Top 5 Cue Joints

What no KC BBQ?

Gates
Bryants

and much more

the scioto ribber-portsmouth, ohio

Grinnell: you could probably throw in Oklahoma Joe's and make it a perfect three.

Pierce's in York County VA is very good.

I like Rudy's (out of Dallas, I think; but the one I've been to is in Albuquerque); there's a place here in Phoenix (Gilbert really) called Joe's Real BBQ that I think most would consider top notch; but by far the best BBQ I've had was at a little hole in the wall in Omaha Nebraska called "Hartland BBQ". A knock-your-socks-off surprise (...Omaha???).

I grew up in Kansas City so I'll stick with the hometown joints:

Smokestack (gotta love those fried chicken livers!)
Arthur Bryant's
Gates

kc mo gates
austin stubbs
memphis the rondevous
st louis none
eureka springs ark bubbas
in the south, anywhere
in the north, you gotta search
pork over beef always

I live near L.A. so we are pretty much BBQ-challenged. But when I was a kid there used to be a place in Culver City called Sterns Famous BBQ. Ahhh, I can still taste their sauce, made from the beef trimmings (no pork) of the meat that was slow cooked in their brick ovens the night before. As I recall they closed in the late 60s or early 70s.

Whenever we have a BBQ at our house my Dad still to this day loudly complains that no one makes brisket, beans cole slaw or especially sauce as good as Sterns. We lived in the Valley and he used to drive to Culver City on Sunday afternoon just to take out Sterns BBQ for Sunday dinner.

There are some great ones in LA. Woody's Bar-B-Cue and Philip's Barbecue seem to be everyone's favorite in South Central and Jay Bee's in Gardena.

Stern's was my Uncle Max's place. When Max died his son Hal took it over but it just wasn't the same. It was a Sunday ritual for the family and it was the best. Sniff sniff.

Charlie's BBQ - Roseburg, Oregon

Brisket to die for, amazing sauces; chipotle apricot!

And the best pastrami I've had outside the east coast.

Amazing they've survived as Oregonians have no idea what good BBQ is like.

David

After leaving the fanous Freemont dragstrip with a now famous prostock driver. We headed north insearch of the best BBQ joint in No Cali. Except I couldnt recall exactly where it was all I knew it was in Oakland. Yes that Oakland; murder capitol of America birthplace of MC Hammer. Traveling north from the track I played it off like I knew where we were going and told the driver: get off on Hegenburger and go right to east 14th street! After we reached 14th we stopped to let a pedestrian cross the street and cross is a great overstatement. I didnt know which way to go. The guy crossing the street was experiancing probably one of his best heroine highs in recent memory, his memory as it was. Took him about ten minutes. At least five to the center of the street where were stopped, , , waiting. I rolled down the window and yelled at this guy "WHERE'S FLINTS BAR B QUE". The guy stopped his stumble, turned around, raised his arm like a Nazi saluting Hitler and replied "flat whey". When we got there it big unrest. A crowd of about twenty five in a joint fit for ten. A customer at the front was really mad. "WADDA YA MEAN YA AINT GOT NO SLABS! LEFT I CALLED IN", and really big (bout two seventy five). This is definately a shuot to order kind of place. So when the waitress saw me standing at the front door. She shouted "Waddle ya have sweetie". The only appropriate reply was "I'll take two half slabs and I pick em up at the back door".

Lewhite: nice.

Phil's BBQ -- San Diego...excessively long queue and worth it.

Best,
Sam