People who enjoy eating barbecue also like the restaurants that make it. The appeal of so many esteemed places goes beyond appreciation of meat cooked right. Favorites throughout the South and Southwest, and in some Midwestern cities, are known for their character. That’s a blend of location, dining facilities (or lack of them), décor (or lack of it), and the restaurant’s general demeanor.
The most beloved barbecues are anything but upscale. I’m thinking of Texas meat markets where you eat unsauced brisket off sheets of butcher paper, of “aquarium smokers” on the South Side of Chicago that guarantee the safety of their staff with bulletproof order windows, of Scott’s Bar-B-Q, 40 years ago when it was just small-town Scott’s, and of countless shacks, stands, trailers, and storefronts where skilled pitmasters are aristocracy in aprons and overalls.
