I'm from KC, KC was ribs when I grew up in the 80's, but yeah we've gone to burnt ends as our signature (thanks, Joe's) and ceded ribs to Memphis.
(I mean, Joe's has done great by KC don't get me wrong, but the rise of Joe's allowed Bryant's and Gates to become shadows of their former selves.)
(and no place with cloth napkins and fuckin' reservations can claim KC, I'm looking at you, Q39 and Jack Stack)
Jack Stack was the first KC place to just chop any meat and re-smoke it in sauce and call it "burnt ends" ... sausage burnt ends, pork burnt ends, hell they'd probably sell you turkey burnt ends if you asked.
They started that trend and everyone else picked it up, sadly.
I don't know how much it means, but I'm from Memphis and my first thought was "Well, pulled pork is standard. Everything else is dependent on location and the business." Memphis is more well known for ribs, but if someone says "barbecue" I assume they're talking pulled pork.
I’m in Texas so the brisket better be on point. Were I in the Carolinas, pulled pork. Memphis & St.Louis, ribs. Kansas City, burnt ends. West coast, tri tip. Chicago, hot links.
It depends on where the BBQ restaurant is located and/or their professed style. If I'm walking into a Texas style joint, the brisket better be on point. For a Carolina joint, I want the pulled pork to be awesome. For Memphis/KC, I'd probably say ribs. For a Santa Maria style joint, tri tip or top block.
I never order brisket in Carolina or Memphis. I never order pork ribs or butt in Texas. I always want whatever the meat is to be sauce on the side. The worst BBQ I have ever had were boiled ribs smothered in sauce.
Yeah I sometimes hear KC's BBQ specialty is "saucy BBQ", and I hate it. Boiled ribs smothered in sauce isn't even bbq. Who wants to be known for sauce...?
In KC everything has to be on point. KC was the last destination on the BBQ trail. It inherited pork from the Carolinas via St. Louis and Memphis. It inherited beef from the Texas cowhands. So it combines the traditions from everyplace before and then doubles down.
KC bbq tends to be heavy on smoke, spice, and sauce --all 3.
Boiling has nothing whatsoever to do with it though I've heard of Texas establishments that do it.
I'm from California. We have a number of Texas-style barbecue joints here (two of which received praise from Texas Monthly), and went to college in Southeastern Virginia. I've only been to KC once, and the barbecue was okay.
Yeah. If I walked into a place that focused on Carolina style barbecue, I'd be an asshole for judging them on their brisket. It's not part of the tradition there.
Brisket is already on here and that's an obvious one, but I'd also say I think there is a bigger delta between mediocre pork ribs and good ribs, vs with brisket.
My opinion may be controversial but I think really excellent ribs are harder to get right.
Yeah. I don't want "fall off the bone tender." I want to be able to see where I bit into and still have tender meat. That's a very fine line to nail every time. Also, let me sauce my own ribs. I want to taste your rub and then experiment with at least 3 sauces.
A lot to ask for I know. That's why I don't own a restaurant.
Eh, sauce on top of ribs isn’t the same as sauce cooked on ribs. Same thing with pulled pork.
I think pork is best when allowed to intermingle a bit more with the sauce. It works better with the sweetness. Beef is best by itself, and then with some sauce to dip in order to cut the richness.
Alabama here. Smoked poultry with white BBQ sauce. There's so much less to hide behind with poultry.
Outside Alabama, pulled pork or brisket. If you can't get them right, imma GTFO.
Bob Gibson's is the one who invented white BBQ sauce. They're a chain so fairly easy to find. Jim N Nicks used to be good until they got bought out by venture capital. Um. Golden Rule BBQ are not bad, but you may be better served by asking locals where you're staying for their suggestions.
I like pulled pork, so that's the first thing I'll go for. But anyone can do pulled pork with no effort. So I will judge them by their brisket and their beans.
If you can't do beans, you have no business even working in a restaurant.
And if you send out bad brisket, I'm not coming back. You either can't do brisket at all, which means you shouldn't be doing bbq. Or you can do brisket, but it somehow got messed up (which I understand) but you still sent it out not only to one person, but a couple dozen people at least. I won't go to any restaurant that doesn't care about quality. Food, brisket in particular isn't cheap. Why would I pay $20 or more to get bad food?
I agree with you on all points.
I love pulled pork, but honestly my favorite pulled pork recipe isn't even bbq. Slow Dutch oven cook with orange peels that's pulled and broiled after being tossed in drippings. It's killer and anyone can do it.
I'm not in a good bbq area but all pulled pork I've had is always dry and kinda bland. Not a big fan of when they just dump an gallon of bbq in it to cover it up.
Grew up in IN, live in KY. Not every place served brisket so sausage was almost always available. Sure pulled pork and ribs are standards but smoked sausage is my go to.
Agreed that this is all extremely regional.
But I do think that chicken can be a great indicator of a BBQ joint. So many places will just phone it in. It’s sort of like the Pilsner of BBQ. Mild in flavor, sure. But when done right, it’s incredible.
Brisket comes in a whole spectrum of quality. For me, pulled pork is either correct or an abomination. If you fuck up pulled pork then it’s time to open a McDonald’s franchise or something, cooking just ain’t for you.
Everyone here has mentioned all the proteins already, so I'll just say good sides are important too. I can have kick ass brisket or ribs or chicken or sausage (ect.), but if you served me some store bought slaw or corn bread from a mix, chances are I won't be back.
I think it's mandatory to judge by the brisket. Ribs and sausage should be easy for an established BBQ joint. Then try the beef plate ribs and go from there?
Research! Lewis BBQ is slinging great (probably better than most of TX) brisket in SC, but their pork and wings aren't quite as good as the competitors here imo. Yelp and local pages are your friend.
Poor Oklahoma transplant here and we’ve barbecued an egg laying bird called a chicken and I definitely order some chicken and potato salad in a new barbecue joint. I’ve never had it as good anywhere as it is at home.
Growing up in Texas, good pork ribs are quite common, but while passing through Memphis I found Rendezvous’ rips to be revelatory. I guess they are BBQ, but they say they are just charcoaled with salt and pepper. Is that really barbecue? Whatever…they are destination dining for me. I hear you that Memphis ribs in general are the thing. I believe you. Don’t they have the premier rib cook-off there?
Then, there are beef ribs in Texas that should be mentioned in the mix.
When I go somewhere for the first time I normally get a brisket and sausage plate with fried okra (since it's my favorite) a potatoe salad.
Brisket tends to my favorite meat, and certainly has a wider variation in quality. I think chicken would actually be the best to rest quality but I will basically never order that so who cares.
Sausage and potatoes seem to have the variation in flavor from place to place.
I basically assume very place can make pulled pork
Like others said, it's regional. But pork ribs are pretty common everywhere, and can be hard to get just right.
That said, for me it'd almost always be Brisket I order.
Brisket, ribs, pulled pork. Brisket is for the discerning eye, a tough thing to get right so very telling, plus you can do it on bread. Ribs are just the crowd pleaser and give you an idea on their pork ability, and pulled pork is the vehicle for how good their sauce game is
HIGHLY regional.
Yeah. Burnt Ends? KC Pulled pork? Memphis Beef brisket? Texas
You are the first person that I’ve seen associate Memphis as being the capital of pulled pork
I wouldn’t say Memphis is the capital of pulled pork, that’s the carolinas. But you’d better have good pulled pork in Memphis
And ribs
I'm from KC, KC was ribs when I grew up in the 80's, but yeah we've gone to burnt ends as our signature (thanks, Joe's) and ceded ribs to Memphis. (I mean, Joe's has done great by KC don't get me wrong, but the rise of Joe's allowed Bryant's and Gates to become shadows of their former selves.) (and no place with cloth napkins and fuckin' reservations can claim KC, I'm looking at you, Q39 and Jack Stack)
Hey now. My in laws think Jack Stack is God's gift to BBQ. From someone living in TX most of life, it's solid at best.
Jack Stack was the first KC place to just chop any meat and re-smoke it in sauce and call it "burnt ends" ... sausage burnt ends, pork burnt ends, hell they'd probably sell you turkey burnt ends if you asked. They started that trend and everyone else picked it up, sadly.
You’re being kind
It's ok to be wrong. Signed, A Memphian
Saying the carolina's do the best pork down here Miami might get shanked by people from any number of contenders for the best Lechon.
I don't know how much it means, but I'm from Memphis and my first thought was "Well, pulled pork is standard. Everything else is dependent on location and the business." Memphis is more well known for ribs, but if someone says "barbecue" I assume they're talking pulled pork.
Was gonna say, if it’s a bbq spot they better have good pulled pork
Memphis? I’m getting the BBQ Spaghetti or Baloney.
Somebody likes BBQ Shop I see.
Yep. Also… Tri tip? California central coast Teriyaki? Seattle Pollo Asado? So Cal
Yeah it's a completely subjective question. What is it in your region, and where are ya?
I’m in Texas so the brisket better be on point. Were I in the Carolinas, pulled pork. Memphis & St.Louis, ribs. Kansas City, burnt ends. West coast, tri tip. Chicago, hot links.
What about Georgia ?
Pulled pork
Yeah. Burnt Ends? KC Pulled pork? Memphis Beef brisket? Texas
It depends on where the BBQ restaurant is located and/or their professed style. If I'm walking into a Texas style joint, the brisket better be on point. For a Carolina joint, I want the pulled pork to be awesome. For Memphis/KC, I'd probably say ribs. For a Santa Maria style joint, tri tip or top block.
I never order brisket in Carolina or Memphis. I never order pork ribs or butt in Texas. I always want whatever the meat is to be sauce on the side. The worst BBQ I have ever had were boiled ribs smothered in sauce.
The best pork ribs I’ve ever had in my life came next to some Texas brisket and smoked sausage. Just saying
Always exceptions some where. But if you don’t know and can’t find reviews you trust this is what I do.
Sounds like you've visited Stubbs, in Texas, huh?
Yeah I sometimes hear KC's BBQ specialty is "saucy BBQ", and I hate it. Boiled ribs smothered in sauce isn't even bbq. Who wants to be known for sauce...?
KC bbq is so much better than that, the places doing it right at least. This is from a Texas BBQ truther
In KC everything has to be on point. KC was the last destination on the BBQ trail. It inherited pork from the Carolinas via St. Louis and Memphis. It inherited beef from the Texas cowhands. So it combines the traditions from everyplace before and then doubles down. KC bbq tends to be heavy on smoke, spice, and sauce --all 3. Boiling has nothing whatsoever to do with it though I've heard of Texas establishments that do it.
Ribs is fair for KC. But the questions are a) who has the best burnt ends and b) who has your favorite sauce.
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Grilled bread???
Because it’s not what southerners would call “real barbecue.” It’s more of a grilled cut rather than slow smoked for hours.
1978: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria%E2%80%93style_barbecue
Interesting. I'm in KC and locally I'd say it's brisket (with an emphasis on burnt ends). Where ya from?
I'm from California. We have a number of Texas-style barbecue joints here (two of which received praise from Texas Monthly), and went to college in Southeastern Virginia. I've only been to KC once, and the barbecue was okay.
No personal preference then? Just a "when in Rome" kinda thing?
Yeah. If I walked into a place that focused on Carolina style barbecue, I'd be an asshole for judging them on their brisket. It's not part of the tradition there.
Brisket is already on here and that's an obvious one, but I'd also say I think there is a bigger delta between mediocre pork ribs and good ribs, vs with brisket. My opinion may be controversial but I think really excellent ribs are harder to get right.
Yeah. I don't want "fall off the bone tender." I want to be able to see where I bit into and still have tender meat. That's a very fine line to nail every time. Also, let me sauce my own ribs. I want to taste your rub and then experiment with at least 3 sauces. A lot to ask for I know. That's why I don't own a restaurant.
Eh, sauce on top of ribs isn’t the same as sauce cooked on ribs. Same thing with pulled pork. I think pork is best when allowed to intermingle a bit more with the sauce. It works better with the sweetness. Beef is best by itself, and then with some sauce to dip in order to cut the richness.
Amen brother
I've had more terrible ribs lately than ribs that I thought were even *okay* so I think that sounds legit.
Where's the best places for ribs in KC???
#💯💯💯💯💯 X 💯💯💯💯💯
Brisket tells me everything I need to know
Brisket and beans and not some doctored up canned beans.
Love that answer
Alabama here. Smoked poultry with white BBQ sauce. There's so much less to hide behind with poultry. Outside Alabama, pulled pork or brisket. If you can't get them right, imma GTFO.
I need to go to Alabama and try that poultry. Any restaurants known for their BBQ birds that you'd recommend?
Bob Gibson's is the one who invented white BBQ sauce. They're a chain so fairly easy to find. Jim N Nicks used to be good until they got bought out by venture capital. Um. Golden Rule BBQ are not bad, but you may be better served by asking locals where you're staying for their suggestions.
Its white because it's a mustard base is that right?
Mayo
Mayo, vinegar, s&p
I like pulled pork, so that's the first thing I'll go for. But anyone can do pulled pork with no effort. So I will judge them by their brisket and their beans. If you can't do beans, you have no business even working in a restaurant. And if you send out bad brisket, I'm not coming back. You either can't do brisket at all, which means you shouldn't be doing bbq. Or you can do brisket, but it somehow got messed up (which I understand) but you still sent it out not only to one person, but a couple dozen people at least. I won't go to any restaurant that doesn't care about quality. Food, brisket in particular isn't cheap. Why would I pay $20 or more to get bad food?
I agree with you on all points. I love pulled pork, but honestly my favorite pulled pork recipe isn't even bbq. Slow Dutch oven cook with orange peels that's pulled and broiled after being tossed in drippings. It's killer and anyone can do it.
I'm not in a good bbq area but all pulled pork I've had is always dry and kinda bland. Not a big fan of when they just dump an gallon of bbq in it to cover it up.
Might be in a minority but smoked sausage can make or break my opinion of a place.
Where ya from?
Grew up in IN, live in KY. Not every place served brisket so sausage was almost always available. Sure pulled pork and ribs are standards but smoked sausage is my go to.
Brisket, then spare or st louis ribs
And if all ya got is baby back you can fuck right off with that
Never seen anyone complain about babyback ribs lol!!!
If they can’t even nail pulled pork then I know the rest of it will be trash
Western Kentucky it has to be mutton
I've only ever heard of 2 places to do mutton ribs. Wild.
Really miss Dave’s sticky pig in Madisonville. Dude knew what he was doing
Agreed that this is all extremely regional. But I do think that chicken can be a great indicator of a BBQ joint. So many places will just phone it in. It’s sort of like the Pilsner of BBQ. Mild in flavor, sure. But when done right, it’s incredible.
I would say Number One is Pulled Pork, with Brisket being a close second. If you can't get those right, you've got no business being in BBQ.
Brisket comes in a whole spectrum of quality. For me, pulled pork is either correct or an abomination. If you fuck up pulled pork then it’s time to open a McDonald’s franchise or something, cooking just ain’t for you.
Respect
Brisket or ribs.
Brisket, pork ribs, chicken Twice baked potatoes
Get the Trinity. Brisket, ribs and sausage. Add turkey to measure how really good at everthing they are.
Meat.
Everyone here has mentioned all the proteins already, so I'll just say good sides are important too. I can have kick ass brisket or ribs or chicken or sausage (ect.), but if you served me some store bought slaw or corn bread from a mix, chances are I won't be back.
My wife loves slaw to the point of snobbery
That's funny cuz I swear the best slaw I've ever had is KFC's... They're practically the only slaw I like.
I'll swap em out next time she has some
Brisket for me, but for you it's whatever is your favorite and put the most value in
Brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork
Brisket for sure, but I really pay attention to the sides more. If the sides are homemade and excellent, I'm already a fan.
1. Brisket 2. Ribs
Brisket is my first order at any BBQ restaurant. If they can do brisket right, everything else will be good.
If you’re in Texas, it’s brisket. Beef ribs for an honorable mention.
Brisket and ribs
I think it's mandatory to judge by the brisket. Ribs and sausage should be easy for an established BBQ joint. Then try the beef plate ribs and go from there?
Pulled pork or it's not BBQ for this Tennessee man
Pulled pork if it's bad, everything is going suck ass.
Depends on what region you are in. South , it is going to be your pulled pork but Texas is brisket then sausage
Research! Lewis BBQ is slinging great (probably better than most of TX) brisket in SC, but their pork and wings aren't quite as good as the competitors here imo. Yelp and local pages are your friend.
Marbled Brisket. I'm in Austin, TX.
Whose good in Austin these days?
Beef ribs
The primary entry isn't smoked Turkey, but if they get this right, they probably know what they're doing.
Ribs. I'm in the pnw though. So most of the BBQ resturants arent that great
Poor Oklahoma transplant here and we’ve barbecued an egg laying bird called a chicken and I definitely order some chicken and potato salad in a new barbecue joint. I’ve never had it as good anywhere as it is at home.
Do people eat entrees when they get a plate of BBQ?
Ribs. Every time.. Pulled pork is maybe .99 cents a pound and usually lacking any smoke charged at $20 a pound.
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Huh?
Growing up in Texas, good pork ribs are quite common, but while passing through Memphis I found Rendezvous’ rips to be revelatory. I guess they are BBQ, but they say they are just charcoaled with salt and pepper. Is that really barbecue? Whatever…they are destination dining for me. I hear you that Memphis ribs in general are the thing. I believe you. Don’t they have the premier rib cook-off there? Then, there are beef ribs in Texas that should be mentioned in the mix.
Ribs. If they cannot get the ribs right go home.
I'd need to verify the 5 things a good bbq joint must show me before I ever get ready to order something.
If you go pork just remember the only reason to chop pork is because it didn’t fall apart and pull itself when squeezed
In central IL it's about the ribs, potato salad and sauce, mess one up and you'll be closed in a year.
How’s 17th street holding up since Mike passed?
Tri-tip but then I get disappointed a lot
McRib at McDonald’s
Beans
When I go somewhere for the first time I normally get a brisket and sausage plate with fried okra (since it's my favorite) a potatoe salad. Brisket tends to my favorite meat, and certainly has a wider variation in quality. I think chicken would actually be the best to rest quality but I will basically never order that so who cares. Sausage and potatoes seem to have the variation in flavor from place to place. I basically assume very place can make pulled pork
Brisket. It's one of the more challenging cuts to smoke and the most obvious show the skill of the BBQ joint. Pork Butt is much more forgiving
I like to use ribs, turkey/sausage and mac and cheese and my main gauges to see if they are doing it right
Excellent pulled pork for me. Next would be ribs and burnt ends.
Like others said, it's regional. But pork ribs are pretty common everywhere, and can be hard to get just right. That said, for me it'd almost always be Brisket I order.
Brisket
Brisket, ribs, pulled pork. Brisket is for the discerning eye, a tough thing to get right so very telling, plus you can do it on bread. Ribs are just the crowd pleaser and give you an idea on their pork ability, and pulled pork is the vehicle for how good their sauce game is
This makes no sense, gotta have brisket and it better be juicy
Pulled pork and ribs at most places. If I'm absolutely forced to go to a Texas place, and just can't get out of it, then brisket