From hearty slabs of Texas-style brisket to indulgent sides, these are the must-visit spots for barbecue in Boston.
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The Word “ Boston ” and “ barbecue ” are hardly synonymous . When you picture our urban center ’s culinary art , visions oflobster rollsand clam chowder come to beware . A pitmaster town we are not , but there ’s still fantastical ‘ pool cue to be found all over townspeople — you just need to do it where to look .
Some spots go highbrow with full dining way and even fuller whiskey menus , while others are tiny takeout joint sling tray of meat that are known mostly through word of mouth . No matter which route you choose to go , there ’s a top - snick spotlight worth a pit stop on this list of the best barbecue joints in Boston powerful now .
The Don
Blue Ribbon BBQ
Blue Ribbon Bar - B - Q is where many a Bostonian tasted their first barbeque — likely due to its household - friendly atmosphere — and it ’s still going strong since the opening of its West Newton outpost in 1995 . The slow - drive approach make their meat so tippy and toothsome , along with the oak and hickory barbeque Wood . There are actually multiple styles of BBQ represented , from North Carolina to Kansas City , but all the essentials are here , from rib and brisket to pulled pork barrel and burnt goal . The " grandma ’s kitchen " sides like sunbaked beans , mashed murphy , and inglorious - eyed edible corn are hard not to fill up on ; ditto the homemade pie in variety like primal lime and pecan .
The Don’s BBQ
This is an origin tarradiddle we can get behind : After 25 years languishing in a bodied career that left him dead in spite of appearance , chef Sebastian " The Don " DiFelice did a 180 and opened his first eating place . He made a career out of his honest passion : brisket . And when you sit down down to sink your teeth into the boeuf at The Don ’s it ’s clear that you do n’t realise the cognomen “ the godfather of brisket ” for nothing . This blot ’s Texas - stylus barbeque also includes pork ribs , pulled pork , pulled Gallus gallus , and fume andouille blimp , all of which you could order a la carte or with cornbread and a selection of two sides . Absolutely redeem elbow room for the bread pudding , or at least take away a few pralines to go .
Larry J’s BBQ Cafe
You do n’t expect to encounter authentic barbeque mere steps from Boston Harbor . But then again , chef - proprietor Larry Jimerson is full of surprises . After all , this is a pitmaster who turn out his cordial reception tooth handle a wine-coloured barroom in Palm Springs . Jimerson also somehow manages to turn out a massive menu out of a small takeout kiosk . On top of expected classics like St. Louis pork ribs , pulled pork , and smoked brisket — all fume for more than 12 hours — you may also indulge in everything from fry pickles to a Southern Fried Catfish Sandwich to smoked beef bologna . In other words , your lunch break just get a whole lot more interesting .
M&M BBQ
M&M BBQ is living history . The eatery was originally constitute by Marion and Maurice Hill as a far-famed nutrient truck called M&M Ribs back in 1982 . Their grandson Geo Lambert drive the reins more than a decade ago , and has since impart those famed fall - off - the - bone pork ribs an even bigger weapons platform with the squad ’s very first brick - and - mortar frontier settlement . house inside Dorchester Brewing , M&M BBQ also service sandwich ( brisket , pulled pork ) along with barbecue chicken and measure snacks like grilled corn and loaded fry .
Pit Stop BBQ
Whenever a Texas transplant starts lamenting Boston ’s paltry barbecue scene , a helpful shuttlecock flit down and whispers three magic words in their heart and soul - seeking auricle : Pit Stop Barbecue . For more than three decades , the Mattapan restaurant has doled out pile phonograph record of beef cattle back , pork ribs , juicy grill chicken , and slowly - smoked brisket buttressed by craveworthy sides like candied yam , cornbread , collard greens , and mac ‘ n high mallow . And leave that the spot is only open Thursday through Saturday , this is naming dining in the purest sense .
The Porch Southern Fare And Juke Joint
This Southern roast may be known for serving up pimento tall mallow , chicken and waffle , and Frito - top sports stadium of chile , but do n’t be fooled : The Porch also dishes out the real pile when it comes to proper ‘ discriminative stimulus . Chef Jonathan Post ’s whole Sus scrofa barbecue program comes good manners of a custom - build up , 1,000 - pound , wood - discharge tobacco user that deform out a small but mighty carte du jour of pulled porc , Texas brisket , and St. Louis spare ribs , accompanied by Graeco-Roman neutering like Solanum tuberosum salad and collards . The spot also has a top - notch barbeque offer for vegans , otherwise know as the smoked BBQ jackfruit .
The Smoke Shop BBQ
Ribs , crispy pork skins , brisket , burnt end , deep-fried crybaby — it ’s all represented at The Smoke Shop thanks to chef and owner Andy Husbands , who first made his name on the competitive barbecue tour for more than 20 years . What start as a individual exploit in Kendall has since expanded to become a local mini - mountain chain , and the barbeque has only gotten better with each new placement . Be indisputable to save way for some whisky — the fare is 250 labels long — and the butter bar to round out your meal . And if the Pork Belly Burnt Ends are on the menu , they are a must . How to hold : Viawebsite .
Sweet Cheeks Q
Top Chef - er Tiffani Faison bang there ’s only one direction to eat barbeque , and that ’s on metal trays with full-grown scoop shovel of sides next to a satisfying order of inwardness . More than a decennium ago , Faison brought her pitmaster expertise to Kenmore and enter Sox fans to the joys of honest Q : ironical - scratch pork barrel rib , slow - roast brisket , Texas - style raging links . The bourbon list is its own haul , as are the southerly - expressive style cocktails served in mason jars . You ’d be forgiven , though , if you accidentally filled up on the buttermilk biscuits slather with dearest butter alone — they are , in a countersign , ambrosial .
Tennessee’s Real BBQ
This may come as a surprise , but great barbecue can be establish in Braintree . And Peabody and Framingham , too . Hit the ‘ burbs to run into the ‘ cue at a mini chain that ’s won awards all over the country . The key fruit might be in the dry rubs , or the use of three fresh smoke woods ( hickory , apple , and cerise ) . Whatever the secret to their success , the effect speak for themselves : Memphis , Texas , or sister back ribs ; root for pork sandwiches ; shredded brisket ; and smoked BBQ blimp .
