Let's fight over this! America's BEST BBQ is: (See if ya agree)
- Thread starter TheGLOV
- Start date
FWIW, the best 'cue in the State College/Centre County area is Curt's Smokin Ribs in Mill Hall.
Curt's is opening a second location near the I-80 Lamar exit (in the old Dairy Queen), so it'll be much easier to locate.
Their ribs are fantastic, and the brisket is the star of the show.
Curt's is opening a second location near the I-80 Lamar exit (in the old Dairy Queen), so it'll be much easier to locate.
Their ribs are fantastic, and the brisket is the star of the show.
Agreed, Ive always though it foolish to argue over BBQ regions/styles. Just eat as much as you can and enjoy it
just so we are clear, anything that starts on a grill, and takes less than 1 hr to cook, does not count, correct??
Most BBQ is good, some is great and some is neither.
Last Monday night, I had some merely average BBQ. Surprising because it usually fell into the good category. Hoping to change my luck this weekend as I am travelling up to PSU. Clem's is on the itinerary for Friday night.
My favorite place is in Dallas, TX, just off the freeway on the way to Love Field. Sonny Bryans Smokehouse on Inwood Road. Ain't much to look at, but definitely worth a stop.
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Last Monday night, I had some merely average BBQ. Surprising because it usually fell into the good category. Hoping to change my luck this weekend as I am travelling up to PSU. Clem's is on the itinerary for Friday night.
My favorite place is in Dallas, TX, just off the freeway on the way to Love Field. Sonny Bryans Smokehouse on Inwood Road. Ain't much to look at, but definitely worth a stop.
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Good luck with Clem's. Only God knows what you're going to get.
Seriously: Next time you're in the area, try Curt's. You won't be disappointed.
Franklin BBQ at #9? Lowest ranking I have ever seen for his restaurant. I'm partial to Texas BBQ where the staples are brisket, ribs and sausage. It's known as the TX holy trinity. I've yet to have brisket on par with what Aaron Franklin churns out on a daily basis. I'd eat there a couple times a month if not for the daily 3-5 hour wait. Yes, every single day there is a wait that long and every single day they sell out of food.
Any BBQ fans on the board should come to the annual Texas Monthly BBQ festival in Austin. Texas Monthly magazine rounds up their top 25 restaurants and they all come to Austin for this event, it's fantastic. Austin is quickly (maybe already has) become the BBQ mecca of Texas.
Other notable TX BBQ:
La BBQ (Austin)
John Mueller Meat Co (Austin)
Louis Mueller BBQ (Taylor)
Snow's (Lexington)
Pecan Lodge (Dallas)
Hutchin's BBQ (McKinney)
Any BBQ fans on the board should come to the annual Texas Monthly BBQ festival in Austin. Texas Monthly magazine rounds up their top 25 restaurants and they all come to Austin for this event, it's fantastic. Austin is quickly (maybe already has) become the BBQ mecca of Texas.
Other notable TX BBQ:
La BBQ (Austin)
John Mueller Meat Co (Austin)
Louis Mueller BBQ (Taylor)
Snow's (Lexington)
Pecan Lodge (Dallas)
Hutchin's BBQ (McKinney)
Most good BBQ joints down here aren't much to look at. If you are in Dallas often I highly recommend a trip to Pecan Lodge. Their brisket will rock your world. I visit PA a couple times each year. I haven't had any BBQ up there that is on par with even the worst BBQ joints in Austin. It's just not the same.
A
anon_vmuicqnzlyp3u
Guest
BBQ is way overrated IMHO. I'll take a grilled medium rare steak any day over BBQ, no matter what the sauce or rub.
I'm with my man here, Franklin's in my all time fav, though I'm partial to beef ribs so it's a bit unfair. They should have a separate list for Pork/Beef ribs
BBQ by defenition does not have to include smoking. Of course, if you are cooking with wood then you get the smoke as a bonus.
Franklin makes beef ribs once a week (Saturdays I believe). They are awesome but for me his brisket is the star. If you are in the central Texas area I'd suggest beef ribs from Mueller's in Taylor. Best I've had.
Good BBQ is served with sauce on the side. If the meat comes to you slathered with sauce, it is an attempt to make up for the shortcomings of the meat flavor. The sauce should complement the flavor, not overpower it.
Thanks for the list PSUSignore. As I'm traveling throughout Texas, I'm always stopping at the local BBQ pit. Hard to find bad BBQ. I frequent Mueller's in Taylor quite a bit as it is on the way to my ranch. On weekends, they run out early,
A few others that I'll add to your list that I have enjoyed
Opies (Spicewood)
Schoepfs (Belton)
Salt Lick (Driftwood and Round Rock) - great atmosphere. Hosted the PSU Baseball team in Driftwood in the 90's)
Black's (Lockhart)
Kruetz (Lockhart)
Meyers (Elgin)
Iron Works (Austin) - had a client that always wanted to meet there
I even run quickly into a Rudy's for a quick bite when needed
Nitwit,
Me too, but a prime steak cut is far different than taking a crap piece of beef or pork and turning it into pure heaven. I do not associate grilling steaks as making BBQ. BBQ was the poor man's art of taking a poor cut and making it delicious and using the hole animal.
It really has increase the prices of those cuts though. Brisket and Skirt Steak (used in fajitas) were throw away meats, but the masses figured out a way to make them great. I was talking with a Vietnamese friend last week, and he told me that Ox Tails are now at $7.99 a pound (used to be almost free) because of the huge influx of Pho in Austin.
Again, I'll take a $100 steak from a top end place anytime, but $100 also buys me a families worth of awesome BBQ for the weekend, including all sides and beer
I know you are here pretty regularly so I'll add a few more Austin recommendations/comments. As you can see I love my BBQ.
If you are hitting Mueller in Taylor most of the time, you're doing very well. I love that place but it's out of the way for me. They have the best beef ribs ever. That is among the best stuff in town, hard to beat it unless you want to deal with long lines at Franklin or La BBQ. BTW, Franklin, La BBQ and John Mueller all have ties back to Louis Mueller, it all started there for the top-rated Austin spots.
Mickelthwait - Less crowded than the other top Austin BBQ joints mentioned above. A notch below Franklin, La BBQ and John Mueller (my personal top 3), but not by much. Very good. Unique sides.
Freedman's - more of a nice restaurant vibe than typical Texas 'que, but good food.
Stiles Switch - inconsistent quality, but when it's good, it's good.
Black's (Austin) - Haven't been yet, but they have opened on here in the past year. I will give it a shot just based on it being part of the Black's name from Lockhart.
Cooper's - Coming soon to Austin. They also have locations in Llano (original) and Fort Worth. I've been to both. Excellent pork. TX BBQ is more beef oriented but if pork is your thing Cooper's is worth a visit.
Black's (Lockhart) - Honestly don't get the hype about this place. I've been several times and don't think it's that good.
Kruetz (Lockhart) - My favorite of the Lockhart options, but I haven't been to Smitty's yet.
Salt Lick - I don't like the Round Rock location at all. This place is all about atmosphere, the food isn't near the quality of lots of Austin BBQ. I always take out of town visitors the Driftwood location. It's great to BYOB, listen to some live music while you wait for a table, and the prices are dirt cheap if you get the family style dinner (all you can eat). RR doesn't have the same atmosphere.
Rudy's - Solid quality, and it's incredibly consistent quality. It's always good, but not great like Franklin, La BBQ, etc. It's convenient, they have many locations and the lines aren't long. They rarely run out of something. If you need a quick BBQ fix with no hassle and are OK not getting the best, but a good meal, this is a good spot.
Look at the price of chicken wings before buffalo wings became popular. The week before the Superbowl, wings are almost as expensive as breasts.
I know you are here pretty regularly so I'll add a few more Austin recommendations/comments. As you can see I love my BBQ.
If you are hitting Mueller in Taylor most of the time, you're doing very well. I love that place but it's out of the way for me. They have the best beef ribs ever. That is among the best stuff in town, hard to beat it unless you want to deal with long lines at Franklin or La BBQ. BTW, Franklin, La BBQ and John Mueller all have ties back to Louis Mueller, it all started there for the top-rated Austin spots.
Mickelthwait - Less crowded than the other top Austin BBQ joints mentioned above. A notch below Franklin, La BBQ and John Mueller (my personal top 3), but not by much. Very good. Unique sides.
Freedman's - more of a nice restaurant vibe than typical Texas 'que, but good food.
Stiles Switch - inconsistent quality, but when it's good, it's good.
Black's (Austin) - Haven't been yet, but they have opened on here in the past year. I will give it a shot just based on it being part of the Black's name from Lockhart.
Cooper's - Coming soon to Austin. They also have locations in Llano (original) and Fort Worth. I've been to both. Excellent pork. TX BBQ is more beef oriented but if pork is your thing Cooper's is worth a visit.
Black's (Lockhart) - Honestly don't get the hype about this place. I've been several times and don't think it's that good.
Kruetz (Lockhart) - My favorite of the Lockhart options, but I haven't been to Smitty's yet.
Salt Lick - I don't like the Round Rock location at all. This place is all about atmosphere, the food isn't near the quality of lots of Austin BBQ. I always take out of town visitors the Driftwood location. It's great to BYOB, listen to some live music while you wait for a table, and the prices are dirt cheap if you get the family style dinner (all you can eat). RR doesn't have the same atmosphere.
Rudy's - Solid quality, and it's incredibly consistent quality. It's always good, but not great like Franklin, La BBQ, etc. It's convenient, they have many locations and the lines aren't long. They rarely run out of something. If you need a quick BBQ fix with no hassle and are OK not getting the best, but a good meal, this is a good spot.
Looks like you have quite a list of the bets around. I go through Elgin quite a bit, and everyone talks about Southside, but it is not my top place in Elgin, which is Meyers. I still prefer Mueller's in Taylor but difficult to get in and out quick as the line moves pretty slow. Never been to Franklin's as I will NOT wait 3 hours in line. We hit Black's in Lockhart every now and then, as my friend was born/raised there and worked at Black's growing up. I also prefer Kruetz, but he reminisces about the BBQ when he was young.
Agree on the Salt Lick in Round Rock. The one nice thing is that it is less than 2 miles from my house. We'll walk there and get BBQ'd up and have a few Margaritas, and then walk home. Even though it is not the best, doing that is very enjoyable. It was obviously built to pull in the Round Rock Express AA baseball crowd.
Worst BBQ I had was also in Taylor. Super small place next to the feedstore. Guy has a super small supermarket there as well. I'm talking 20x20' building. Bunch of guys playing dominoes all day there as well. The brisket was good, but tried the mutton. Man, really didn't care for it at all.
Another fun place, but haven't done it in awhile is County Line. They have been around for awhile and was my first BBQ in Austin back in 1984. Not the best in Austin, but better than most else in the country. Like riding my boat up from the lake and docking there and getting a rib plate. Good place to take out of towners for a nice dinner.
I'm heading to Katy TX this weekend. Never had BBQ there. Any suggestions?
I've had Clem's when it's very good....and I've had it when it's exactly as you described. It's very inconsistent.
Doan's Bones BBQ in State College is also putrid.
There really isn't a definitive answer as to the "best" or "10 best". It is like arguing religion, politics, or what is the best beer. There are a ton of great BBQ places across the country, many of which are no-name shacks run by mom & pop. I'm currently buying pulled pork sandwiches from a guy named "Larry" that operates out of an RV/pickup parked at a defunct curb market. It is some killer 'Q.
People like what they like, and hopefully are open-minded enough to try new things. The variety is one of the great things about BBQ, there is a lot of good stuff out there.
People like what they like, and hopefully are open-minded enough to try new things. The variety is one of the great things about BBQ, there is a lot of good stuff out there.
I don't really know of anything out that way. It's out of your way but Snow's in Lexington is worth the trip. I've never been, but I've had it at the BBQ festival in Austin and it's incredible, one of the best in the state. I think they are only open one day per week. If I were going anywhere nearby I'd definitely try to stop there.
Take a look at the Texas Monthly rankings, maybe they found something that more in your direction of travel. http://www.tmbbq.com/top-50/
The line at Franklin isn't so bad if you make it a fun event. Last time we had a few gallons of mimosas, a folding table for cards/dominoes, and of course a cooler full of beer. The time goes quick if you are in good company and have things to do.
Good point. Judging BBQ is subjective to each individual palate. If I read correctly this was based on the volume of reviews and quantity and quality of said reviews. That is sort of slanting the playing field to bigger towns and venues from the start. I live in Alabama and love BBQ- and am partial to Dreamland's ribs. But I have been in some 'mom and pop' operations all over the southeastern US that were top notch. However there is no way that they are going to generate enough volume of reviews to make any list.
BBQ in Alabama is pretty good and consistent. Like I said, I like Dreamland. Also like Saw's in Birmingham and Big Bob Gibson's in north Alabama. But the best is usually made in someone's backyard with some good friends and some cold drinks.
I realize a lot of the comments are based on where you live or what is close to you, but a discussion on the best BBQ that doesn't include NC BBQ is pretty short sighted.
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