People in Greensboro and the state of North Carolina as a whole are very proud of the fine barbecue that originates from the city and the state, but a new study that used a multitude of measures to find the best barbecue cities in the country ranked Greensboro just 103rd out of the 200 most populous cities in the US.
According to the findings, the top ten “Best Cities for BBQ” of the 200 most populous cities in the country were as follows…
1. Kansas City, MO
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Kansas City, KS
4. Memphis, TN
5. Houston, TX
6. Orlando, FL
7. Springfield, MO
8. Omaha, NE
9. Nashville, TN
10. Richmond, VA
As for the absolute worst cities in this regard, there was a tie between Yonkers, NY and Paterson NJ. Also coming up near last were Lancaster, CA, Miramar, FL and Ontario, CA.
Greensboro barbeque advocates who question Greensboro’s 103rd ranking might bring up Stamey’s, City Barbeque, Boss Hog’s and all the other excellent barbeque establishments and pit masters the city has to offer.
Critics of the study can point to the fact that it was conducted by LawnStarter – an online lawn maintenance company. However, the company claims: “We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on five categories. We looked at access to tasty barbecue vendors, consumer ratings, competition awards, and the number of barbecue festivals, among 20 total metrics.”
Kansas City, according to the study, “smoked the competition” in part by having the most barbecue festivals, and St. Louis stood out largely because it had the second highest number of barbeque vendors per capita and the most National Barbecue & Grilling Association (NBBQA) members.
One comment about the state of barbeque in the state of North Carolina reads, “North Carolina is known for its distinct BBQ style, but some Tar Heel cities fell behind in both barbecue Access and pitmasters with Elite Memberships. Raleigh (No. 25) pitmasters have been recognized by the NBBQA, American Royal World Series of Barbecue, and World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (WCBCC).”
Fayetteville, in 69th place, and Winston-Salem, in 82nd place, finished ahead of Greensboro, as did Durham, which came in 92nd.
Surprise! Surprise! Greensboro didn’t place well. I rarely eat pork BBQ because of the fat content, but several times a year, I will indulge. The last time I dined at a popular Greensboro BBQ restaurant, the menu had food residue on it and the clear plastic petition between the booths had been slobbered on by kids and not cleaned for quite sometime. I mentioned this to the server; her solution was to go talk about me to 2 other servers. Pork BBQ appeared to have been in a blender and didn’t have much of a smoked BBQ taste.
Lower taxes in Durham and better barbecue. I’m beginning to think Durham is a much better place to live than Greensboro.
Oh gosh, what study will city council spend loads of tax dollars on to dispute such a low rating?
No NC BBQ on that list? Article was obviously written by someone who does not know BBQ.
Oh well, just shows you how little they know.
I guess these “Lawn” people never heard of Charlie Elliott.
I think that the national survey overlooks Carolina BBQ, which is different from most other places. State-wide, there are some really good Carolina BBQ; down east, such as Wilber’s. According to Strom Thurmond, the best in the State is in Ayden, between Kinston & Greenville.
I am underwhelmed here in town, such a one popular place that uses ketchup to make chili; and other place with good BBQ, but their sandwich keeps getting smaller & smaller, at a higher price – I was told it was 1/2 pound, I took a plain one home that came in @3.7oz.
I wonder why businesses think that people are stoopid.
IMO, Country Barbecue (Wendover Ave, and Eastchester locations) have the best Barbecue in this area. It’s far better than any I’ve had in Lexington, NC itself and better than any other place in town that I’ve tried. Admittedly, of those named in your article, I’ve not tried Boss Hogg’s, so I guess I’ll look for an opportunity.
One thing about Country Barbecue that sets it apart is the breakfast choices. Their Tenderloin biscuits are second to NONE!
Smithfield BBQ is much better than Stamey’s. It’s more of an eastern style of pulled pork with vinegar and pepper, and is not chopped to death like those in the piedmont. Sadly, the closest one is over near Burlington. Bubba’s BBQ in High Point was great, but sad they closed up.