The fact is simple: Chicago has a dearly underrated barbecue scene. While we’re still not on most shortlists of the top national barbecue destinations, there’s no question the local barbecue options have gotten more varied and tempting.
Our barbecue foundation remains the Black-owned operations on the South Side, where many pitmasters use aquarium-style smokers, so called for their rectangular shape and glass sides. Fueled entirely by charcoal or wood, the bare-bones contraption requires the kind of hands-on attention that takes years to master. Though you’ll be able to score pulled pork, whole racks of ribs, turkey legs and occasionally brisket, the rib tip and hot link combo reigns supreme. Chicago has its own unique style of barbecue, and this is it.
But just as barbecue has exploded in popularity all over the country, we’ve seen a wave of new pitmasters who have looked to other barbecue regions for inspiration, whether it’s the dry-rubbed ribs of Memphis or the meltingly tender brisket of Central Texas.
Because I already tackled the best barbecue in the suburbs, I decided to focus exclusively on places located within Chicago city limits that served American barbecue. I also only included places with a permanent address, though I’ll be delving into the pop-up barbecue scene shortly.
Chat with any pitmaster and you’ll realize the importance of a great smoker, which is why I’ve included the brand each restaurant uses. But you’ll also see a complete lack of offset smokers, which are becoming extremely popular in the suburbs.
Because each of these nine places offers such a different take on barbecue, the fairest way to discuss the best nine barbecue spots in Chicago is in alphabetical order. Let the feasting begin.
County BBQ
County BBQ’s story is the most circuitous on this list. Opened in 2013 by restaurateurs David Morton and Michael Kornick, with a menu overseen by Erick Williams, it first closed in 2016 because of a fire. After a renovation, it reopened two years later, only to shutter again in 2020 due to the pandemic. Though that could have been the end of the Little Italy barbecue joint, former employee Bonni Cameron decided to purchase the restaurant in April 2020. “I loved the food, the place, and the regulars,” Cameron said. “I thought, ‘Let’s see what it’s like to be my own boss.'”
We’re fortunate she decided to give it a try. Most of the recipes, including the remarkable dry rub, have stayed the same. That intricate mix, which transforms into a black crust in the smoker from J&R Manufacturing, works especially well with pork, so make sure to grab some ribs on your next visit. Even better are the rib tips, which are some of the juiciest in the city.
1352 W. Taylor St., 312-624-8648, county-bbq.com
Green Street Smoked Meats
While Texas-style barbecue is growing in popularity in the suburbs, Green Street Smoked Meats has been serving thick-cut brisket and handmade sausages in the middle of the West Loop since 2014. It all comes out of a massive Oyler 1300 smoker from J&R Manufacturing. Current pitmaster Dave Bonner said during the summer, the restaurant often goes through two face cords of wood a week. (A face cord is a massive stack of wood measuring 8 feet wide, 4 feet tall and about 16 inches deep — roughly 200 pieces the size of fireplace logs.)
Even with such a high volume, Bonner said he and his crew don’t rely much on technology. “Our hands are our best friends,” Bonner said. “We go through a lot of gloves. Sometimes we’ll throw a thermometer in there, but we really trust our hands the most.”
The brisket has consistently been the bestseller, and for good reason. The fat slices are so succulent, they glisten in the light. But don’t skip the pork ribs or housemade hot links. Plus, the shop is always experimenting with new specials, something that Bonner takes seriously. “I’m trying to learn every day,” Bonner said. “Barbecue is always evolving. We’re just keeping things fresh and new.”
112 N. Green St., 312-754-0431, greenstreetmeats.com
Honey 1 BBQ
Robert Adams Sr. makes working with an aquarium-style smoker look effortless. Part of that has to do with his unflappable demeanor. I’ve been visiting Honey 1 for years, and he always looks completely in control. But he’s also been working with wood his whole life, as he explained to me late last year. “I came from the South, and we didn’t have gas when we were coming up,” he said. “My mom cooked on a wood stove. I cook with my 10-foot pit the same way. I do it all by feel.”
His skill is easiest to glean with the rib tips, which are somehow always remarkably juicy, yet never overly fatty. A wave of smoke lingers in the background of each bite, while the sauce adds a tinge of vinegar and sweetness. The aggressively salty and snappy hot links make a fine partner for the rib tips, and it’s all set atop a bed of crinkle-cut fries.
746 E. 43rd St., 773-285-9455, honey1bbq.org
Lem’s Bar-B-Q
One of the oldest continuously operating barbecue spots in Chicago is still one of the best. The restaurant is also a perfect example of a Black family from the South (in this case, Indianola, Mississippi) moving to Chicago in the years after World War II to open a business. Brothers Bruce and Myles Lemons founded Lem’s Bar-B-Q in 1954, eventually bringing in younger brother James, who helped to open the 75th Street location in 1968 that remains open to this day. While the brothers have passed away, the restaurant still remains in the family, with sisters Carmen Lemons and Lynn Walker Harvey currently running the operation.
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It’s all about the pork here, with fat racks of ribs and what might be the pinnacle of the rib tip arts. Each nugget features a crackly crust from the fire, while the inside is rendered to a marvelously steak-like texture. The nearly overwhelming smoke aroma comes from the restaurant’s aquarium-style smoker, which is powered with hickory wood. The shop’s intensely seasoned sauce (I detect some Worcestershire sauce in there) is exactly what you want, though I’ve always found it better to ask for it on the side, so you can add precisely enough to give each bite the right amount of kick.
311 E. 75th St., 773-994-2428, lemsque.com
Lexington Betty Smokehouse
Dominique Leach is one of Chicago’s rising barbecue stars, which has led to recent appearances on “Chopped” and “Good Morning America.” Not that it’s been easy. “The pandemic was hard for everyone, but owning three restaurant locations was really hard,” Leach said. She eventually decided to close two and focus all of her attention on the Pullman outlet inside the One Eleven Food Hall, which turned out to be a good bet. Lexington Betty Smokehouse got so busy, it eventually took over the entire food hall.
While the pulled pork and rib tips are well done, the real treat is the super succulent brisket. Leach uses a Southern Pride smoker and makes sure to source prime briskets. But she explained that there’s one detail that truly makes a difference. “Time is the No. 1 ingredient,” Leach said. “We smoke it pretty low and slow and then let it rest. If you cut it too soon, you compromise the product.” Leach is also adamant that while lush, the beef should also have some integrity, and not completely fall apart.
Considering Leach’s impressive culinary career before she got into the barbecue game, it makes sense that everything else on the menu, from the collard greens to the soft cornbread muffins, is just as delicious.
756 E. 111th St., 708-927-5614, lexingtonbettysmokehouse.com
Lillie’s Q
Charlie McKenna of Lillie’s Q uses a smoker from the Texas-based M & M BBQ Company, and like at Smoque, the results are astoundingly consistent. Everything is worth trying, from the pulled pork to the baby back ribs. But whenever I visit, I spring for the tri-tip, a California barbecue peculiarity that looks and nearly tastes like a grilled medium-rare flank steak. Because of the shorter cook time, the smoke flavor doesn’t pound you on the head as much as slowly sneaks up on you. But it’s the meaty interior that never fails to impress.
Nearly every barbecue joint wants to sell its sauce, but few have made as many inroads into the local grocery scene as Lillie’s Q. There is a good reason for this, since all the options feature an intriguing complexity, while never covering up the flavor of the meat. A few years ago, the restaurant moved out of its longtime North Avenue location, but you can now find Lillie’s Q stall inside the massive District Brew Yards in the West Loop.
District Brew Yards, 417 N. Ashland Ave., 773-295-1270, lilliesq.com
Q’s Tips & Wings BBQ
Quincy Jones, co-owner of Q’s Tips & Wings BBQ, said he first fell in love with barbecue while helping his dad. “He’d get an old barrel and cut it in half himself,” Jones said. But it wasn’t until his brother-in-law, Tandre Lofton, convinced him to join a barbecue competition in South Holland that Quincy got serious. “He’d always say his barbecue was better, and finally I said, ‘Let’s settle this,'” Jones said. When the results came in, Loften got second place, while Jones landed the top prize. A year later, Jones won the competition again.
After a few years of the occasional catering gig, Quincy — with some convincing from his wife, LaShawn — opened Q’s Tips & Wings BBQ in 2015. “She found a space, and that’s where we are now,” Jones said. “It’s all because of her. I wouldn’t be doing none of this without her.”
Instead of using an aquarium-style smoker, Jones went with an insulated smoker from Lone Star Grillz. I used to think that rib tips always tasted better when cooked in an aquarium smoker, but one bite of these pink-hued rib tips, buttery and mouthwatering as a well-marbled pork chop, changed my mind. Make sure to add some pork links to the order. The aggressively seasoned and slightly spicy sausages sport a satisfying snap when you bite in.
2517 W. 79th St., 773-912-6498, qstipsandwings.info
Slab BBQ
Last year, I pondered whether Chicago-style barbecue, the kind cooked in aquarium-style smokers and served mostly on the South and West Sides, was slowly going out of fashion. But after talking with James Trice, who owns Slab BBQ with his wife, Tonya, I knew it wasn’t going extinct anytime soon. Open since 2018, this South Shore stop has grown more popular each year, and a larger location is even in the works.
The family clearly sweats the details. All the meat is marinated in a dry rub for days before being cooked over relatively high heat in the distinctive aquarium-style smoker. “We use hickory wood for the flavor and lump charcoal for the even heat,” Trice told me last year. This results in rib tips where every square inch is rich and laden with smoke. The meat pairs flawlessly with the restaurant’s sauce, which trades overt sweetness for a strong vinegar kick and faint fruity profile. Even the sides are given the royal treatment here, with hand-cut french fries and freshly cooked greens.
1918 E. 71st St., 773-966-5018, slabbbq.com
Smoque BBQ
Before Smoque BBQ launched in 2006, owner Barry Sorkin posted a hilariously long barbecue manifesto on the restaurant’s website outlining his grand vision of what makes great and bad barbecue. “Honestly, I couldn’t sleep one night, and it was just on my mind,” Sorkin said. “I showed it to a friend, and he said, ‘You need to do something with it.'” While Sorkin says his views have evolved over the years (the manifesto is no longer online) the writing certainly illustrated how much he cared.
You can still sense that passion from the moment you enter the doors of the Irving Park restaurant. Every time I visit, the kitchen crew remains in constant motion, slicing meat, preparing the sides, and packaging up the seemingly endless stream of orders.
Smoque uses a Southern Pride smoker, and the results are frighteningly consistent. You’ll want to eventually try everything, though the restaurant is probably responsible for introducing great barbecue brisket to Chicago. The thick-sliced beef couldn’t fall apart smoother, and it comes wrapped in a haze of smoke. I also love the pulled pork, with its crunchy blackened bark giving way to a luscious interior.
But for pure barbecue magic, my money is on the St. Louis spare ribs. This is where Sorkin’s intricate, yet balanced spice rub melds most astonishingly with each meaty morsel, with just enough of smoke aroma lingering behind to leave you in a delightful daze.
3800 N. Pulaski Road, 773-545-7427, smoquebbq.com
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