Daniel Vaughn did some REALLY heavy lifting (and a TON of traveling) to create this article and I figured I would have some additional fun by showing off platters from all of the BBQ joints he mentions in the arcticle. You can see his piece HERE and see my chat with him on my YouTube channel HERE.
Below is his top 10 and beyond are the best in specific states.
THE TOP 10
Palmira Barbecue – Charleston, South Carolina – #1
Prime Barbecue – Knightdale, North Carolina – #2
Owens & Hull – Smyrna, Georgia – #3
Moo’s Craft Barbecue – Los Angeles, California – #4
Heritage Barbecue – San Juan Capistrano – #5
Southern Junction – Buffalo, New York – #6
Pica Rica BBQ – St. George, Utah – #7
Jon G’s Barbecue – Peachland, North Carolina #8
Edge Craft Barbecue – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #9
Golden Hour Barbecue – Alliance, Nebraska #10
Broken Down By State
Little Miss BBQ – Phoenix, Arizona
Ridgewood Brothers BBQ – Russelville, Arkansas
Wright’s Barbecue – 4 Arkansas Locations
Breakwater Barbecue – El Granada, California
Fikscue Craft Barbecue – Alameda, California
Mega Texas Barbecue – Fresno, California
Priedite Barbecue – Los Alamos, California
Ray’s Texas BBQ – Huntington Park, California
Hindsight BBQ – Waterbury, Connecticut
Hoodoo Brown BBQ – Ridgefield, Connecticut
Smokemade Meats + Eats – Orlando, Florida
Tropical Smokehouse – West Palm Beach, Florida
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q – Atlanta, Georgia
Slow Fire BBQ – Savannah, Georgia
Green Street Smoked Meats – Chicago, Illinois
Bad Wolf BBQ – Ruston, Louisiana
Blanchard’s BBQ – Lafayette, Louisiana
Gonzo’s Smokehouse & BBQ – Luling, Louisiana
2Fifty Texas BBQ – Riverdale, Maryland
Bark Barbecue Co. – Stevensville, Maryland
Ricewood – Ann Arbor, Maryland
Animales Barbeque Co – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Chef J BBQ – Kansas City, Missouri
Fourth City Barbecue – St. Louis, Missouri
Harp Barbecue – Raytown, Missouri
Soulbelly BBQ – Las Vegas, NV
Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue – Cloudcroft, New Mexico
Bark Barbecue – Brooklyn, New York
Hometown Bar-B-Q – Brooklyn, New York
Dampf Good BBQ – Cary, North Carolina
Old Colony Smokehouse – Edenton, North Carolina
Oakhart Barbecue – Tusla, Oklahoma
Phat Tabb’s BBQ – Idabel, Oklahoma
Bark City BBQ – Portland, Oregon
Grasslands Barbecue – Hood River, Oregon
Matt’s BBQ – Portland, Oregon
City Limits Barbeque – West Columbia, South Carolina
Fork Grove Barbecue – Anderson, South Carolina
Lewis Barbecue – Charleston, South Carolina
Blake’s at Southern Milling – Martin, Tennessee
Shotgun Willie’s BBQ – Madison, Tennessee
Redwood Smoke Shack – Norfolk, Virginia
ZZQ } TEXAS CRAFT BARBEQUE – Richmond, Virginia
Jack’s BBQ – Seattle, Washington
See my chat with Daniel Vaughn here: