A fire shut down an Atlanta outpost of pitmaster Bryan Furman’s much-praised barbecue joint, but things are still going strong at B’s Cracklin' Barbeque in Savannah, the city where the James Beard Award nominee first set up shop back in 2014. In a nod to his South Carolina roots and Georgia-based operation, the mustard-based sauce that complements his heritage-breed pork ribs is peach-infused – a thoughtful touch that takes his ‘cue to the next level.

Launched by co-owners Aaron and Stacy Franklin as a roadside trailer in 2009, Austin’s buzziest barbecue joint had humble beginnings, but when former president Barack Obama stopped by for a $300 meal, it took things to a whole ‘nother level. The line here forms early, and the top-notch brisket regularly sells out by mid-afternoon.

Ribs are the name of the game in Memphis, and Cozy Corner BBQ’s – dry rubbed and slow-smoked over charcoal – are some of the best in town. The third-generation family-run joint also earns raves for its bologna sandwich and uber-popular Cornish hen, a testament to the all-around quality instilled by co-founder and pitmaster Desiree Robinson – the first African-American woman inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame.

New York City has been a barbecue boomtown for the past decade or so, and the best of the new crop is located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It’s not the most convenient location, but since Hometown opened in 2013, the crowds have swarmed for pitmaster Billy Durney’s fusion-heavy ‘cue – think Caribbean jerk ribs, lamb-belly banh mi, and a righteous pastrami sandwich, not to mention the most delectable brisket this side of Texas.

A hole-in-the-wall, founded in 1986, that slings some stellar beef and pork burnt ends, LC’s Bar-B-Q is also known for its smoked wings, thick-cut fries, and overstuffed sandwiches, which arrive drenched in sauce unless you ask for them dry. The meat here has a distinctive crust – according to Feast Magazine, the result of owner L.C. Richardson’s practice of saucing the meat beforehand and basting it while it cooks.

In North Alabama, the barbecue pork shoulder tends to be cooked low and slow, over hickory, until the poor pig gives up the ghost. But at Big Bob Gibson’s, it's the chicken – spatchcocked, grilled, and “baptized,” as the grandson of the restaurant’s namesake puts it, with the white barbecue sauce Gibson himself invented back in the 1920s – that steals the spotlight here. In the intervening years, that white sauce has become standard across the region, but there’s nothing like the original.

A specialty of the southeastern US, whole-hog barbecue – slow-cooked over wood coals and mopped with a vinegar-based sauce – requires precision born of experience, and lucky for Charleston diners, pitmaster Rodney Scott has been honing his craft since he was a kid. He opened his own place in 2017 and a second in 2019, turning his pulled pork into an instant classic.

Barbecue restaurants don’t tend to be safe havens for non-meat-eaters, but Portland’s Homegrown Smoker gives vegans a taste of the magic. The menu offers plant-based takes on traditional comfort food, from “buff thwings” and smoked soy curls to tempeh ribs and "macnocheese."