The South is passionate about the three F’s – food, family, and football – and barbecue is undoubtedly near the top of the list. From original recipes for pulled pork to popular hot spots for famous entertainers, we’ve compiled a list of restaurants in the Southeastern region dedicated to good food and better fellowship:
Alabama
• Alabama's most famous contribution to the world of barbecue is white sauce, which is usually served on top of chicken, but goes well with other meats after they come off the grill. Try it at the place it was invented in the 1920s, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.
Florida
• 4 Rivers Smokehouse takes guests on a regional roundup of several styles. Fall-off-the-bone St. Louis ribs share spaces with slow-smoked Texas brisket, with Southern-centric sides providing support.
• The mustard-based barbecue sauce, the slow-go signature meats and the fiery pit blazing with real wood serve as a few of the factors that have kept Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q smoking for more than 65 years.
• Texas barbecue and Tex-Mex throw a saucy fiesta at Hickory Sticks BBQ. The devoted gush over the beef brisket, while the brave tackle the hefty Hog Heaven sandwich with its Carolina sauce and stacks of beef, pork, and sliced sausage, topped with a mound of slaw.
Georgia
• Rated as the No. 1 barbeque restaurant in the United States by TripAdvisor, Joe's Barbecue boasts a "small place, big taste" motto. This log cabin restaurant menu offers a classic take on dry-rubbed and hickory-smoked meats, served with a variety of sauces including a mustard-vinegar sauce created by the owner's mother.
Louisiana
• Although City Pork Brasserie & Bar isn't technically a barbecue joint, so many customers go wild over this restaurant's Big Pig – a pulled pork sandwich topped with crunchy cole slaw – it makes a good imitation of one. City Pork is located in the center of Baton Rouge with a charmingly rustic yet modern atmosphere.
Mississippi
• Throughout its existence, Abe's Barbecue has been a favorite community gathering spot, as well as a popular stop for bluesmen and many other musicians traveling the famed Blues Highway, including ZZ Top and Paul Simon. The restaurant is nationally known for its tangy barbecue sauce, which can be ordered to go and shipped by the case.
North Carolina
• South of Winston-Salem, Lexington calls itself the "BBQ Capital of the World." At the top of the list of places to try, Lexington Barbeque has been named one of the nation's best by USA Today, Huffington Post and Time Out New York.
South Carolina
• Pitmaster Rodney Scott has been working in the family barbecue business at Scott's Bar-B-Que since he was 11 years old and as a result, his restaurant provides totally authentic food that's both beloved by locals and praised in culinary publications.
• Hite's Bar-B-Que has been keeping the pit fires burning since 1957. Among its menu is stuff they call hash. Essentially stewed pork served over rice, it's the side dish barbecue joints are judged by around these parts.
Tennessee
• This family-owned eatery offers the opportunity to munch on barbecue and sip sweet tea in direct view of the Parthenon. Hog Heaven offers its trademark Kickin' Chicken white barbecue sauce alongside many classic selections.
For more recommendations about where to get the best barbecue in the southeast, check out our special "Fork in the Road" dining section at MyAJC.com.
