As the Fourth of July approaches, many households in Alabama are preparing for a barbecue feast. However, the latest survey conducted by Lawnstarter, a popular website, has revealed some lukewarm results in terms of ranking U.S. cities for barbecue. The Huntsville area, which is famous for its renowned Big Bob’s restaurant and its signature white sauce, secured the forty-second spot on the list. Lawnstarter considered various factors, including the number of barbecue restaurants, total BBQ competition wins, and the most festivals, to determine its ranking.
Kansas City, Missouri has been crowned as the top BBQ destination in the United States, followed by Houston, Memphis, Los Angeles, and Kansas City, Kansas in the top five. Known as the “BBQ Capital of the World”, Kansas City dominated the competition scene to clinch the first place. San Antonio, ranked eighth, Los Angeles at number five, and Houston at number three, were recognized for their excellent access to BBQ vendors and high consumer satisfaction. Meanwhile, St. Louis, Austin, Chicago, and New York City completed the top ten list.
Huntsville, ranked at number forty-two, outperformed Birmingham (44) and Montgomery (48) in the list. However, the latter cities can take comfort in not being ranked at the bottom. Interestingly, the list included twenty-one cities that tied for the last spot at number 480. These cities, such as Yonkers, New York, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and South Fulton, Georgia, did not have any BBQ establishments or smokehouses, no barbecue festivals, and no prize-winning cooking teams.
