Let us stipulate for the record that: (1) it is impossible to do a definitive list of "best" barbecue places; and (2) one person's "best" in barbecue depends on a lot of different factors; and (3) yes, we got sucked in by another damned list. Sue us.
So with all of that out of the way, Thrillist's 33 Best BBQ Joints in the U.S. is an awful lot of fun. (And bonus, they didn't make a !*@)^#&$)(*!@# slideshow out of it, so I appreciate the lack of click-whoring.)
I've done 11 off of the list: Dreamland, Dinosaur, 17th St. Bar & Grill, Payne's, Central, Rendezvous, Arthur Bryant's, Big Bob Gibson's, Smoque, Fette Sau and Skylight. In a trip to Kansas City in a few weeks, I'll finally get to Oklahoma Joe's, somewhere a barbecue-loving best friend has been raving about for years and which was also on a different list — Bourdain's 13 places to eat before you die. Love that it's on there with El Bulli, St. John and Etxebarri.
I'd also offer this up — If you're in New York, make a point of getting out to Fette Sau in Brooklyn. I didn't believe a colleague of mine a few years ago when he said it was among the best he'd ever had (and this guy eats a lot of pig). Hipster Yankees doing barbecue? Unpossible! But oh, how I was wrong. I remember getting done and being just stunned at the breadth of what I had just eaten: fantastic pulled shoulder, ribs that were perfectly done, belly and cheek meat to die for. I just sat there staring at the greasy butcher paper.
Dinosaur is pretty great, too, in Syracuse. You can find their Wango Tango sauce at Harris Teeter these days, and it's excellent for dipping almost anything.
What do you like? Where have you been on the list? Is there anywhere that really disappointed you? (*cough*cough*Rendezvous*cough*cough*)
