There's a fine art to good barbecue. This isn't your dad flipping burgers and hot dogs over a small pile of charcoal briquettes in the backyard on the weekend, not that there's anything wrong with that. No, these are the finest meats with dry rubs smoking for hours on end then coated in delectable sauces.
If the United States has one thing going for it, that would be their exceptional barbecue scene. You can find different variations and varieties across the country. That being said, there are some cities that are worth traveling to just for the barbecue.
St. Louis, Missouri
When you're talking St. Louis barbecue, you're talking ribs. These spare-ribs are cooked on a grill over indirect heat with smoke but no dry rub. It's a faster method than other forms of barbecue. On top of that, it's really heavy on the sauce. The meat cut is also slightly different as it has part of the tenderloin attached. If you're looking for recommendations, every local has their spot but you can't go wrong with Pappy's Smokehouse, The BBQ & Whiskey Saloon, and Bogart's Smokehouse.
Lexington, North Carolina
North Carolina residents take their barbecue seriously. There are even state laws on the topic, leading to two distinct styles; Eastern style and Lexington style. In the case of Lexington-style, the focus is the pork shoulder with specific sauce and red slaw. On top of that, it's also common to eat hushpuppies with the barbecue. Red State BBQ and Blue Door Smokehouse are great places to start. The Lexington Barbecue Festival is also a great reason to go.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis-style is one of the four key American barbecue styles alongside Carolina. This is low and slow using dry and wet rubs, mostly on pork ribs and shoulders. Not surprisingly, Memphis has some of the best barbecue joints in the world not to mention some of the oldest. Leonard's Pit BBQ has been in the game since 1922 and continues to be a mainstay of the scene.
Lockhart, Texas
If you're going on a barbecue tour of the United States, you can't forget about Texas. This is three of four when it comes American barbecue styles. Lockhart might not be the biggest city, but it's right in the middle of it all between Austin, Houston, and Dallas/Fort Worth. Different parts of the state have regionally different styles of barbecue. Lockhart is known for it's Central Texas pit barbecue, which focuses on the meat over the sauce. Black's Barbecue is a local favorite.
Kansas City, Missouri
Classic American barbecue style four of four is Kansas City-style. Smoked low and slow with a dry rub, KC-style is typified a sauce that's both thick and sweet. There are a lot of meats in play, particularly the ever-delicious burnt ends. Kansas City even brings their own sides into the mix such as a very specific style of baked beans. If you're looking for the oldest of the old school, try out Rosedale Bar-B-Q. Keeping that in mind, some say Q39 in Midtown is the best of the best.