{"id":7489,"date":"2021-02-11T12:51:06","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T18:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/?page_id=7489"},"modified":"2025-01-24T10:02:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T16:02:03","slug":"best-bbq-in-memphis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the Best Memphis BBQ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Welcome to the World Famous Memphis Barbecue Trail!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Memphians know barbecue \u2013 why else would the International BBQ Fest be held here? Pit prepared, rubbed in spice, and smoked to perfection just the way we have for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Download the guide and use our interactive map to follow the path to the best barbecue in the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Memphis BBQ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/bbq-platter-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6483\" style=\"width:388px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Memphis is known for its rich history, music, and of course, its barbecue. Memphis BBQ is a unique style of barbecue that is slow-cooked and smoked to perfection. The city is home to numerous award-winning barbecue restaurants, making it the ultimate destination for barbecue lovers. We\u2019ll argue with anyone that we have the best in the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Barbecue is an important part of our culture here in the Bluff City. Memphis-style barbecue stands out from the rest! Here in the 901, we tend to lean more towards the pig, specifically pulled pork or a big \u2018ole rack of ribs. Memphis barbecue typically uses the highest quality of meat and wood, then allows the slow smoking process to enhance the meat&#8217;s natural flavor. This results in pork that is tasty and tender, even without rubs and sauces. Memphis is best known for its dry rib for that reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can\u2019t turn a corner in Memphis without smelling that signature smoke, a smell synonymous with the best barbecue in the world. Of course, we don\u2019t discriminate, options such as, beef, sausage, turkey, and all parts of the chicken \u2014 especially wings, can be considered barbecue too.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"bbq_trail_signup\">\n    <div class=\"interior signup\">\n        <form class=\"newsletter_signup\" method=\"post\" action=\"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\">\n            <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"action\" value=\"newsletter_signup\" \/>\n            <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"nonce\" value=\"b056165b88\" \/>\n            <div class=\"form text-white\">\n                <p class=\"title mb-0\">Want to know everything about Memphis BBQ?<\/p>\n                <p class=\"mb-4 text-sm\">Sign up below to dig in!<\/p>\n\n                <div class=\"error hidden bg-brandred text-white text-xs mb-2\"><\/div>\n                \n                <div class=\"field\">\n                    <label for=\"food_email\">Email:<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" id=\"food_email\" placeholder=\"Email Address\" required \/>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <button type=\"submit\">Signup<\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"success interior hidden text-center\">\n                <p class=\"title text-center\">Thanks for signing up<p>\n                <p>Keep an eye on your inbox for our latest <strong class=\"text-white\">Memphis BBQ<\/strong> News.<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the Difference Between Kansas City, Texas, Carolina, and Memphis BBQ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every region and state \u201cknown\u201d for its BBQ has its own way of doing things. Kansas City BBQ is known for its use of a thick, sweet tomato-based sauce, while Texas BBQ is all about the beef and is typically served with a spicy sauce. The Carolinas are big on their different sauces and the East Coast states prefer their meat sliced and tangy. Still, no one does it quite like Memphis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Memphis BBQ is all about the pork and is served with a tangy, thin sauce. The slow-cooking process is also different between the three styles, with Memphis BBQ being cooked over a low, slow fire, while Kansas City and Texas BBQ are cooked over high heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">History of Memphis BBQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Memphis BBQ has a long and fascinating history. The unique blend of spices and sauces used in Memphis BBQ can be traced back to the early 1900s when African American pitmasters first started cooking pork shoulders and ribs over slow-burning wood fires. Over time, this style of cooking became popular in the city, and the rest, as they say, is history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of the variation in barbecue flavors and sauce can be explained by geographical factors. Since Memphis is a port city, there was access to a wider variety of ingredients to slab on the meat, plus molasses was an ingredient that was easily attainable because it was shipped right up the mighty Mississippi River so that kinda became the style \u2013 lots of spice and a sweet, tomato-based sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Memphis BBQ Sauce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Memphis barbecue sauce has its own distinctive flavor. Though the specific ingredients will vary from cook to cook, Memphis sauce is usually made with tomatoes, vinegar, and any countless combination of spices. It is generally thin, tangy, and somewhat sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Memphis sauce is poured over pulled pork or served alongside dry ribs. Some of the top barbecue joints in Memphis have their own unique signature sauce, such as Charlie Vergos\u2019 Rendezvous and Central BBQ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Discovering the Best Memphis BBQ Joints<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll have to download the Memphis BBQ Trail map for the full rundown, but here are some hints at where to start. Some of the top barbecue joints in Memphis include the Bar-B-Q Shop, A&amp;R Bar-B-Q, and Central BBQ. Each of these restaurants has its own unique style and signature dishes, so be sure to try them all to find your favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Memphis Popular BBQ Sides<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Common sides are coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, greens or green beans, and mac and cheese. And let&#8217;s not forget the banana pudding! Hungry yet? Some restaurants serve a bun with your order, cornbread, or a toasted slice of bread. Whether you make a sandwich or just use it to soak up some of the delicious sauce, it\u2019s what we like to say, \u201cSmack Yo Mama Good!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are at a BBQ restaurant and are at a loss for what to order, start with a pork sandwich and you won\u2019t be disappointed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t see your favorite on the list?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let us know. Tag <strong>@wearememphistn<\/strong> to share your can&#8217;t-miss BBQ spot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find out more about <a href=\"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/food-drink\/\">Memphis food &amp; restaurants.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the World Famous Memphis Barbecue Trail! Memphians know barbecue, why else would the International BBQ Fest be held here? Pit prepared, rubbed in spice, and smoked to perfection just the way we have for decades. Follow the path for the best Barbecue in the world!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7464,"parent":2,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-bbq-trail.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7489","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Best Memphis BBQ: Famous Memphis Style BBQ Near You<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Craving BBQ? Explore the best Memphis BBQ, famous Memphis style BBQ, and top spots for delicious barbecue near you.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Discover the Best Memphis BBQ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Craving BBQ? Explore the best Memphis BBQ, famous Memphis style BBQ, and top spots for delicious barbecue near you.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"We Are Memphis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wearememphis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-24T16:02:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/wam-food-bbq-callout.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"225\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@wearememphistn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/best-bbq-in-memphis\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/best-bbq-in-memphis\\\/\",\"name\":\"Best Memphis BBQ: Famous Memphis Style BBQ Near You\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/best-bbq-in-memphis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/best-bbq-in-memphis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/wam-food-bbq-callout.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-11T18:51:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-24T16:02:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"Craving BBQ? Explore the best Memphis BBQ, famous Memphis style BBQ, and top spots for delicious barbecue near you.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/best-bbq-in-memphis\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/best-bbq-in-memphis\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/best-bbq-in-memphis\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/wam-food-bbq-callout.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/wam-food-bbq-callout.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":225},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/best-bbq-in-memphis\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Play\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/?page_id=2\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Discover the Best Memphis BBQ\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"We Are Memphis\",\"description\":\"soul@wearememphis.com\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Best Memphis BBQ: Famous Memphis Style BBQ Near You","description":"Craving BBQ? Explore the best Memphis BBQ, famous Memphis style BBQ, and top spots for delicious barbecue near you.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Discover the Best Memphis BBQ","og_description":"Craving BBQ? Explore the best Memphis BBQ, famous Memphis style BBQ, and top spots for delicious barbecue near you.","og_url":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/","og_site_name":"We Are Memphis","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wearememphis","article_modified_time":"2025-01-24T16:02:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":225,"url":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/wam-food-bbq-callout.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@wearememphistn","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/","url":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/","name":"Best Memphis BBQ: Famous Memphis Style BBQ Near You","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/wam-food-bbq-callout.jpg","datePublished":"2021-02-11T18:51:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-24T16:02:03+00:00","description":"Craving BBQ? Explore the best Memphis BBQ, famous Memphis style BBQ, and top spots for delicious barbecue near you.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/wam-food-bbq-callout.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/wam-food-bbq-callout.jpg","width":1200,"height":225},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/best-bbq-in-memphis\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Play","item":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/?page_id=2"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Discover the Best Memphis BBQ"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/","name":"We Are Memphis","description":"soul@wearememphis.com","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7489\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}