The South's Top 50 Barbecue Joints Of 2023

Original article published by: Southern Living

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“It’s time once again for Southern Living’s annual list of the Top 50 BBQ Joints in the South. I spent much of the past year buzzing down Interstate highways and navigating winding back roads as I revisited old favorites and checked out new contenders for the list. Here’s what I’ve concluded after all those thousands of miles and pound after pound of smoked meats: the South has a lot of really, really good barbecue, and it just gets better each year. 

Some of the trends I noted while compiling last year’s list are even more pronounced in 2023. Barbecue entrepreneurship continues to flourish, and in the past year many of the Top 50 restaurants moved into bigger and grander buildings or added additional locations. Ambitious new players keep entering the market, too, and they’re incorporating more and more flavors from other culinary traditions, including those from their own families. The result is an array of vibrant new spins on regional barbecue classics and many exciting new dishes to try. 

It also seems that the South’s brisket fever is finally starting to break. Yes, many new barbecue restaurateurs, regardless of where in the South they are working, still look to Texas for inspiration, often unabashedly branding their operations “Texas style.” More and more, though, ambitious pitmasters are seeking something else to differentiate themselves. They’re turning to less common cuts, like beef cheeks and pork steaks, and less common meats, like lamb and fish. Some are even aspiring to stake out a new, more modern style that’s unique to their particular region.

That’s one reason why, when compiling this year’s list, I’ve tightened the screws on regionality. It’s certainly not required that a restaurant specialize in the style of its particular city or state in order to make the Top 50 (and many of the entrants certainly don’t). But if you’re going to specialize in Texas-style brisket in Georgia or Memphis-style ribs in North Carolina, there needs to be something special to make the experience stand out.

That word “experience” is key. After all, this is a list of the best 50 barbecue joints in the South, not the best barbecue. For a restaurant to make the cut, its barbecue has to be delicious, but that’s not all that matters. When barbecue fans go out to eat, they’re not grading meats in a styrofoam box like judges do in regimented barbecue competitions. Sauces count, presentation counts, and so do the side dishes and desserts.

Setting is a factor, too. A restaurant doesn’t have to be old and classic, nor does it need to be pristinely shiny and new. Both sorts of places appear on this list. But if there’s something unique and compelling about the physical location, that tends to push a restaurant up a few notches. Having a long line doesn’t necessarily knock a place out of contention, either, as much as I loathe waiting for barbecue. If diners have to wait an hour or more to eat, though, there needs to be something to make the wait enjoyable or worthwhile, for that’s part of the overall experience.

There are a handful of entrants appearing for the first time on this year’s list, and a few have fallen off. One absence worth noting is Palmira Barbecue, an impressive newcomer in Charleston, South Carolina, that debuted in the 19th slot last year. Owner/pitmaster Hector Garate did not renew his lease in the downtown Port of Call food hall and is moving into a standalone brick and mortar spot, but as of publication time that new location is still in the works.

Most of the movement this year was simply a shuffling of the order within the list, and in particular within the top 10. Some old favorites seem to have slipped a bit in recent years, while others have either upped their game or just seem more vibrant and essential in comparison. In particular, the number one slot has a different name than it has had in the past few iterations.       

We can (and probably will) argue over the specific rankings and who should or should not have made the cut. I’ve had plenty such arguments with myself as I struggled to nail down the list. I’m sure I caught a few restaurants on a bad day, and I’m sure there are some worthy contenders out there I just haven’t made it to yet.

Here’s what I am confident of, though: if you eat at all 50 of these joints, you will not only enjoy some fantastically delicious barbecue but will also experience the full sweep and range of the South’s diverse and thriving barbecue culture.

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#48 Bar-B-Q Center

900 N Main St., Lexington, NC

(336) 248-4633; barbecuecenter.net

“The Bar-B-Q Center is an iconic example of the long-running Piedmont North Carolina barbecue tradition. Its roots stretch back to an era when barbecue was routinely found at drive-ins alongside hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. Back in the 1950s, the restaurant was actually named the Dairy Center, for ice cream was front and center before hickory-cooked pork stole the show. You can order that pork in any of the standard Lexington variations—chopped, sliced, or “coarse chopped” (cut into chunks)—and on a sandwich, as a tray (with slaw and hushpuppies or rolls), or as a plate (a tray plus french fries). The restaurant’s “red slaw” is a classic example of the region’s signature side, dressing finely chopped cabbage with the same combination of vinegar and tomato as the region’s iconic barbecue sauce. If you’re dining with a crowd, save room for the famous banana split, a towering concoction big enough for an entire family to share.”