1 of 4
Goldee's BBQ
2 of 4
Hurtado Barbecue
3 of 4
The Patriotic Pig
4 of 4
Smoke’N Ash BBQ
While Yelp’s process to unearth the best barbecue joints might be unscientific, we’d argue there’s nothing sciency about ’cue — the Maillard reaction notwithstanding. No, smoking meats isn’t formulaic — it’s a craft that requires the touch of an artist, a maestro. So, who better to tell you the best smoked meats and tangy sauce than highly opinionated consumers? The people who devour brisket and pulled pork on partitioned plates and butcher paper?
And that’s precisely what Yelp did when naming their Top 100 Barbecue Spots for 2024. According to Yelp, they constructed the list using reviews that mentioned the term “barbecue,” and ranked those spots based on their overall ratings and total volume of reviews.
And, wouldn’t you know it, Tarrant County tallied four spots in the top 100, with Hurtado Barbecue (26), Goldee’s BBQ (65), Smoke’N Ash BBQ (83), and The Patriotic Pig (84) all making appearances.
These four spots also represent the most from any county in Texas, besting Austin’s Travis County, whose barbecue joints appeared only twice.
Does this make Tarrant County No. 1 in Texas ’cue? Hard to say, but we’ll no doubt add a notch to our win column.
All in all, Texas wound up with 12 barbecue spots on the list, which might seem a little low considering the Lone Star State’s penchant for claiming to have superior smoked meats. However, it did not escape this writer’s attention that an additional eight restaurants had the word “Texas” in their name. Spirit of Texas BBQ, for instance, happens to be in San Bernardino, California.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Click here to view the complete rankings by Yelp.
