When it comes to this hotly debated title, there’s only one area to look for a true champion: the South. Of course, though, there are a few regional variations to look at. The main four are known as Memphis-style BBQ, Kansas City BBQ, Carolina (or Low-Country) BBQ, and Texas BBQ.
Let’s take a look at these four, and explain how they’re each a bit different before we arrive at a final champion!
Memphis-style BBQ
Memphis barbecue has its own quirks, just like each of these American styles. But it’s also one of America’s favorites.
In fact, each year the Memphis in May festival holds the world’s largest pork barbecue
contest, as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. The contest is appropriately called the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. In 1990, the total amount of pork cooked at the WCBCC was calculated to be 55,297 pounds.
Naturally, the winner of the WCBCC deserves some credit. This year it was Yazoo’s Delta Q, a team representing the Memphis Barbecue Company in Horn Lake, Mississippi. There’s no doubt that their restaurant would be worth visiting from anywhere in the country!
Kansas City BBQ
Home of the famous “KC Masterpiece” barbecue sause, Kansas City is famed for barbecue in its own way. In fact, this Missouri state has more than 100 barbecue restaurants, and has been referred to as the “world’s barbecue capital.”
Kansas City barbecue is known for its wide variety in meat. Just check out this video of Adam Richman from Man vs. Food and you’ll know exactly what I mean. KC BBQ has been known to use pork, beef, chicken, turkey, and sometimes even fish.
KC BBQ is also served in a signature way, smoked with a dry rub and then served at the table with sauce. This sauce a tomato- or molasses-based concoction, rather than the vinegar-based sauces sometimes used elsewhere.
Carolina BBQ
The Carolinas are known for their tradition of barbecuing a whole hog, as can be seen at The Pit barbecue restaurant in North Carolina.
The name for this “pig picking” tradition comes from the fact that after many, many hours of slow roasting, the meat has become so tender that the bones can taken out of the hog, and they come out completely clean.
Although sauces vary in Carolina BBQ, you’ll find more vinegar-based sauces than you will elsewhere. The bite of the vinegar can be a perfect cousin to the sweetness of the sugar in these BBQ sauces.
Texas BBQ
Texas has several regional styles, all of which are worth exploring at some point.
But just outside of Austin, Texas, there’s a place called The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que, which has also receive the visit of Adam Richman. This restaurant serves a wide variety of meats, all cooked together over an open pit, and covered in rich BBQ sauce during the cooking process.
Although it’s hard to pick a champion, this place deserves some great recognition. It’s special variety of oak wood and pecan shells add a unique smoky flavor to its meat, and the open pit cooking process helps as well.
Plus, it’s right outside Austin, Texas, which is one of the greatest cities to visit in the entire Southwest. All this adds up to the tentative choice that The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que in Austin is the winner for today.
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