Southern Living Magazine

Robert Moss

The South's Most Legendary Barbecue Joints 2021

Souther Living Magazine Cover - June 2021Sometimes 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.

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