2024’s Best BBQ Cities in America

A person holds a tray piled with barbecue ribs and sausages, topped with containers of barbecue sauce.

Which U.S. cities should be at the top of your BBQ bucket list?

To separate the top sirloins from the chuck roasts of barbecue scenes, LawnStarter ranked 2024’s Best BBQ Cities in America. 

We cooked up a bigger ranking this year, expanding to the 500 biggest U.S. cities based on 5 categories. We looked at access to barbecue vendors and smokehouses, consumer ratings, competition awards, and the number of barbecue festivals, among 20 total metrics.

Light up your grill and get ready for meat sweats this Fourth of July with our ranking below. To learn how we ranked the cities, see our methodology.

Contents

City Rankings

See how each city fared in our ranking:

Top 5 Close Up

Check out the slideshow below for highlights on each of our top 5 barbecue cities.

A line forms outside of Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue in Kansas City, Missouri
No. 1: Kansas City, Missouri | Overall Score: 55.13

Number of Barbecue Vendors: 27 | Rank: 32
Number of Top-Rated Barbecue Vendors (4.5+ Stars): 9 | Rank: 18
Number of NBBQA Award-Winning Cooking Teams in Past 5 Years: 11 | Rank: 1
Number of Kansas City Barbeque Society “180 Club” Members: 19 | Rank: 1
Number of Barbecue Festivals: 8 | Rank: 1

Local tips: Once the hottest name in the BBQ scene, legendary Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque finds plenty of competition in newer establishments like Chef J BBQ and Q39. This meat-loving city even has options for both vegans and carnivores at Char Bar.

Taste the best of the best by exploring the city’s BBQ Trails or attending the largest BBQ contest in the world.

Photo Credit: Dave Herholz / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Bright neon signs invite crowds into one of several blues bars on a busy street in Memphis.
No. 2: Memphis, Tennessee | Overall Score: 47.74

Number of Barbecue Vendors: 65 | Rank: 9
Number of Top-Rated Barbecue Vendors (4.5+ Stars): 15 | Rank: 8
Average Consumer Rating for Smokehouses: 4.5 | Rank: 31
Winners in “Memphis in May” World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest: 85 | Rank: 1
Number of Barbecue Festivals: 5 | Rank: 4

Local tips: You can find Elvis’ favorite BBQ pizza at Coletta’s and the original barbecue spaghetti at The Bar-B-Q Shop.

Photo Credit: Domenico Convertini / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
A glowing sign welcomes hungry guests to Pappas Bar-B-Q in Houston
No. 3: Houston | Overall Score: 43.95

Number of Barbecue Vendors: 139 | Rank: 1
Number of Smokehouses: 11 | Rank: 4
Number of Top-Rated Barbecue Vendors (4.5+ Stars): 24 | Rank: 2
Number of NBBQA Award-Winning Cooking Teams in Past 5 Years: 7 | Rank: 4
Number of Barbecue Festivals: 2 | Rank: 15

Local tips: Gatlin’s BBQ cooks up St. Louis-style ribs and a unique breakfast menu featuring tacos, sandwiches, and Southern-style entrées. 

Pinkerton’s Barbecue has been awarded many accolades, including two-time Beef Champion at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. 

Pappas Bar-B-Q is another local BBQ staple that got its start in Houston in 1967 and has since expanded as a chain of restaurants to over 90 locations across 8 states.

Photo Credit: Denis Barthel / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
A gas station and BBQ establishment in Kansas City, Kansas
No. 4: Kansas City, Kansas | Overall Score: 37.98

Number of Barbecue Vendors: 15 | Rank: 80
Number of Top-Rated Barbecue Vendors (4.5+ Stars): 3 | Rank: 74
Number of Kansas City Barbeque Society “180 Club” Members: 9 | Rank: 3
Number of Kansas City Barbeque Society “700 Club” Members: 5 | Rank: 3
Number of Barbecue Festivals: 6 | Rank: 3

Local tips: From a modest beginning in a gas station, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que is now internationally acclaimed (and available for shipping). The owners of this establishment have been winning barbecue contests for decades

Photo Credit: Anthony G. Reyes / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
A pile of BBQ ribs smoked at barbecue vendors from across Los Angeles
No. 5: Los Angeles | Overall Score: 36.2

Number of Barbecue Vendors: 101| Rank: 3
Number of Smokehouses: 15 | Rank: 2
Number of Top-Rated Barbecue Vendors (4.5+ Stars): 17 | Rank: 6
Average Consumer Rating for Smokehouses: 4.51 | Rank: 30
Number of Top-Rated Smokehouses (4.5+ Stars): 5 | Rank: 1

Local tips: You can literally order “The Meat Sweats” from Moo’s Craft Barbecue, in addition to unique items like poblano queso Oaxaca sausage and brisket-loaded beans.

Photo Credit: T.Tseng / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Key Insights

Kansas City, Missouri — the self-proclaimed BBQ Capital of the World — takes first place, dominating the barbecue competition scene. San Antonio (No. 8), Los Angeles (No. 5), and Houston (No. 3) feast with the best Access to BBQ vendors and high Consumer Satisfaction

21 cities — such as Yonkers, New York, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and South Fulton, Georgia — tie for last place with few or 0 BBQ establishments or smokehouses, no barbecue festivals, and no prize-winning cooking teams.

Chomp through more insights below

Ask the Experts

Why is BBQ our favorite grilled, smoked, rubbed, and/or sauced food, much like baseball is America’s favorite pastime? Let’s cue the experts, for answers about our love of barbecue and BBQ cities.

  1. What makes a true barbecue city for aficionados?
  2. Which non-iconic BBQ cities, if any, can fans expect to emerge in the national barbecue scene in the next few years? What makes those cities stand out?
  3. What are some non-traditional barbecue dishes (such as BBQ tacos) that every serious fan must try?
  4. What are some fresh barbecue side-dish ideas to try this Fourth of July?
  5. Barbecue vs. barbeque: Apart from spelling, is there a difference?
  6. Besides visiting the top BBQ cities in the country, what’s the best way to discover one’s favorite style of ’cue?

Dr. Carola Grebitus
Associate Professor of Food Industry Management, W. P. Carey School of Business, Morrison School of Agribusiness
Tyler White
Culinary Institute Program Manager
Jeffrey Miller
Certified Executive Chef, Associate Professor, Hospitality Management, Food Science and Human Nutrition
Dr. Carola Grebitus
Associate Professor of Food Industry Management, W. P. Carey School of Business, Morrison School of Agribusiness
Arizona State University

What makes a true barbecue city for aficionados?

A city that offers fresh and local ingredients to shoppers, providing high-quality meat to customers, as well as high-quality ingredients for side dishes.

Equipment is, of course, just as important, and places where the community can gather. Barbecuing next to a community garden where you can pick some fresh veggies to put on the grill — what can be better?

Which non-iconic BBQ cities, if any, can fans expect to emerge in the national barbecue scene in the next few years? What makes those cities stand out?

The Phoenix metro area offers great variety with fresh and local ingredients putting a spin on things with unique flavor, such as prickly pear.

What are some non-traditional barbecue dishes (such as BBQ tacos) that every serious fan must try?

  • Being from Germany, I would go with some German-style brats that will taste delicious if made on a charcoal grill. Simply pair it with a bun and some mustard, or go all out by adding German-style potato salad. You can find original brats at Trader Joe’s or Aldi.
  • Wrap small sausages in bacon, and grill them until crisp (if you can find cheese-filled sausages, all the better).

Meatless alternatives:

  • Fish packs: Fish of choice (e.g., salmon), add spices or fresh herbs to taste, top it with some butter, wrap in foil, and grill until tender.
  • Tofu packs: Same as fish packs but with tofu

What are some fresh barbecue side-dish ideas to try this Fourth of July?

  • Veggie packs: Cut up your favorite produce (think bell peppers, tomatoes, squash), add some spices/herbs and butter, wrap in foil, and grill until tender.
  • Stuffed mushrooms: Prepare butter spread (mix well soft Irish butter, parsley, garlic, onion, pepper, salt, paprika powder, Worcestershire sauce — all to taste), remove stems from mushrooms and fill with butter, and grill until butter has melted.
  • Grilled bread: Make butter spread, get a big loaf of white bread with a nice crust (think oversized baguette), cut the whole bread in slices (cut about two-thirds through, leaving the bottom of the bread intact), slather on the spread in between the slices, wrap in foil, and grill until butter has melted and bread is crisp and toasty.

Barbecue vs. barbeque: Apart from spelling, is there a difference?

As a German native, I would say no.

Besides visiting the top BBQ cities in the country, what’s the best way to discover one’s favorite style of ’cue?

Gather family and friends for a cookout, and enjoy spending time together while indulging in great food.

Tyler White
Culinary Institute Program Manager
University of Tennessee Knoxville

What makes a true barbecue city for aficionados?

Authenticity and history are key components in identifying a true barbecue city. Aficionados should look for cities and regions that have a history of great pitmasters and family-owned businesses. The best barbeque cities have plenty of independently owned barbeque restaurants.

What are some non-traditional barbecue dishes (such as BBQ tacos) that every serious fan must try?

  • Barbeque breakfast hash is a great way to incorporate barbeque into every meal of the day.
  • Barbeque tamales are an amazing way to combine smoked meats, masa, and your favorite sauce and cheese.

What are some fresh barbecue side-dish ideas to try this Fourth of July?

Summer vegetable salads pair perfectly with barbeque. It is easy to create salads with just about any type of vegetable or greens, and using a vinaigrette dressing, you can complement the sweet flavors that are associated with many barbeque seasonings and sauces. This is why you traditionally see coleslaw as a staple side with barbeque.

Barbecue vs. barbeque: Apart from spelling, is there a difference?

There is no difference in the cooking techniques for either version of the word “barbeque/ barbecue.” The spelling of the word is more related to the region you live in, similar to debate over “pop or soda.”

There is, however, a difference in how the word is used. Many will use the term “barbeque” as a gathering of friends for a meal that consists of various grilled items, whereas the verb meaning of “barbeque” relates to the actual cooking process of foods.

Many people use “grilling” and “barbequing” interchangeably, but that is incorrect — grilling is a fast cooking technique that uses more direct heat, and barbequing uses slow and low indirect cooking.

Besides visiting the top BBQ cities in the country, what’s the best way to discover one’s favorite style of ’cue?

A great way to discover your favorite style of barbeque without traveling is to cook barbeque yourself! Smokers are easily accessible now, and the internet is full of recipes to guide you on your barbeque adventure.

Try cooking with different woods, cuts of meats, marinades, rubs, and sauces to determine what works best for your palate. Many of the best barbeque restaurants started off with someone creating a great barbecue item at home and then turning it into a business.

Jeffrey Miller
Certified Executive Chef, Associate Professor, Hospitality Management, Food Science and Human Nutrition
Colorado State University

What makes a true barbecue city for aficionados?

A true barbecue city has a respect for the traditions. BBQ is an old and honorable art. Serious BBQ people want pitmasters who understand what it takes to make the classics correctly; pitmasters who are willing to spend the time to do it right — there is no “hurry up” shortcut to great BBQ.

A city also needs a critical mass of people who love BBQ. I’ve seen some great barbecue joints close because the locals didn’t support it with their wallets.

Which non-iconic BBQ cities, if any, can fans expect to emerge in the national barbecue scene in the next few years? What makes those cities stand out?

It is really more regions that are coming on than individual towns. BBQ has always been associated with the South in general, the Carolinas and Texas, and few great cities like Memphis and Kansas City.

But great BBQ can be had in a lot of places now. Some great BBQ is coming out of the Midwest. Oklahoma has always had a great BBQ tradition that is just now getting recognized. The whole belt across southern Kansas, southern Missouri, northern Oklahoma, and northern Arkansas is growing great BBQ traditions.

What are some non-traditional barbecue dishes (such as BBQ tacos) that every serious fan must try?

While the classics are hard to beat, there are a few outliers to try:

  • If a place has a bologna sandwich on the menu, try it. There is some great BBQ bologna in Oklahoma.
  • BBQ corned beef can be really good.
  • I wish there was more BBQ lamb. The place I miss the most is the late, lamented Prospect BBQ in Kansas City. They had BBQ lamb shanks and lamb riblets that I still dream about.

What are some fresh barbecue side-dish ideas to try this Fourth of July?

  • Anything with dark leafy greens like collards: They pair perfectly with the smoke of real BBQ.
  • Try some really sweet watermelon with feta cheese crumbles. You can never go wrong with sweet and salty.
  • Hawaiian-style mac salad is always great with ribs.

Barbecue vs. barbeque: Apart from spelling, is there a difference?

It’s not the spelling; it’s the process. A steak on the grill is a treat, but it’s not BBQ. Low and slow wins the race.

Besides visiting the top BBQ cities in the country, what’s the best way to discover one’s favorite style of ’cue?

One thing the pandemic did was blow food delivery wide open. You can order BBQ from nearly anywhere. You can enjoy most of the great BBQ styles of America from the comfort of your own patio.

BBQ By the Numbers and Fun Facts

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Infographic by: Juan Rodriguez

More Fun Facts

  • Grilling ≠ Barbecuing: Grilling requires direct heat from a flame, while barbecuing draws heat from circulating air.
  • Baby Got Back: Baby-back ribs don’t come from baby pigs. They’re just shorter than spare ribs.
  • Follow the BBQ Trail: North Carolina’s barbecue trail leads hungry visitors to the top ’cue across the state.
  • In a Word: “Barbecue” comes from barbacoa, meaning “a framework for supporting meat over a fire.”
  • There’s an App for That: You can buy a meat thermometer that lets you monitor your ’cue remotely via smartphone.

Research by: Sarah Bahr LawnStarter

Behind the Ranking

First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Best BBQ Cities in America. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into 5 categories: Access, Consumer Satisfaction, Competition Awards, Elite BBQ Memberships, and Hosting. The categories, factors, and their weights are listed in the table below.

For each of the 500 biggest U.S. cities, we then gathered data on each factor from the sources listed below the table. 

Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each city to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A city’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Best” (No. 1) and the lowest “Worst” (No. 500).

Note: The “Worst” among individual factors may not be No. 500 due to ties.

Sources: American Royal, Barbecue News, Everfest, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, International Barbeque Cookers Association, Jack Daniel’s, Kansas City Barbeque Society, The Lynchburg Times, Memphis in May, National Barbecue & Grilling Association, TripAdvisor, and Yelp

Final Thoughts: Build a Supreme Smoker Setup

Show your smoker some special treatment by upgrading your outdoor space to accommodate your BBQ obsession.

Hire a local LawnStarter crew to get your lawn and landscape ready for entertaining while you perfect your meat smoking techniques ahead of July 4th.

Media Resources

  • Meaty options abound in Houston (No. 3), which enjoys the most BBQ vendors, 139, followed by San Antonio (No. 8) with 117, and Los Angeles (No. 5) with 101.
  • Austin, Texas (No. 7), is home to the most top-rated BBQ vendors, 25, followed closely by Houston with 24, and Nashville, Tennessee (No. 20), with 23. 
  • All 8 Missouri and 6 Kansas cities score in the top half of our ranking, with vetted BBQ vendors and acclaimed cooking teams. My hometown, St. Louis, slipped a bit in this year’s ranking, but it’s still in the top 10. I loved Pappy’s, across the street from where I volunteered Mondays at Food Outreach.
  • Indianapolis (No. 25) ties with Kansas City, Missouri (No. 4), for hosting the most barbecue competitions, 8.
  • 4 Tennessee citiesMemphis (No. 2), Nashville, Knoxville (No. 52), and Chattanooga (No. 79) — score in the top 100 with numerous highly rated BBQ establishments. Only Murfreesboro (No. 219) and Franklin (No. 284) landed in the bottom half, with fewer BBQ spots. Murfreesboro does host a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned competition, the Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl.
  • Henderson, Nevada (No. 50), ties with NYC for the most winners in the top 25% of the past 3 Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Contests.
  • 13 Texas cities finished in the top 100. Midland (No. 12) and Temple (No. 72) stand out amongst the state’s largest cities with multiple winning cooking teams at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational and Open contests. Midland is also home to the most KCBS “180 Club” Members out of the Lone Star State’s biggest cities.
  • New York (No. 10) claims the most smokehouses, 20, followed by Los Angeles and San Antonio. Los Angeles has the most top-rated smokehouses, 5, followed by Baltimore (No. 47) with 4
  • 3 North Carolina cities — Raleigh (No. 36), Charlotte (No. 54), and Asheville (No. 69) — and 2 South Carolina cities Columbia (No. 67) and Charleston (No. 80) — land in the top 100. Tar Heel barbecue typically has either a tomato or vinegar sauce, while the Palmetto state enjoys mustard-based sauce.

Main Photo Credit: Luis Santoyo / Unsplash / Unsplash License

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Sav Maive

Sav Maive is a writer and director based in San Antonio. Sav is a graduate of the University of Virginia and is a loving cat and plant mom.