You may or may not know that founders Charlie and Vanessa Pollock both grew up in Texas. They have a deep love for barbecues across the country. Spices, cooking methods and various traditions from so different cultures are what make up the melting pot that is American cuisine. However, American-style BBQ is a United States original. Served with sauces that range from sweet and spicy to tart and tangy, tough cuts of meat are smoked until tender but the flavor notes differ from region to region.
In THESE LISTS, we highlight a few of our favorite places for tasty smoked meats, tender ribs, tacos made with pulled pork, and of course the sides. Check out these tasty BBQ restaurants in New Jersey & NYC.
KB's BBQ Smokehouse
Location: 1077 Stuyvesant Ave., Irvington, New Jersey 07111
Website: kbbbqsmokehouse.com
Phone number: (973) 982-6528
Facebook: KB's BBQ Smokehouse
Instagram: @kbsbbqsmokehouse
96% recommend- Based on the opinion of 97 people
Red White & Que Smokehouse
Location: 150 US-22, Green Brook Township, NJ 08812
Website: redwhiteandquesmokehouse.com
Email: redwhiteandquesmokehouse@gmail.com
Phone number: 732-200-5998
Facebook: Red White & Que Smokehouse
Instagram: @redwhiteandquesmokehouse
Red White & Que Smokehouse were featured in BBQ cookbook, “SMOKED” in 2019 alongside the best and most awarded pit masters throughout the country. If you’re a BBQ lover and haven’t tried Red White & Que Smokehouse yet, you’re missing out. It is a classic Southern BBQ joint that sticks to old-school American traditions while embracing a rebellious spirit.
Mighty Quinn's Barbeque
NJ Location: Clifton, Union, Hoboken
NYC Location: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Yankee, Long Island, & Forest Hills
Website: www.mightyquinnsbbq.com
Facebook: Mighty Quinn's Barbeque
Instagram: @mightyquinnsbbq
Slow-smoked authentic BBQ. Influenced by all the great styles of BBQ but our style is Born in NYC. Mighty Quinn's serves up what pitmaster Hugh Mangum describes as “Texalina style,” a fusion of the barbecue traditions found in Texas and the Carolinas. But what really emerges is a uniquely NYC iteration: Maldon salt is sprinkled atop the meat as it’s served, and some dishes make use of a deep fryer (smoked chicken wings). The gargantuan beef rib, smoked for 12 hours, is a defining menu item.
Daddy Matty’s BBQ
Location: 6 Elmer St, Madison, NJ 07940
Phone number: 973-295-6996
Website: www.daddymattysbbq.com
Facebook: Daddy Matty's BBQ
Instagram: @daddymattysbbq
Our slogan, or philosophy really, is EVERYBODY EATS. Come keep us company, have some fun, and eat some bbq. It's good stuff. Our sauce bottle says- Neighbor tested and approved.
Brisket Guy BBQ
Location: 719 Mountain Ave, Springfield, NJ 07081
Phone number: 973-349-3337
Facebook: The Brisket Guy BBQ
Email: thebrisketguybbq@gmail.com
Old Fashion Low and Slow Texas Style BBQ With a Guyanese twist.
Hamilton Pork
Location: 247 10th St, Jersey City, NJ 07302
Website: www.hamiltonpork.com
Phone number: (201) 957-7245
Facebook: Hamilton Pork
Instagram: @hamiltonpork
Hamilton Pork is a Texas BBQ restaurant with a little Mexican flare. This barbecue in Jersey City, a few blocks from the mouth of the Holland Tunnel, was founded in 2016 by brothers Michael and John Gondevas. In addition to great beef brisket, pork ribs, and pulled pork, find uncommon items such as sausages made from brisket, crusty and chewy lamb belly, and tacos filled with various forms of barbecue, squiggled with complementary sauces.
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS BARBECUE
Location: 1 Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair, NJ
Website: www.pineappleexpressbarbecue.com
Phone number: (973) 337-6358
Facebook: Pineapple Express Barbecue
It is a restaurant and beer garden at the historic Lackawanna Railroad Terminal in Montclair, NJ. The menu highlights smoked heritage meats by the pound, including brisket, ribs, pulled pork, hot links, and wings, plus rotisserie chicken, seasonal vegetable sides and salads, and a full bar serving local beer, wine, and cocktails.
Nunzio's Grill
Location: 2071 Springfield Ave, Vauxhall, NJ 07088
Website: www.nunziosbbq.com
Phone number: 908-688-8040
Unassuming, basic eatery dishing up Portuguese BBQ, roasted chicken & seafood for eat-in or takeout.
Pulled Fork BBQ
Location: 38 E Mill Rd, Long Valley, NJ 07853
Website: www.pulledforkbbq.com
Email: pulledforkbbq@gmail.com
Facebook: Pulled Fork BBQ
BBQ is unique, and with a 10 - 12 hour smoking process, we can’t simply “make more” when we sell out. Cooking on an outdoor smoker gives us great results, and also sometimes throws challenges our way, but rest assured we are smoking as much and as often as we can!
Minuteman Smokehouse & Grill
Location: 990 Mt Kemble Ave, Morristown, NJ 07960
Website: www.minutemanbbq.com
Phone number: 973-425-9798
Facebook: Minuteman Smokehouse
Instagram: @minutemanbbqnj
Authentic BBQ served with hospitality & history!
NEW YORK’S BEST!!
There are times when all you want is to get a half-pound of meat from a counter and eat it with plastic silverware on butcher paper. If you feel that urge, grab some BBQ. Here are our top picks for the best BBQ in New York City. From a roaming pop-up serving chicharrón and smoked turkey and to a place that offers plant-based takes on ribs and pulled pork, here's where to find the best Southern-style BBQ.
Hometown Bar B Que
Location: 454 Van Brunt St Brooklyn, NY 11231
Website: hometownbbq.com
Phone number: 347-294-4644
Facebook: Hometown BBQ
Instagram: @hometownbarbque
Authentic pit-smoked barbecue with a full bar that specializes in local craft beers and a large range of American, whiskeys in an urban warehouse setting.
Fette Sau
Location:354 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Website: www.fettesaubbq.com
Phone number: (718) 963-3404
Facebook: Fette Sau BBQ
Instagram: @fettesaubbq
Early on, this 15-year-old barbecue spot tucked in a Williamsburg alleyway established itself as a maverick operation with a broader range of barbecue options than usual. In the early days, the chalkboard menu at Fette Sau (“fat pig”) often ran to pork belly, beef tongue, pork chops, and, yes, pig tails, in addition to ribs and brisket.
Virgil's Real BBQ
Location:152 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
Website: www.virgilsbbq.com
Phone number: (212) 921-9494
Facebook: Virgil's Real BBQ
Instagram: @virgilsrealbbq
Virgil's Real BBQ in Times Square makes real hardwood barbecue more accessible to tourists than any other place in town. Owned by the same hospitality company as the Italian restaurant Carmine’s, it is surprisingly good despite the corporate feel, with decent brisket, pulled pork, and barbecue beans bobbing with little tidbits of meat.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
Location: 604 Union St., Brooklyn, NY 11215
Website: www.dinosaurbarbque.com
Phone number: (347) 429-7030
Facebook: Dinosaur BBQ
Instagram: @dinosaur_bbq
Founded in Syracuse in 1988 and still boasting upstate flourishes, John Stage's Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is one of the more established barbecues in NYC. No place takes that to heart like Dinosaur BBQ, which serves everything from St Louis-style ribs and Memphis-style pulled pork to Creole deviled eggs. The grilled ribs and smoked jumbo chicken wings are both great, but make sure to get a few orders of the fried green tomatoes that come with a ranch-based dipping sauce.
John Brown Smokehouse
Location: 27-20 40th Ave, Queens, NY 11101
Website: www.johnbrownbbq.net
Phone number: (347) 617-1120
Facebook: John Brown Smokehouse
Now describing itself as Kansas-City style, John Brown BBQ moved into the Long Island City location of Mothership Meat Company, another Josh Bowen establishment. The menu is more eclectic than the Kansas City designation suggests, featuring brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, and house-cured pastrami.
Hill Country Barbecue Market
Location: 30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010
Website: www.hillcountry.com
Phone number: (212) 255-4544
Facebook: Hill Country Barbecue Market
Hill Country honors the barbecue and live music capital of Texas and takes its “cue” from the legendary meat-markets-turned- barbecue-joints of Central Texas with their distinctive, dry-rub style.
Hudson Smokehouse
Location: 37 Bruckner Blvd, The Bronx, NY 10454
Website: hudsonsmokehousebx.com
Phone number: (347) 617-1120
Instagram: @hudsonsmokehousebx
This Mott Haven newcomer via pitmaster Robin Hudson does a fantastic job on basic foods, such as smoked pork ribs and brisket sandwiches, complemented by a local beer selection and an inviting dining room. Hell, this place might as well be in Texas. There are lots of unique items on the menu, such as pork belly, smash burgers, chorizo, and jerk chicken.
Izzy’s Smokehouse
Location: 660 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025
Website: izzyssmokehouse.com
Phone number: (347) 425-0524
Facebook: Izzy's Brooklyn Smokehouse
Izzy’s is a casual kosher barbecue spot about a ten-minute walk from the Utica Ave subway station. Whether you keep kosher or not, you’ll appreciate the peppery beef ribs, fried chicken sandwich, and admirably snappy hot dog. But our favorite thing here is the lean but tender brisket. It’s smoked for 18 hours, to the point where you’ll be able to see the char along the edge of each cut.
One to grow on in PA!
Holy Que Smokehouse
Location: 5788 Lower York Rd, Lahaska, PA 18931
Website: www.holyque.com
Phone number: 267-544-5762
Facebook: Holy Que Smokehouse
Instagram: @holyquesmokes
Authentic Texas Smokehouse serving up some of the Lone Star's favorite past times. Offer an enormous outdoor seating area, indoor dining (when it resumes), take out, pick up, car side dining and event catering.
