Memphis barbecue is king — but this ranking of America's best BBQ cities says otherwise

Jacob Wilt, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·1 min read

Memphis is supposedly the second-best city for barbecue in America, according to a study from LawnStarter.

This slight calls for some pettiness on our part.

The site ranked 500 U.S. cities and towns based on 20 metrics in five different categories: access, consumer satisfaction, competition awards, elite BBQ memberships, and hosting (meaning competitions hosted). Based on those criteria, only Kansas City, Missouri, outranked Memphis, according to this "study."

The pulled pork sandwich from Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Que on Thursday, April 29, 2021.
The pulled pork sandwich from Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Que on Thursday, April 29, 2021.

Despite being a purely numbers-based ranking with no subjectivity, it can't help but feel like a snub (because it is). Kansas City ranked 57th and 46th in two categories — Memphis' lowest ranking in a category was 11th. For elite memberships (consisting only of Kansas City Barbeque Society memberships), Kansas City ranked No. 1 with 19. What a weird coincidence, right?

It's an improvement over last year's list — LawnStarter ranked Memphis fourth — but I'm going to stay mad anyway.

These are the key metrics for Memphis:

  • Number of National Barbecue & Grilling Association Members: 1st

  • Number of Top-Rated Barbecue Vendors (4.5+ Stars and 10+ Reviews): 8th

  • Winners in "Memphis in May" World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest: 1st

  • Number of KCBS "180 Club" Members: 2nd

  • Number of Barbecue Festivals: 4th.

MEMPHIS BBQ: There's no debate: Memphis has the best barbecue. These 10 must-try restaurants show why.

As for the top five cities, Houston ranked third, followed by Kansas City, Kansas, and Los Angeles. In Tennessee, Nashville ranked 20th, Knoxville 52nd and Chattanooga 79th.

LawnStarter is primarily a lawncare company, but it also creates studies and rankings on topics like food, lifestyle, health and more. Clearly, they need to put away the mower and take a trip to Memphis.

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Memphis ranked on LawnStarter's Best BBQ Cities in America list

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next