Southern Living Magazine

Robert Moss

The South’s Most Legendary Barbecue Joints 2021

Sometimes it seems like the same famous barbecue restaurants always get all the attention. In most cases, they’ve earned that fame through hard work and top-notch food. But in a region with as much talent and diversity as the South has, there are plenty of other spots that fly a little under the radar.

Many can be found in far from any interstate and others in city neighborhoods that aren’t well-known to tourists. One thing these joints have in common is that they serve delicious slow-cooked barbecue, and on your next road trip.

Archibald’s BBQ
Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood in Northport is a small white building with an enormous soot-stained brick chimney attached to the front.

That’s the home of Archibald’s BBQ, an Alabama legend that serves sliced pork and hickory-cooked ribs atop slices of white bread, which soak up the peppery orange-hued sauce. Meaty and smoky with the perfect slightly firm bite, those ribs are as good as any you can find in the whole country.