Which State Has the Best BBQ?

Which State Has the Best BBQ?

Few things are more American than barbecue. While other parts of the world grill meat, it is in the American South where it turns into an art form. Each southern state has a different approach to the concept of barbecue. The best? Well that depends on your personal preferences and individual tastes.

North Carolina

North Carolinians have two types of barbecue. There’s the Eastern style and the Lexington style. Eastern style barbecue is all about the use of vinegar and pepper sauce. The whole carcass is covered with it and slowly smoked. Lexington style takes the vinegar and pepper base and adds tomatoes.

South Carolina

In South Carolina, it’s all about pork. Lexington style is common here. Many South Carolinians like their barbecue with a tangy mustard sauce that their German ancestors brought along with them. The mustard sauce is well paired with many kinds of pig parts.

Tennessee

Memphis style barbecue takes center stage here. This style is all about the use of the rub. Wet and dry rubs are much admired. A rub is a spice mixture. Dry rubs use only herbs and spices before smoking the meat. Wet rubs use spices, herbs and a tomato based sauce as the meat slowly cooks over time.

Kentucky

Kentucky barbecue culture shares much in common with their nearby neighbors. Kentuckians like pork but they also appreciate aged sheep known as mutton. A Worcestershire-based sauce is a particularly popular accompaniment that adds an additional layer of spice and pops in the mouth.

Missouri

Missouri is where the Midwest meets the south. For barbecue fans, this means a diverse barbecue culture with many styles and flavors. Kansas City is the epicenter of barbecue in the state. Arthur Bryant developed a sauce about a century ago that combines many flavors including tomato and molasses. His sauce goes on nearly every possible kind of meat from pork to beef to chicken fish. Natives love to pour it on barbecued beans and serve it alongside the meat. This is the place to try burnt ends. These rich in flavor meat parts are the perfect thing to munch on at the end of a long car trip.

Texas

Texas is the largest state in lower forty-eight states and has a highly diverse barbecue scene to match. Some Texans scoff at the very concept of barbecue sauce while others embrace it with gusto. This is where to go if you like your barbecued brisket and sausages. Head into southern Texas and you’ll find Mexican influenced barbacoa and beef, pork and chicken on the menu.

Alabama

Residents of Alabama love their barbecue. While they appreciate many styles, the state’s residents are perhaps most famous for the development of the rich white barbecue sauce. This is where mayonnaise comes alive and provides a mild, creamy backdrop for barbecued chicken.

Which state beats the others? Like mustardy flavors? The Carolinas are must. Love barbecued chicken? Head for Alabama. Memphis rubs are for the spice lover. The possibilities are truly endless.