with his barbecue joint was to offer a few sandwiches on the side. Instead, it's changed his life and been a spectacular hit. All sorts of awards and recognitions. He's converted the original bait shop into a sit-down restaurant. They have a to-go window and offer pre-ordering through a smartphone app as well.
He's on Veterans Boulevard south of Main Street in east Tupelo. Everything they have is excellent. I especially like their barbecue & baked potato options. Great ribs, great brisket, great desserts. They're continuing to experiment and offer new things. It's just super.
Here's a review on TripAdvisor. Give them a try when you get a chance.
Hard Eight BBQ - Stephenville, Texas
I don't know how it ranks in Texas BBQ circles, but this little place was handy to a road trip I made several times over the years and it was always a must-do.
Everything is cooked on smokers under pole-barn-style cover. You walk through the meat area with a lunch tray and point to what you want - everything from traditional pork, chicken and beef to sausage, quail, shrimp and more - then you go through the register and pay by the pound. Sides are included in the price. It's always been very good.
Here's their TripAdvisor thread.
I don't know how it ranks in Texas BBQ circles, but this little place was handy to a road trip I made several times over the years and it was always a must-do.
Everything is cooked on smokers under pole-barn-style cover. You walk through the meat area with a lunch tray and point to what you want - everything from traditional pork, chicken and beef to sausage, quail, shrimp and more - then you go through the register and pay by the pound. Sides are included in the price. It's always been very good.
Here's their TripAdvisor thread.
These posts are so hard for me to read, because by the time I reach the bottom, I have said 99 times, "I need to go there."
The absolute truth (for me) is, to my knowledge, I have eaten at close to 100 BBQ places, with 90 different styles, and never had any BBQ I didn't like, at least enough to go back.
Does anyone remember Coleman's BBQ joints across Mississippi. They were about the size of a Totesum convenience store, full of smokey goodness smell, with a slightly dry smoked BBQ, that was to die for.
Now I want to time travel back to Coleman's
By the way, Hickory House is my go to Jackson BBQ location.
The absolute truth (for me) is, to my knowledge, I have eaten at close to 100 BBQ places, with 90 different styles, and never had any BBQ I didn't like, at least enough to go back.
Does anyone remember Coleman's BBQ joints across Mississippi. They were about the size of a Totesum convenience store, full of smokey goodness smell, with a slightly dry smoked BBQ, that was to die for.
Now I want to time travel back to Coleman's
By the way, Hickory House is my go to Jackson BBQ location.
Clay's House Of Pig - Tupelo, Miss.
Been there and very good BBQ. I loved walking in and the left half is BBQ with the right half being bait shop. I wonder if he's related to the folks that ran Coleman's BBQ in Hernando? Coleman's was some really good old fashioned BBQ.
Been there and very good BBQ. I loved walking in and the left half is BBQ with the right half being bait shop. I wonder if he's related to the folks that ran Coleman's BBQ in Hernando? Coleman's was some really good old fashioned BBQ.
You fell for the 3 card monte at Hard Eight. In the beginning they smoked everything on the wood fired pits, but now everything but the brisket is going on gas fired commercial smokers. I love Hard Eight, but it doesn't make the top 50 of Texas BBQ joints anymore on quality and taste....
But the experience and atmosphere make up for it. And they make money hand over fist. It's THE business model for BBQ in my opinion.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/hard-eight-bbq-2015/
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