The big 4 for BBQ are Memphis, Kansas City, North Carolina, and Texas.
My biggest disappointment has been Texas BBQ. While in Austin a couple of years ago I sampled from three different restaurants and they were all good but none of them overwhelmed me. Besides looking online- the best thing to do when looking for good BBQ is to just ask a local - they usually know better than anybody.
These are the 4 BBQ joints that have really stood out since I started this quest.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbS4lqY_JBFtnXsdhkiIkxDgsiQQhGabf7N2eGdF8JhvLs9wciiBy7JjMIdf_5-euqTJxLCNbNF4hUeIpgwJsFB3_1cQI47i2Vs51e0mNhgcuvhJuRamprHPwbv4qg3PJCN6LOUA692Q/s400/Lannies2005ALsmall.jpg)
Lannie's Bar-B-Q Spot Selma, AL 2004
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Interstate Bar-B-Q Memphis, TN 2008
Arthur Bryants BBQ Kansas City, MO 2007
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Payne's BBQ Memphis, TN 2005