Austin's Franklin Barbeque has been named the best BBQ in America by Bon Appetit Magazine. If you haven't been there, just look for the long lines in front of a small blue building on East 11th Streetabout a block east of I-35.
We thought it might be fun to call pit masters at some of America's most famous barbecue joints and rub it in (pun intended). Turns out, most of them are pretty humble about their world famous 'que. "Honestly, I enjoy all styles of barbeque. I grew up in the Carolinas, so I mean, I really like vinegar. I like the coleslaw. I like the pork that that they do out there. We don't say that we're better than Memphis, or better than Texas, or better than the Carolinas, because they all have their own style."
- Nate Tilton, Jack Stack BBQ in Kansas City, KS
"What makes [our barbeque] special? Well, I guess you could say the way we cook it, and the love we cook with. But no, I don't want to get into no competition."
- Gerri Grady, Grady's BBQ in Dudley, NC
"We don't say we're the best. We leave that up to the customers. We're voted number one or whatever in other magazines. We're proud of that, but we're not going to say we're better thank Franklin. We're not going to say we're better than any other place in here in Lockhart, because there's like three other places here in Lockhart. What one magazine says, Texas Monthly will say something else, or whatever else magazine there is."
- Roy Perez, Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX
"When people come to Memphis, they will always tell us, 'We hear you have the best barbeque.' And I tell people that there's good barbeque all over Memphis. I know because I eat it. And I would make the same statement about barbeque in other parts of the country. Because number one, it tastes really good. Number two, it never goes out of style. I enjoy eating a barbeque as much today as I did fifty years ago. And it's truly an American product."
- John Vergos, Rendezvous in Memphis
