I've tried a few and I still love PIG N'OUT in Brooklyn and RUB for NYC. They are as close to southern BBQ as you're going to get. Additionally we as NYC dwellers have very unique taste pallets The two BBQ which actually smoke their meat 100%(like PIG N OUT and RUB) we find a bit off or over bearing in flavor. Where as the place's which actually boil and then smoke their meats to cut the cooking time in half, we actually praise. With this in mind there is no wonder why us Northerners will never really grasp the art of BBQ....

RUB is really good and getting better all the time. The pulled pork is particularly good on whitebread w/ hotsauce and their onion strings. The deep fried oreos are evil...meaning good.

Dinosaur's 'cue is better without the sauce, especially the ribs. Blue Smoke is hit or miss, some days better than others.

Ranger Texas Barbecue that took the old Pearson's space in Queens is coming on pretty well, too.

They are all too pricey.....

i gotta say, rub is really almost good. dino, that place in the ev, and salt lick, barely okay at best. but rub, it's the chipotle of bbq - maybe not the same as east texas, but pretty darn good, nonetheless.....

R.U.B. is hands down, without a doubt the only option for barbecue in New York... I have eaten there once a week since their opening, and it only gets better every time. Sausage is killer, burnt ends are amzing, and not one place in NYC holds a candle to their pulled pork or brisket, AND I'VE BEEN TO EM ALL (virgils - a joke, Pearsons - actually sliced my brisket along the grain so it was inedible, Dinosaur - good pulled pork, Blue Smoke - flavorless, texas smokehouse, smoked, are both a joke). Never been to cowgirl!

No mention of Cowgirl Hall of Fame? Their bbq is really good, for New York at least.

apparently, R.U.B. kinda blows

The Salt Lick in Austin, TX. nest bbq period. plus its all you can eat.

If you can push your way through the crowd at the BBQ Block party, pile up on the pulled pork at Big Bob Gibson's tent. Divinity.

I tried RUB the first weekend they were open (always a mistake). Good burnt ends. Good baked beans. Sad, soulless coleslaw(s), syrupy-sweet sauce and overcooked pulled pork. The owners are genuinely kicking their asses to get the place in shape, though, so I plan to try it again as takeout in the near future.

I knew it! I cant think of any other reason that would explain why the BBQ is sub-par here.

To the person who was wondering about NYC emission laws, they do have an effect on BBQ in the city. Restaurants are generally not allowed to use wood-burning stoves for cooking. I remember reading that when Butterfield 81 was converted to Pearson's, they had to install something called an electrostatic precipitator (to the tune of $36,000) before the city would let them use a wood-burning smoker. It filters out the smoke, vapors, and grease. I got the impression that from the Times article that most BBQ places just burn something else to avoid the emission restrictions.

Another decent BBQ place in Brooklyn is Biscuit on Flatbush(around 7th ave.)

well, being a tennessean with a love for the bbq i must say that it's EXTREMELY hard to find good que here....BUT the best i've had is at Sam's Waterfront Alehouse on 30th/2nd....the sauce is the best i've had in NYC. the meat can be a little fatty, but still beats all the others.

Thanks jackie, i'll have to czech that out.

Me, that makes you a wonderful person.

Bar BQ in brooklyn is good, corner of 6th ave and 20th st. Really great pork. Carlsburg on tap.

Reasonable...if you go with 2 or more people, split a combo.

I was wrong about you Janine. You're the greatest!

I love the ribs I'm with. Sometimes alone. Does that make me a bad person?

I'm at work and can't type. I hunt and peck w/o looking at the screen. Oh, and also I won't spell check comments; they're too informal to warrant it. Do you have a copy-editor for your text messages?

Look, my point is that this city is full of people who came from somewhere else because somewhere else wasn't enough for them. Living in NYC is too great (even in crappy weather) to spent time whining about the BBQ. If you can't get the ribs you love, love the ribs you're with.

I like how someone from Virginia makes a dig on Alabama. I'm not from Alabama, but stereotypes are funny aren't they. Most of the south won't claim Virginia and neither will the north. Oh well. How on earth did you mess up the spelling of a state you're from?

Reminds me of the people who "won't go into the Bronx or Brooklyn".

Oh yeah, BBQ. I agree with the poster that said it's better to do it outside with friends. Of course, that goes for a lot of things, doesn't it? >:D

one more thing: dont forget the dominicans. They make some damn good BBQ too. Mostly beef short ribs. Theres a place on 175th and broadway, cant remember the name, but its incredible.

the best BBQ in NYC isnt the american variety - GO KOREAN!!!!!

The best places have metal "pits" in the table for real hardwood coals for you to grill your own (most places only have the gas kind but they are still good). The best flavor depends on the quality of the meat, the marinade, and what kind of flame its cooked over. I prefer the real hardwood coals. Gives the meat a sweet smokiness that cant be beat. For the best prices and highest quality, go to Flushing. Midtown and NJ spots are decent, but overpriced.

My question about american style BBQ in NYC and why there isnt anything all that great: does it have to do with emissions laws? Are restaurants restricted in how much smoke they can produce? Might be a factor, we have plenty of good meat, and good chefs in the city...