1

Now you've done it! Opened the great bar-B-que debate. Be prepared for numerous and strong opinions on the subject.

Not only that, there is the discussion about what exactly is "the south." Is that only the former member states of the Confederacy during the civil war? Orr do you mean only the southeastern states below the Mason-dixon Line and on the Atlantic coastline? Does that include Florida? Texas? West Virginia?

OK, I'll start off - surely to be shot down, but I'll say it - the southern states no matter how you define them are not the only place in the U.S. with excellent bar-B-que.

Generally, Bar-B-que in the southeastern states (for example North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia) is made from pork (where "pork" and "bar-B-que" are synonymous). Head west to St Luis or southwest into Texas and you find bar-B-que made from beef.

Of course, you can get bar-B-que chicken too.

Then there is the variety of bar-B-que (for beef, brisket, slabs, ribs, . . . for pork, shredded or sliced).

Then there are the side dishes (almost as important as the bar-B-que itself) - cole slaw, okra, collards, hush-puppies, sweet tea).

Yep, lot to consider here. As for the best - well everyone has their favorite - mine is Texas style bar-B-que with lots of good places in Austin Texas (but I don't know if that is what you consider "the south").

2

This previous thread might be of interest. bbq and Tacos for a month

Keep reading--there is a lot of discussion of regional barbecue down the thread.

3

NC and SC.
This is not to say other styles aren't good, but rather these states are fairly small (i.e. easy to drive around) and offer a good variety of regional styles.
Lexington, NC should be your focus.

First, The standard bearer for xSt. Louis is pork ribs.
Second, while these are the traditional focuses, you can almost always find other meats available at most places. You can get beef in GA, or pork in TX, if you want it; it's just less traditional.

4

Texas BBQ is not so sweet as some of the other states. S. Carolina has some great BBQ, but all the sauces are sweet.

5

Well, I really think there's no contest here, but for a more unbiased opinion: An Englishman in BBQ Sauce.

You could easily hit four states with Austin-Dallas/Ft.Worth-OKC-KC-St. Louis. You might also want to consider other factors, such as weather. When to you plan to do this?

6

I am looking to do the trip around mid-late February ideally. Unless that is an awful time to visit the BBQ states.

7

Do a search for "bbq roadtrip" and you'll find many suggestions. Having lived in TX and NC, I have to say I prefer Texas style bbq, but it is a preference. If you head to Texas for bbq, do not miss Lockhart, TX. People take 3-hour day trips from Houston just to go eat there.

http://walkingwithcake.blogspot.com/2012/06/bbq-road-trip-lockhart-part-ii.html

ETA: Mid-February is an excellent time to visit Texas. The Carolinas and Tennessee are generally decent at that time of year, though you can get coldish weather (esp. at higher elevations).

8

I'm going to leave the BBQ question alone, I love it all, and suggest the Carolinas strictly for the road trip. The weather in February will be fine everywhere, but IMO N and S Carolina have better scenery and the distances between places will be shorter.

9

Kansas City brags about being the BBQ capital of the world. So does the entire state of Georgia, but the BBQ there is sweeter, too sweet for my taste.

In Texas BBQ can mean pork or beef equally.

The best BBQ I've ever had was cooked by a firehouse near the Virginia, N. Carolina border, they had roasted three whole hogs and all the meat was equally mixed, slothed in a perky (semi-hot) BBQ sauce and served on fire-baked sesame seed bread.

When you remember BBQ 30 years later it must have been good.

10

I love bbq and think you should travel everywhere they make bbq a specialty so you can decide what your favorite is yourself.

11

If you dislike sweet sauces, you should try east Carolina barbecue.

12

that prevoius thread made me hungry hungry hungry. I wonder how that guy's BBQ journey turned out...

13

I was going to throw my weight into a boost for Texas, but then I read the link provided by #5. Nuff said. It's hilarious and perceptive. Must read. Thanks for that link on literary grounds alone.