Three Texas cities, including Houston, have made a recent list of the 10 most popular barbecue cities in America. But the list, published by Betway Insider, contains a shocking detail that may keep local barbecue fans from enjoying the charcoal glow of state pride: Las Vegas is listed at the top of the pack.
Las Vegas! Get a rope.
The British-Maltese gambling news site crunched a seemingly random set of barbecue-related data to come up with its popularity rankings, including the number of barbecue festivals listed on Eventbrite, Google search volume, and barbecue vendor ratings on TripAdvisor. It’s hardly science, but sure, we’ll engage with the clickbait.
Houston had a strong showing at No. 5 on the list, bested by No. 2-ranked Austin and ahead of San Antonio at No. 10. Unsurprisingly, world-famous Franklin Barbecue was listed as the most popular joint in the capital city. Pinkerton’s BBQ secured the top spot in both San Antonio and Houston. The Dallas-Fort Worth area, home to powerhouses like Goldee’s BBQ, was left off the honor roll — a fact that none of its residents are likely to lose any sleep over.
Still, Las Vegas’ inclusion is pure hogwash. While the area’s indigenous Nuwuvi people did develop open-fire cooking that led to contemporary American barbecue, the survey did not consider historical cuisine. Today, four regional styles define the cooking method: Texas, Memphis, Kansas City, and the Carolinas. Las Vegas barbecue is a fever dream born after a fourth martini.
This is not to cast aspersions on John Mull’s Meats & Road Kill Grill, listed as the highest rated joint in the “celebrated” barbecue city. Guy Fieri liked it enough to feature it on Triple-D Nation — although he might have been just as taken with the logo, a scantily clad chef with silk stockings and a charred steak.
But we dare say, no one travels to Nevada with hopes of winning the brisket jackpot. Let Texas cities fuss over bragging rights (ahem, the best Texas barbecue is at Burnt Bean in Seguin). Stick to the craps table, Betway, and let Vegas leave the chat.
With considerable side-eye, here are the top 10 most popular barbecue cities in America.
- No. 1 — Las Vegas, Nevada
- No. 2 — Austin, Texas
- No. 3 — Birmingham, Alabama
- No. 4 — Memphis, Tennessee
- No. 5 — Houston, Texas
- No. 6 — Nashville, Tennessee
- No. 7 — Chicago, Illinois
- No. 8 — San Diego, California
- No. 9 — St. Louis, Missouri
- No. 10 — San Antonio, Texas