“There was a time when barbecue was like the armpit of the culinary world. It was for the bottom feeders almost,” says Samuel Jones, pitmaster of Ayden, NC’s beloved whole-hog specialist, Skylight Inn.
Fast forward to 2015, when Aaron Franklin—bespectacled brisket prodigy from Texas—accepted the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest, marking a historic occasion for barbecue’s status in the culinary field.
“Every now and then, someone comes along who changes the way we look at something. Aaron Franklin is one of those guys,” said writer Tim Carman in our State Of The BBQ Union panel.
That Franklin is a popular talking point in the context of barbecue’s upswing makes a lot of sense. But the long lines wrapping around his establishment aren’t the only reason to get excited about today’s smoked-meat landscape.
Urban city centers like New York have entered the playing field, complicating the common belief that good ‘cue can only exist in a specific setting. Meanwhile, a growing number of reality TV shows has inspired amateurs to ditch their backyard grills for smokers and set their sights on the competition circuit.
“I was working with Sean Brock and Drew Robinson as part of the Fatback collective,” adds Jones. “And I thought to myself, who am I to be working with these guys? And they had the same admiration for me, which blows my mind.”
Even as the scope of BBQ broadens, fierce regionalism and passion for the craft remain strong.
What other food phenomenon—aside from Guy Fieri—can stoke the ire of fans in the way that a botched brisket carving can?
That attitude of Trust-Me-I-Know is still pervasive, whether you’re seeking chicken with white sauce in Alabama, or mutton “dip” in western Kentucky. Lines will be drawn in the sand because talking about barbecue, Jones says, is like talking about politics: People have already made up their mind, and you’re not going to change it.
But as evidenced from our contributors below, you’ll notice that the tradition is still deeply rooted in community and woven into the fabric of everyday life. That you’re gnawing on a giant beef rib from Texas, say, doesn’t hurt its cause either.
To kick-off your search for BBQ paradise, we hit up a panel of ‘cue-minded authors, revered pitmasters, and others members of the smoked-meat cognoscenti to help us prioritize our carnivorous travels. Our panel includes:
- Tim Carman, James Beard Award-winning reporter and columnist at The Washington Post (@timcarman)
- Daniel Vaughn, Barbecue Editor at Texas Monthly, author of The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue (@BBQsnob)
- Myron Mixon, three-time BBQ world champion, host of BBQ Rules (@lord_of_q)
- Tim Byres, chef and author of Smoke: New Firewood Cooking (@timbyres)
- Ray Lampe, a.k.a. Dr. BBQ, judge, BBQ HOF inductee, and author of Pork Chop (@drbbq)
- Robb Walsh, food writer and author of Legends of Texas BBQ(@robbwalsh)
- John Shelton Reed, co-author of Holy Smoke
- Craig David Meek, author of Memphis Barbecue and founder of the Memphis Que blog (@memphisque)
- Ardie Davis, author of Barbecue Lovers Kansas City Style, emeritus charter member of the Kansas City Barbecue Society
- Susan Puckett, author of Eat Drink Delta: A Hungry Traveler’s Journey Through the Soul of the South (@puckettsusan)
- Lake High, president and co-founder of the SCBA, author of A History of South Carolina Barbeque
- Wright Thompson, senior writer at ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine
- Lolis Elie, culinary historian, author of Smokestack Lightning (@lolisericelie)
- Jim Shahin, “Smoke Signals” Barbecue columnist for the Washington Post.His work has appeared in NPR’s The Salt, Bon Appetit.com, Esquire.com,Texas Monthly, among others. He is a journalism professor at Syracuse University. (@jimshahin)
- Colleen Rush, co-author of Low & Slow (@FoodRush)
- Craig Jones, live-fire cooking expert, the Grill Mayor for Food Network (2012), owner of Savory Addictions Gourmet Nuts, food blogger for theKansas City Star
- Robert Carriker, professor and author of Boudin: A Guide to Louisiana’s Extraordinary Link
- Harry Soo, award-winning BBQ Grand Champion pitmaster, founder of Slap Yo’ Daddy BBQ (@slapyodaddybbq)
- Elizabeth Karmel, founder of GirlsattheGrill, author, food writer (@grillgirl)
- Samuel Jones, pitmaster at Skylight Inn
- Mike Mills, pitmaster/owner of 17th Street BBQ, BBQ HOF inductee
- Wes Berry, professor at Western Kentucky University, author of The Kentucky Barbecue Book (@hungryprofessor)
- Adrian Miller, author of Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time (@soulfoodscholar)
- Frank Boyer, founding member of the California BBQ Association, certified master judge
- John Stage, pitmaster/owner of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (@dinosaur_bbq)
- Bun B, Houston-based rapper and globe-trotting gourmand (@bunbtrillog)
Let the journey begin…
Arthur Bryant’s
Address and phone: 1727 Brooklyn Ave, Kansas City, MO (816-231-1123)
Website: arthurbryantsbbq.com
Carman says: “The moment you walk into the original location on Brooklyn Avenue, you feel as if time stopped somewhere around 1954: the plain Formica tables, the fake leather banquet chairs, the tile floor, the harsh florescent lights, the ordering window that requires you to bend at the waist to speak to the person on the other side. Behind the same window lies another piece of history: an old brick pit, which burns nothing but wood, a throwback to a time before urban barbecue joints were dominated by mechanical smokers with their gas-assisted heat sources. The meats pulled from that old pit are bathed in wood smoke and topped with Arthur Bryant’s signature sauce, a gritty, slightly puckery emulsion of dried spices, vinegar, mustard, and tomato paste. Some might call it an acquired taste. Some might call it a taste of home. But when slathered over ribs, sliced beef, or those famous burnt ends from the fatty end of the brisket, the sauce makes me think of Kansas City itself, as if the flavors were carried on the winds as soon as you entered the city limits.”
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
Address and phone: 7238 Nolensville Rd, Nolensville, TN (615-776-1856)
Website: martinsbbqjoint.com
Mills says: “Regional styles and variations are what make barbecue so special. The way a pit boss uses wood, seasoning, and sauce is a unique signature. I’m a huge fan of what Pat Martin is doing in Nashville. His brand of whole-hog cooking is distinctly West Tennesee-style: flavored with hickory, his own dry rub blend, and his version of a semi-sweet vinegar/tomato-based sauce commonly found in that area. He has brick pits built in the dining rooms of his restaurants, so people can see the hog go on and come off the pit, and smell it while it’s cooking—bringing people close to the source of their food. That’s especially important, I think, as that’s getting lost these days. People rarely see a whole animal cooking. He uses that pork, in all of its smoky, moist glory, to make one of the best sandwiches you’ll ever have on this earth—topped with slaw, because that’s how a proper barbecue is served. DO NOT request a sandwich with no slaw. Just don’t. Another one of my favorite items on his menu is the Redneck Taco. Homemade hoecakes, which are cornmeal flatbread, are topped with that pork, slaw, and drizzled with red sauce. One of the best bites on the planet.”
Fincher’s
Address and phone: 3947 Houston Ave, Macon, GA (478-788-1900)
Website: N/A
Mixon says: “The style of barbecue that I was raised on while eating and cooking with my dad, Jack Mixon, is getting harder and harder to find. It’s traditional Georgian barbecue that’s cooked on masonry pits fired with wood coals. The only place that still uses this style of barbecue, that I’m aware of, is Fincher’s in Macon, GA. They’ve been in the same location and cooking on the same pits since 1927. When I eat there, it reminds me of being with my dad, when we’d stay up late and barbecue all night. One of my favorites is the pulled-pork sandwich, which is great with a side of Brunswick stew. Also, don’t forget to get a bag of fresh crisp pork skins to go with it. That’s Georgia-style!”
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