The Best BBQ in the Smokies

Nothing resembles true Southern comfort quite like homestyle
barbecue. Whether you prefer your meat slathered in a tomato or vinegar
based sauce or a dry rub of specialty spices, the Great Smoky Mountains
offer a wide variety of fantastic barbecue eateries! In honor of
National BBQ Day on May 16th, we are breaking down our top picks for the
best barbecue restaurants in the Smokies!

Dickie’s Barbecue Pit

This fast-casual dining establishment offers authentic Texas-style
slow-smoked barbecue. Dickie’s Barbecue Pit values tradition and slow
smokes their meats on-site daily as they have since 1941. If you’re
looking for a hearty and fast barbecue feast, then Dickie’s is the place
for you!

Corky’s Ribs and BBQ

Corky’s Ribs and BBQ brings a Beale Street flare to the Smokies with
their Memphis style barbecue. Meats are slow cooked over hickory and
charcoal and have quickly gained popularity in the hearts of locals and
tourists alike!

Bennett’s Pitt Bar-B-Que

This locally owned and operated establishment has been a staple to
the Parkway for over 26 years. Bennett’s smokes all of their meat over
smoldering hickory wood for 14 hours after basting it with their special
sauce. This Pigeon Forge favorite serves up such mouthwatering dishes
that they have been voted best barbecue and best ribs in Pigeon Forge
year after year!

Calhoun’s

In 1983, the founders of Calhoun’s loaded up smokers onto a trailer
and headed to Cleveland, Ohio to compete in the National Rib Cook-Off.
Calhoun’s took home the grand prize ribbon along with the right to call
themselves “Best Ribs in America.” For the following 36 years, they have
continued to win local and regional awards for their signature
barbecue. No trip to the Smokies would be complete without tasting this
ultimate comfort food.

Boss Hogg’s BBQ

This BBQ shack is locally owned and operated and remains a hidden gem
in the Smoky Mountains. Tucked away on Wears Valley Road, this eatery
is the perfect spot if you’re itching to get away from the tourist-heavy
Parkway. Boss Hogg’s specializes in slow-cooked meats and their
one-of-a-kind barbecue sauce that brings a unique, sweet, and mustardy
flare.

Delauder’s BBQ

Last, but certainly not least, Delauder’s BBQ has been named best BBQ
in Tennessee by Time Magazine, Top 25 BBQ restaurants in the United
States by Travel + Leisure, and has received countless other titles and
awards. Delauder’s specializes in authentic Eastern Tennessee barbecue.
This eatery is a little off the beaten path, but well worth the
10-minute drive outside the heart of Gatlinburg.

Do you agree with our choices for the best places to order BBQ in the
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