The Best Barbecue Places in Virginia, 2023: The Top Ten

I recently published a list of the Best Barbecue Places in the Washington Area, and that naturally included Northern Virginia. The Washington list involved some very difficult choices, and expanding to the entire state made my task even more difficult. I’d managed to limit the list to ten places in 2022, and keeping the list down to 10 with all the new places I’ve found was painful. And next year we’ll have to make room for HammerDown!

I made a couple of changes. First, I’ve abandoned the separate lists for each meat, and given several places for being among the best for more than one meat, where appropriate. That is, some places are named for two meats. That also means that I’m comparing meats — pork, ribs, and brisket — that aren’t really comparable. I’ve always said that comparing apples with artichokes like that makes no sense, but then I was hell-bent on keeping the list down to ten, which also makes no sense. I’ve lived in Washington a long, long time and I guess it’s rubbed off on me.

Without further ado, here they are.

Allman’s Bar-B-Q in Fredericksburg for Pork. “Matt Deaton has quite the pedigree. He worked at the Skylight Inn and was the general manager at the original Sam Jones BBQ. Matt bought Allman’s, brought in a wood-burner, and Allman’s is again serving True ‘Cue.”

The Barbecue Exchange in Gordonsville for Pork. “The pork was rich and freshly chopped, with a good blending of the smoke and pork flavors, and without a hint of dryness. There’s some nice outside meat there, and it all tastes delicious.”

Bean’s BBQ in Edinburg for Pork. “As you can see, there was a whole lot of meat, and the pork had been pulled and then chopped. The meat was very lean, “clean” in the sense that the gristle and excess fat had been removed. Still, it was very moist and tender, and nice and smoky. This is excellent pork.”

The Pit Stop in Sterling and Aldie for Pork and Ribs. “The ribs were moist and had a good meaty texture to go with that great pork-and-smoke flavor. … And what pork! I didn’t want to eat a whole lot, and I decided to just taste enough to judge it and then leave. I took a bite, and another and another and basically devoured the sandwich.”

Redemption Barbecue in Henrico for Pork. John Vest is seeped in the reviving of Virginia barbecue tradition. He cooks meat — shoulders and “half-hogs” (a whole hog won’t fit on his grill) exclusively with wood, but John doesn’t stop there. Everything is local, from the pork from Autumn Olive Farms, heritage pigs and chickens from Farmer Focus, down to the dairy products for the macaroni and cheese … all of the fried foods are cooked with lard.” 

Redwood Smoke Shack in Norfolk for Brisket. “The sliced brisket was outstanding, moist and smoky. At another table was a lady from San Antonio who said it was the only place in the area she’d eat brisket. I verified her expertise by asking if she’d been to Luling and she knew I was talking about the City Market.”

The Original Ronnie’s in Henrico County for Ribs. “The ribs were meaty, tender, and very smoky, and tasted great. The collards also were good. There was an interesting flavor that I couldn’t quite pin down, but I liked them. The green beans were absolutely, positively wonderful. “

Ruthie’s All Day in Arlington for Brisket. “First, the brisket. Excellent, once again. The sandwich included both moist and lean meat, and even the lean-end meat was tender, smoky, and not a bit dried out. And the slaw and the pickles and, indeed, the bun complemented the meat.”

Two Drummers Smokehouse in Toano for Pork and Brisket. With their new direct-heat section for pork on the smoker, the “pork was very good before, and now it’s even better, with even more depth of flavor. Excellent. And the brisket was tender, juicy, and full of flavor. I’m not sure, but I think the brisket may have been improved by the new smoker.”

ZZQ Texas Craft Barbecue in Richmond. “I took a bite of the pork and was stunned at how good it was.”  “Let me tell you about the brisket. Would that Anacreon, would that Homer were here to sing about the brisket. Prosaically, it was moist, tender, and smoky. I was in Texas not long ago, and ate some great brisket, and I will say that the brisket at ZZQ is … better than Terry Black’s.”

I’ll add that cutting the last two places was painful. I really hated to leave off Country Boys BBQ in Suffolk and Odd BBQ in Chantilly, both for Pork. Stay tuned. They’re both very much in the running for next year, as are other places, and no one who made the list this time can relax. You really should stop in either or both for some good barbecue.

There also are a number of barbecue places I haven’t had a chance to check, and if past performance holds true, as I hope it does, there are others of which I’m completely unaware. I invite you to share your favorites (please use the search function to see if I’ve already reviewed it) and I’ll try to get to them. As always, my duties with the Campaign for Real Barbecue mean that I give priority to places that cook exclusively with wood (no gas or electricity), but I’ll try to get to everyone.

Please send in news, suggestions, and criticism.

***

And while you’re at it, click “follow” on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box.  Or bookmark us and check in from time to time.  If you’re planning a trip, you can “Search” the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the Louvre, Van Gogh Museum, Prague Castle, or Vienna’s Old City, that you’ll want to visit in any event).  Comments, questions, and suggestions of places to eat or stories to cover are very welcome.  And check our Instagram and Twitter pages, johntannerbbq.