Top 10 States for BBQ

Counting down the Top 10 states in the country for barbeque. Different parts of the country have different ways of grilling up meats, and these are best 10 states.

It's a Southern Thing's "How to Find the Best BBQ in the South" video:

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The Fugs: "It Crawled Into My Hands, Honest" (1968)

[johnchedsey]

Lighthearted? Why, good sir, I disagree! This might be the most important video of this channel! Fun list and makes me extremely hungry. I have never been to the Carolinas, but it is now higher on my list because I do love good vinegar based sauces. And I guess I better stop in St. Louis on the way. And since New Mexico is only one state over for me, I will hit it up both coming and going.

[ChadRFoltz]

I’ve had whole hog BBQ as a child in NC—Wilmington to be exact—and it’s literally one of the most memorable meals of my entire life.

[lewkbarx]

Lifelong resident of the Great state of MO here. Thanks for the shout out! Our bbq is the best!

[czink]

As a missouri native, KC was the king for the longest. But St.Louis has become one of the hottest BBQ scenes in the country in the past 10 years. Great list. I’m sure it’s all delicious, but definitely get some BBQ if you’re ever in the STL.

[erielouison]

Now I have a reason to visit Missouri! Great video. I personally think TX BBQ is the best.

[rkus]

My experience with Texas BBQ is that there are regional differences between East Texas and West Texas BBQ. West Texas is unique in that the BBQ sauce for plating comes from heated cafeteria pans. I.e., it is physically warm and typically red. The BBQ sauce in East Texas, like most other places, is served room temperature and usually squeezed out of plastic bottles. I went to college at ACU in Abilene, Texas, making me a lifelong fan of the West Texas stuff.

[reginafromrio]

Thank you for representing California. I'm from Santa Maria and Santa Maria style BBQ is legendary!

[gnosis]

As always, good stuff. Having lived most of my life in TX and SC, I’ve been blessed by the bbq gods. As you said, TX brisket may or may not have sauce, but it will always be accompanied by two condiments—slices of dill pickles and raw white onions.

[cjthompson]

Lol we have bbq sauce in Texas. The No sauce thing is a central Texas/hill country thing. In Houston we’re all about sauces and salsas 😁

[iamthedutchbro]

He's right about New Mexico having amazing food. I spent a week in Santa Fe and Albuquerque last year and was absolutely blown away by uniqueness and flavors of the local dishes.

[taylorwisler]

I've had BBQ in Lexington, NC and the hole in the wall atmosphere definitely contributes to the experience. Nothing like eating some of the best BBQ you've ever had off a paper plate in a place that looks old and run down!

[MTBExtraordinaire]

As a Yankee who has moved down to the South (ATL), I love everything about living here ...EXCEPT the BBQ !!!! I've heard my my entire life how incredible southern BBQ, so maybe my expectation were just too high but I just can't get behind pork pork pork and a vinegar based sauce. For me it's all about TX brisket. That being said, by far the best BBQ I've ever eaten was Slows in Detroit

[SuperSirianRigel]

Sugar Fire BBQ. In downtown St. Louis. The best bbq I've ever eaten. The meat is flavorful and is so soft and juicy it basically melts in your mouth. And they have basically ANY bbq sauce you could ask for. It's amazing. Just prepare yourself though... It's so popular that it usually has lines out the door and around the corner. lol.

[saughs]

6:58 - Yes! I went out of my way to stop at Lexington Barbecue on a week long road trip a couple years ago. So good.

[alexanders]

I am so SO happy that you made this. I have very much enjoyed the various BBQ places I tried in TN.

[drewo]

I love Memphis barbecue! The annual World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is held in Memphis every May. Someday I'd like to go down there during that and sample some of the excellent bbq. They have a small chain down there called Central BBQ, which I enjoy. I'll have to check out Elwood's Shack next time I'm there!

[GeneaVlogger]

I personally put Eastern North Carolina as 2nd and Texas 1st. South Carolina would probably be 9 or 10 on my list, but that's also because I hate the mustard style BBQ sauce. I used to work as a chef at a BBQ place in Raleigh (Backyard Bistro) for years and our specialty was Eastern Style pulled pork. Pork shoulder/butt is actually much more common to use than whole hog (we call 'em pig pickins), which is usually more of a special event type of thing but some bbq restaurants will do Whole Hog (although it's rare, like at The Pit in Raleigh). For Western NC BBQ, I would honestly describe it more as a sweeter sauce than a tomato based sauce because of lot of recipes use such little tomato that it looks more like a syrupy brown sauce. The difference between Eastern and Western is so great that each should honestly be judged separately.

[OutdoorPhotographerChan]

Good take! I've always felt that different places do different things best. Ribs - Memphis, Burnt Ends - KC, Chopped/Pulled Pork - Carolina, Brisket - Texas

[vbachman]

Memphis, Tennessee. Our BBQ is pork slow cooked for at least a day. No sauce until it's served (spicy sweet tomato with vinegar) but I love it straight out of the pit. Dry style is great too. Best ever. We have a BBQ contest every year with some famous chefs participating.

[ghost]

Good job on picking the correct state for number 1!