It’s that time of year again when grills are pulled out of sheds/garages, uncovered, and dusted off. That’s right – it’s barbeque season! If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out the BBQ guide below, where you’ll find places to eat, recipes, and recommended tools to prepare you for the best BBQ experience yet. Enjoy!
What are the best places to eat BBQ in the US?
While the list of top places to find BBQ in the US varies slightly depending on who you ask, the consensus is that Tennessee, Texas, and Missouri offer the best BBQ meals in that order.
If you’re looking to try some different BBQ spots, head to each of these states for awesome, smoky flavors and top-notch food.
Tennessee
This state is known for many things, including music, whiskey, and, of course, BBQ food. BBQ sauces in Tennessee offer a more sour tang as they usually include vinegar. This was an item that was more easily available in the south in the 1800s and continues to be used today.
Memphis and Nashville are both known for their BBQ offerings. Expect to find pork ribs with rubs (aka dry) and sauces (aka wet) that incorporate tomato. You’ll also see BBQ added to non-traditional foods like on top of pizza here.
Check out the below restaurants to taste Tennessee-style BBQ.
Head here for bbq with a Memphis flair. Try the smoked meats and the dry ribs.
You can grab a quick meal here without sacrificing taste. Head to the drive-thru and grab some BBQ chicken, pulled pork, and tasty sides.
Texas
Of course, you’re probably well aware of the popularity of Texas BBQ. Depending on which part of Texas you visit, you’ll find different types of barbeque. The center of the state focuses on smoking meat using wood and usually does not offer sauce at all. This is said to have originated from meat markets in Germany/Czech in the 20th century.
East Texas offers pork covered in the sauce, while the southern parts of the state provide Cowboy and Mexican style BBQ, which is usually grilled. Here are a few top restaurants in the area.
Head here with your loved ones – many dishes are served family-style. This restaurant uses family recipes that have been around since the 1800s. This location offers brisket, ribs, chicken, and sausage.
Franklin Barbeque is a must-try restaurant. It is owned and ran by Aaron Franklin, who has won multiple awards, including Bon Appetit’s Best Barbeque Joint in America. Brisket is an absolute must here – people line up to grab this tasty meat.
Missouri
The most famous spot in Missouri for places to eat BBQ is Kansas City. While other locations throughout the state offer this type of cuisine, Kansas City is a highly popular spot for BBQ. You’ll find all styles of barbeque combined here to create the ultimate BBQ style.
This city is known for developing a specific style of BBQ sauce in the early 1900s. It uses molasses and offers a thick, dark, and sweet sauce for meats. Check out the below spots for excellent Missouri barbecue selections.
Kansas City is famous for another reason – the invention of burnt ends. This dish was invented at this restaurant. Head here for a tasty treat.
This restaurant promotes simple BBQ recipes by encouraging the customer to enjoy the natural flavor of the meat dishes. Only salt and pepper are used, and while there are sauces available, it’s always recommended to try the meat first.
Hunting for some BBQ Recipes?
Before you move on, I suggest you give SpotBie a try! SpotBie let’s you find place to eat around you at the tap of a button. SpotBie brings you the best places to eat BBQ within your proximity.
If you’re looking to test your BBQing skills at home, here are some excellent recipes created by celebrity chefs. Not only are they tasty, but you can also easily impress your loved ones with these barbeque recipes.
You’ll likely recognize Guy Fieri from his show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives as the host who drives around the US in his convertible car. Guy Fieri has created an easy recipe for delectable shrimp tacos that can be recreated at home.
This recipe offers seasoned shrimp wrapped in corn tortillas topped with cabbage, cilantro, and fresh pico de gallo salsa.
Click here to read our awesome tacos blog post and learn more about the origin of tacos.
This barbeque recipe from Bobby Flay assists you in creating perfectly cooked steaks every time. Plus, the seasoning is very simple – just salt and pepper. Keep it simple, or add your spices for an excellent main dish.
Can’t forget about Gordon Ramsay – this celebrity chef has recipes for all different types of foods. This tasty dish includes seasoned pork burgers on buns topped with homemade barbeque sauce.
If you’re looking for an impressive meal to bring to a party – this is the one.
The Best BBQ/Grilling Tools To Keep In Your Arsenal
Using the proper grilling tools is imperative to have an excellent grilled meal. It may not seem like a big deal; however, using good-quality tools can take you from a meh meal to an amazing one. Plus, it will also provide the chef with a great cooking experience.
Take a look below for the best BBQ tools to use this summer.
The Grill
Starting with the most important grilling tool – your grill. Of course, a grill is essential to BBQing. You could use a smoker, but you won’t get that same crosshatch and flavor that arrives from using a great grill. This is the quintessential item for cooking your food during a BBQ.
What is a good grill versus a bad grill?
Multiple factors separate a good grill from a bad grill. Specifically, this will be for gas grills. Good grills offer heat settings, metal materials that take a long time to rust, and how much heat the grill can create.
Bad grills offer an on/off switch so the heat can not be controlled, a metal that rusts easily, and burners that don’t heat up properly or get hot enough.
While these may not seem like big issues, they can highly affect your cooking. Not adjusting heat settings for the meat you cook properly means that the food will either be burned, raw or a combination of the two. This also goes for burners that don’t properly heat up – you’ll encounter poorly cooked meat.
As for the metal rusting easily – this means the grill will need to be consistently replaced every few years, which can start burning a hole in your pocket.
Aim for grills that use long-lasting metal, has an adjustable temperature, and has a sufficient heat output. This will ensure your meat is cooked properly and comes out juicy and delicious. Here’s an example of a great/highly rate grill from Weber.
Spatula and Tongs
These are essential BBQ tools – without these, there is no burger flipping or chicken shifting. It’s crucial to have good quality tools to flip with. Otherwise, you risk either burning yourself or the tool breaking in the middle of cooking.
Some BBQ tools have metal handles which might not seem like a big deal. However, the heat from the grill can travel down to your hand and easily burn you.
On the other hand, if you have a cheap or fully plastic spatula and tongs, you risk the tools melting. First, this potentially can ruin your grill, and also, you’ll be left running into the house to grab more tools. This can lead to burned meat.
Grab this excellent set from BBQ Guys, which offers the best of both worlds. Metal for the side that will be over the flames and the perfect handles for keeping your hands protected.
Meat Thermometer
You may think you don’t need a meat thermometer if you’ve been grilling for a while. However, this tool offers a way to cook meat perfectly every time. You can avoid cutting into the meal and leaving jarring slices by using a meat thermometer instead.
No more undercooked or overcooked meat when you grill. You’ll be left with juicy meat that is cooked to the optimal temperature every time.
Check out this digital meat thermometer from Home Depot that can be set for different types of meat and even used for multiple cooking methods.
You can now declare yourself a grill master. Take a road trip and grab some tasty BBQ meals or recreate some at your home. Either way, you’ll have a belly full of yummy food and some additional BBQ knowledge so you can be the best griller possible. Looking for more places to eat BBQ near you? Take a look at our app for more BBQ places near you.
Find Places to Eat BBQ with SpotBie
SpotBie allows you to find places to eat bbq at the touch of a button. Now that you know more about bbq/grilling, give SpotBie a try. Read more about the SpotBie places to eat feature here.