Best BBQ Restaurants In US Includes 2 Virginia Joints

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Do you like pulled pork, delicate slices of brisket, and burnt ends? Whatever your barbecue preference you can find it at these two Virginia restaurants, which are on a list of the best barbecue joints in the country compiled by the Thrillist website.

One is a Richmond standout run by a transplanted Texan that's famous for its brisket, although it also does pulled pork in a Virginia vinegar style. The other is by a venerated pitmaster and barbecue instructor who has his roots in Georgia but call Alexandria home now.

The Thrillist authors who had the tough challenge of sampling tasty meats and sauces across the country said their job was difficult since a new generation of pitmasters is challenging the old guard to up the stakes of best smoked meats. "We engaged in both aggressive and passive-aggressive arguments about smoked meat. In the end, we settled on these 33 BBQ joints that are continuing America's grand traditions while also pushing them in exciting new directions," the website said.

Here's a look at the two vaunted BBQ establishments.

MYRON MIXON'S PITMASTERS BBQ, at 220 N. Lee Street in Alexandria, says on its website that its operator is the "winningest man in barbeque." Myron Mixon is a four-time World Barbeque Champion, television host, and bestselling author based in Old Town Alexandria. He is the only pitmaster to win Grand Championships in Memphis in May, Kansas City BBQ Society, and Florida BBQ Association in the same year. He was inducted into the Kansas City Barbeque Hall of Fame in 2013.

Here's what Thrillist says about Myron Mixon's Pitmasters BBQ:

"Legends don’t come much larger, or louder, than Myron Mixon. ... He’s quick with a gruff word (contrasted by the Southern charm of his son Michael), but the proof is in the pork. Pig is the main course, from baby backs to salt and pepper pork belly, but the must is his championship-winning pulled pork."

ZZQ, at 3201 W. Moore St. in Richmond, describes itself as having mastered Texas-style barbecue. Food & Wine magazine also named it one of the best barbecue restaurants in the country in 2018.

Here's what Thrillist says about ZZQ:

"ZZQ is the real deal, started by a native Austinite (raised in Mesquite,TX) who honors his home state by cooking some of the best brisket you’ll find outside its boundaries. Their three 1000 gallon offset pits are imported from Austin Smoke Works and burn local white oak (traditional post oak would be in-authentic to the region). They spike the brisket rub with a few other herbs to make it their own, but it doesn’t deviate too far from the coarse black pepper and salt standard. And Texan beer lovers will be happy to notice that ZZQ is the only place in Virginia you’ll find brews from both Lone Star and Jester King. Still, this is Virginia after all, so they finish their pulled pork shoulder with an Eastern North Carolina/Southern Virginia vinegar sauce, and keep local with sides like tomato pie and Cajun creamed corn that use produce from nearby farms."

See the full list of the 33 BBQ joints in America on Thrillist.

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