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To all those road warriors whose mantra is “We can make it a few more miles,” think again. At some point, you won’t be able to hold off the food coma that’s bound to follow you on this epic American road trip.
We’re talking the mother of all food trails, a delicious discovery of comfort cuisine, an irresistible menu of meat. Loosen your belt and prepare for the best BBQ in America.
Every region has its own take on this quintessentially American food, and it’s impossible to say which is best. We can’t even agree on how to spell it. BBQ? Bar-b-q? Barbecue?
One thing’s for sure, though. Our roots play an important role in how BBQ is prepared. The spices are influenced by those who came and settled before us. The wood that’s used to smoke the meat is often unique to that area, meaning you won’t find identical flavor anywhere else.
A romp down the BBQ trail is like a crash course in American identity. And there’s no better way to experience — and taste — it than with a road trip.
Memphis sits in an interesting position on the BBQ map. Geographically, it was a hub for transportation and migration, meaning that all the people who passed through town throughout history left their mark. That’s how Memphis ended up with its own style of BBQ — a little bit of this and a little bit of that gave this grub a unique mix of flavors.
One of the most common menu items in Memphis is pork ribs. You’ll find them with either a dry rub of brown and white sugar, salt, and other spices, or with a wet sauce. Memphis-style sauce tends to be thin and tangy, combining what seems like everything in the kitchen. There’s ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and plenty of spices.
If you don’t get the ribs, try a pulled pork sandwich. It’ll come with the same tangy sauce and a heap of coleslaw on top.
While side dishes aren’t the star of the show, you will find something uniquely specific to Memphis on the menu: BBQ spaghetti, a half-and-half mixture of marinara and BBQ sauce on top of pasta.
If that sounds a little too out there, though, stick with hushpuppies and corn on the cob.
Payne’s BBQ is most often described as simple and unassuming yet absolutely delicious. You know that if a restaurant has been open since the 1970s and only has a few dishes on its menu, they know what they’re doing and those dishes are going to be done unbelievably well.
Plus, Flora Payne, owner of this iconic BBQ joint, was inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2023. Those seem like good credentials to us.
Payne’s is known for its pulled pork sandwiches topped with a mustard coleslaw. The menu item you won’t find many other places is what Food & Wine called a “sleeper pick” and that’s the BBQ bologna sandwich.
“Carolina-style BBQ” is a bit misleading. Ask Siri what it is, and you get anything from a red, peppery sauce to a yellow, mustard-based sauce. The truth is that they’re both right, it just depends on what part of the Carolinas you visit.
Western North Carolina features a red, ketchup-based sauce, while Eastern North Carolina-style is a thin, vinegar-based sauce. Both are most commonly served on pork.
The biggest variation, whether you’re comparing it to the rest of the Carolinas or the rest of the U.S., comes in South Carolina.
This BBQ starts with a whole hog, smoked anywhere from 12 to 24 hours, then served with a rich and tangy yellow mustard-based sauce called Carolina Gold.
The smoking is done over a pit (methods elsewhere cook it on a spit), and as the meat breaks down, fattier pieces are mixed with leaner cuts until you end up with a lip-smacking combination of tender pork, sometimes served over rice like a hash.
In full honesty, I don’t like South Carolina-style BBQ. I don’t like mustard in general (unless it’s spicy brown German mustard). Disappointingly, every time I’ve had BBQ in the Palmetto State, they dowse the meat in sauce and there’s no getting away from it.
People from the region will go to battle over their Carolina Gold sauce, though. So if you want to give it a shot — or if you think mustard is where it’s at — then try Hite's Bar-B-Que in West Columbia, S.C. Southern Living picked it as the best BBQ in the state.
Hite’s is only open Fridays and Saturdays, and it’s take-out only. If they can stay in business for almost 70 years, even with those hours, you know it must be good.
Alabama’s BBQ claim to fame is its white sauce. Unlike most of the rest of the country that mixes some concoction of vinegar, tomatoes, and spices, Alabama went with mayonnaise as its base. Add some apple cider vinegar for a bit of bite, salt, and pepper, and it starts to take on the look of a gravy rather than a traditional BBQ sauce.
Alabamans put white sauce on just about any kind of meat, including beef and definitely poultry, but the most popular plates come heaped with pork. If you’re only going to have Alabama BBQ once, order a pulled pork sandwich or pork ribs.
Your waitress, who has probably already called you “honey” 15 times before you even order, is going to ask what sides what you want, too. A “meat and three” is common on menus in this part of the South — your choice of meat entree and three side dishes. Try pairing your BBQ with coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, or candied yams.
BBQ is one of those foods that’s best when it comes from a gas station or some other hole-in-the wall restaurant. And that’s why Lannie’s Bar-B-Q Spot in Selma, Alabama, makes our road trip itinerary.
Lannie’s recently re-opened in a larger space, but you still won’t mistake it for a chain restaurant. It originally started serving Southern favorites in 1942. During the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, Lannie’s Bar-B-Q Spot served meals to the movement’s leaders and protestors, installing itself (as if there were any doubt) as a vital part of the community.
Even as other businesses have come and gone throughout the decades, Lannie’s has survived and remains a local favorite. Check out their Facebook page to find out what’s on the menu for the Sunday feast. Don’t wait long, though. It’s not unheard of for them to close early because they’ve run out of food.
Ask someone where to get the best BBQ in the U.S. and it usually turns into an argument over Texas versus everyone else. While Texas alone has several variations, two of my favorites are brisket and hot links.
Texas brisket can be found almost anywhere in the state. It’s an excruciatingly long and slow process to smoke it, which is why it can be hard to find. All those stories you hear about a BBQ joint running out by 10 a.m. aren’t exaggerations. Once the supply is gone, you can’t just whip up another batch real quick.
You won’t see people putting sauce on their brisket. Purists will say you can’t cover up the fall-off-the-bone goodness. Instead, the flavor comes from a dry rub and the wood used to smoke the meat. And because different regions of Texas use different kinds of wood — oak, mesquite, hickory, pecan — you'll find a different flavor everywhere you go.
Alternatively, you can try famous hot links in East Texas. This part of the state saw a major influx of German and Czech immigrants in the early 1900s, and they brought with them a talent for making delicious sausage.
Hot links, beef, and pork served with a thick, sweet tomato-based sauce make up what we consider East Texas BBQ today. Do yourself a favor and order a sampler with a variety of meats and sides served on a metal tray lined with butcher paper.
Just thinking about where to eat BBQ in Texas is overwhelming, so let’s focus on brisket. And when it comes to brisket, some will say you can’t beat Austin.
Reddit posters debate Franklin Barbecue versus Terry Black’s BBQ, but for every person who says the two-hour wait isn’t worth it, another says the brisket is top-notch and the people-watching while in line is even better. For every aficionado who says you can’t beat the sandwiches, another complains that they sometimes overcook their meat.
Beauty is the eye of the beholder. Take comfort in knowing that you really can’t go wrong with whatever you pick in Austin, which some consider the capital of Texas BBQ.
You can’t finish your BBQ-themed road trip without heading back north toward Kansas City. Leave the spiciness of a Texas hot link behind and switch to the sweet sauce of Kansas City-style BBQ.
Around here, you’ll find pulled pork, chicken, more sausage, and ribs. They’re served with a sauce of tomatoes, brown sugar, and molasses. If you’re used to savory and peppery BBQ, you might find this style to be too sweet. It’s still worth a try, though, especially with a few sides.
BBQ in Missouri was influenced heavily by African Americans, and you see this in the side dishes. Along with coleslaw (with a mayonnaise base) and green beans, it’s typical to also have soul food favorites like fried okra and collard greens on the menu.
Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue gets all the love. It’s one of the longest-running BBQ restaurants in the country and has served lunch to more than a few U.S. presidents.
You can’t go wrong with Arthur Bryant’s, but Harp’s Barbecue is a good bet, too. Relatively new on the scene, especially by BBQ standards, Harp’s started as a pop-up restaurant and just continues to expand. Their sausages are some of the best, as are the burnt ends, a Kansas City-style staple.
With a slightly more modern take on BBQ, keep an eye out for new, healthier menu items as Harp’s continues to expand.
Food is a deliciously important part of travel. It can be packed with as much cultural meaning as it is flavor. Get more culinary travel tips and find more inspiration for your next trip at the Seven Corners blog.
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