As a sub-genre of Southern food, barbecue has a fascinating history. Early colonists from Texas to South Carolina discovered (at roughly the same time) that the forests and swamps were filled with feral hogs that could become excellent sources of food if they could just figure out how to cook the burly, muscular pigs in a way to make them palatable. Employing techniques rooted in African and Caribbean cooking, they figured out that slow-roasting at a low temperature, while regularly basting with some sort of acidic sauce, was just the ticket for tenderizing the meat.
The added benefit to this method was that the slow-burning wood contributed a delightful smoky character to the pork. With the addition of a bit of tomato, that basting mop became the basis of what we call barbecue sauce today.
Across the South, pitmasters still employ these same techniques in their restaurants, with enough variations to create distinct regional barbecue styles. Each restaurant tells the story of its regional history through wood choice and the particular sauce used to complement the meat. Here’s a list of some of the best pits across the South in major cities, plus a wildcard from the small town of Brownsville, TN, that is worth your attention when crafting your next barbecue road trip “eat-inerary.”
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Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q | Atlanta
1238 DeKalb Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 • (404) 577-4030Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.204 Chattahoochee Row NW, Atlanta, GA 30318 • (770) 755-5099
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.120 Ottley Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324 • (404) 414-0826
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday
After twin brothers Justin and Jonathan Fox moved to Atlanta from their native Texas, they bemoaned the lack of good Lone Star State barbecue in their new adopted home. As men of action, they bought themselves a smoker and started to cook their own — first for groups of friends and then as a weekly special at a local bar. As demand for their delicious brisket grew, they opened the first Fox Brothers Bar-B-Que restaurant in 2007 near Atlanta’s Little Five Points. The menu has since expanded to include smoked chicken, pulled pork, and spare ribs, plus a selection of decadent sandwiches ranging from two links of jalapeño/cheddar sausage on a brioche bun to the “Texecutioner,” that same smoked beef and pork sausage served with a heaping helping of chopped Prime Certified Angus Beef® brisket. It’s totally worth the extra cholesterol points!
PinA combo platter of Texas goodness courtesy of the Fox Brothers. Image: Facebook
Peg Leg Porker | Nashville
903 Gleaves St., Nashville, TN 37203 • (615) 829-6023Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Sunday
Pitmaster Carey Bringle really is the “peg leg porker,” having lost a leg to cancer while still in high school. He never let that slow him down as he created an empire of businesses around his personal brand: a championship competitive barbecue team, a line of sauces and rubs, mail-order delivery of his ribs, a series of award-winning whiskeys, and a trio of restaurants led by his flagship Peg Leg Porker in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood. True to his West Tennessee family roots, Bringle designed the interior of the cinder block building to look like an old-school joint, right down to the menu sign with plastic letters spelling out items and prices. He prefers his ribs Memphis-style with a dry rub, but you can order them “wet” or with sauce on the side if you must.
PinStepping out of the Gulch into the authentic interior of Peg Leg Porker is like a trip back in barbecue history. Image: FacebookPinMemphis-style dry rubbed ribs, the way the Peg Leg Porker believes God intended. Image: Facebook
SAW’s BBQ | Birmingham
1008 Oxmoor Rd., Homewood, AL 35209 • (205) 879-1937Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Sunday215 41st St. S., Birmingham, AL 35222 • (205) 591-1409Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.1115 Dunston Ave., Birmingham, AL 35213 • (205) 745-3920Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.3780 Riverchase Village, Ste. 100, Hoover, AL 35244 • (205) 315-4637
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.6200 Grand River Blvd. E., Ste. 510, Leeds, AL 35094 • (205) 352-9180Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.1154 11th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35205 • (205) 224-4408Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday
Who is the “SAW” behind this beloved Alabama barbecue chain? It’s Mike Wilson (the name stands for “sorry a** Wilson,”) and the fine dining-trained chef has been serving up smoked meats at his ever-growing chain of restaurants since 2009. The combo platter is the play at SAW’s because there is too much great ’cue to choose from. Just make sure to include some of Wilson’s smoked chicken with tangy Alabama white BBQ sauce. Another favorite among regulars is SAW’s stuffed tater, a baked potato loaded down with your choice from a long list of toppings — from chili to bacon, pork, chicken, and more. Try hard to save room for an order of banana pudding for dessert.
PinWhen in Alabama, get the Alabama white sauce with your chicken at SAW’s. Image: Facebook
Mark’s Feed Store | Louisville
11422 Shelbyville Rd., Louisville, KY 40243 • (502) 244-0140
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.10316 Dixie Hwy., Valley Station, KY 40272 • (502) 933-7707Hours: Sunday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.1514 Bardstown Rd., Louisville, KY 40205 • (502) 458-1570Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.3827 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN 47150 • (812) 949-7427Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.6501 Bardstown Rd., Louisville, KY 40291 • (502) 442-0808Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
When Mark Erwin discovered the historic former Hancock Food Store building on the outskirts of Louisville, he knew it would be the perfect spot for his first barbecue restaurant. With more than a decade of previous restaurant industry experience, Erwin studied Western Kentucky barbecue techniques from the pitmasters who had held the secrets for generations. Cooking over open pits filled with smoldering hickory, Mark’s Feed Store believes in the gospel of low and slow, roasting pork shoulders, ribs, chickens, and even turkey until they are fork-tender. A specialty of the house is burgoo, a hearty meat stew that is a regional staple of Kentucky cuisine. The old-school country version of burgoo could include any sorts of meats, from mutton to squirrel, but Mark’s is a little less exotic and made with pork and beef. That doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious because it sure is.
PinIt’s rare to find burgoo outside Kentucky, so try it when you can at Mark’s Feed Store. Image: Facebook
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Cozy Corner Restaurant | Memphis
735 North Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38105 • (901) 527-9158
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday
In a town of legendary barbecue restaurants like The Rendezvous and The Bar-B-Q Shop, Cozy Corner manages to stand out. Cozy Corner’s matriarch, Desiree Robinson, was inducted into The American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2020 for her decades of running the 45-year-old restaurant since her husband passed away in 2001. Three generations of the family work at Cozy Corner, manning a unique aquarium-style smoker, a cooking method usually associated with Chicago-style barbecue. The house specialty is smoked cornish hen (like smoky trial-sized chickens), but fans also enjoy the smoked wings, bologna, ribs, and pulled pork. Cozy Corner serves another Chicago specialty, rib tips slathered in amazing barbecue sauce that are available by the pound. Definitely go for the whole pound.
PinSmoked cornish hens and spaghetti as a side dish are Memphis specialties on Cozy Corner’s menu. Image: FacebookPinDesiree Robinson is officially a barbecue legend! Image: Facebook
The Pig & Pint | Jackson
3139 N. State St., Jackson, MS 39216 • (601) 326-6070Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday
Barbecue has its own unique version of “terroir” based on the flavors imparted by smoking meats with local wood. Texans love oak, Tennessee prefers hickory, but pecan trees are everywhere in Mississippi. That’s the wood that The Pig & Pint uses to add a hint of nutty flavor to their elevated barbecue dishes like BBQ tacos — flour tortillas stuffed with smoked brisket, pork, or chicken topped with mango slaw, pico de Gallo, and a sweet barbecue sauce. Paired with a craft brew from the “Pint” side of the menu, it’s a fantastic dinner option. Locals swear by The Pig & Pint’s smoked “Baloney Sandwich,” with a thick slab of house-smoked lunch meat, gooey American cheese, Jackson’s ubiquitous “comeback sauce,” and a fried egg for good measure.
PinThe Pig & Pint’s BBQ tacos are a delicious melding of Mexican and Southern culture. Image: Facebook
12 Bones Smokehouse | Asheville
5 Foundy Street, Ste. 10, Asheville, NC 28801 • (828) 253-4499Hours: Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday2350 Hendersonville Rd., Arden, NC 28704 • (828) 687-1395Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday
A full rack of pork ribs has a dozen bones, and that’s the go-to order at this Asheville stalwart. Sweet cherry smoke accents the oak that is the backbone of the cooking process, adding a depth of flavor to the meats at 12 Bones. Although their sign promising “tender butts and sweet racks” led some locals to wonder if a strip club had moved into the River Arts District in 2005, the neighborhood has certainly embraced the restaurant since then. In fact, Michelle and Barack Obama have made special stops at the restaurant during three visits to Asheville to experience 12 Bones’ brand of barbecue. Instead of concentrating on traditional recipes, the smokehouse offers unique modern takes on their rib sauces, including a choice of sweet and spicy blueberry-chipotle or a pineapple-habañero sauce that packs a definite kick.
PinYes, you should eat all twelve bones on the full-rack order from 12 Bones. Image: Facebook
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Helen’s Bar BQ | Brownsville
1016 N. Washington Ave., Brownsville, TN 38012 • (731) 779-3255
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday
In the male-dominated world of barbecue, Helen Turner has been a trail-blazer for a quarter century, operating a legendary smokehouse in Brownsville, TN. (It’s about ten minutes off I-40, a third of the way from Memphis to Nashville.) Sure, her husband helps out, but his main job is to get to the restaurant early and light the fires so that Helen can sleep a little later before her full day of tending to the multitude of meats smoking on open cinder block pits covered with sheets of cardboard to hold the heat and smoke in. It’s hard work, but the results are phenomenal! There’s something for just about everyone on Helen’s menu, from pork shoulder to ribs, bologna, and Polish sausage. She also makes the traditional side dishes of coleslaw, baked beans, and potato salad. Nobody outworks Ms. Helen.
PinHelen Turner (wo)mans the flames in her pit for as many as twelve hours a day! Image: FacebookPinAlmost too pretty to eat! Almost. Image: FacebookEnjoy your dining endeavors!
A rare Nashville native, Chris Chamberlain has been writing professionally for over 16 years. Chris loves to write about food, bourbon, and quirky history — especially in the South. Find more of Chris's work at the Nashville Scene, Resy, Fodor's, Tennessee Visitors Guide, Bourbon Plus, NFocus, Thrillist, and Eat This, Not That.
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