The 8 Greatest BBQ Joints Southerners claim the best ribs and brisket, but there are plenty of pit masters up North that know how to smoke and sauce. Phantom picks the 8 GREATEST barbecue joints.

Blue Ribbon Bar-B-Q (The Greatest: BBQ Sandwiches)
908 Massachusetts Ave.
Arlington, MA 02476
(781) 648-7427
www.blueribbonbbq.com

Blue Ribbon Bar-B-Q does Phantom’s favorite meaty sandwiches, full of pit-smoked specialties like Texas sliced beef brisket, Kansas City burnt ends, and Memphis dry rubbed BBQ ribs. The oversized beasts come with baked beans, slaw, and homemade pickles. They’ll even put together a feedbag for 4 or supper for 6. Most customers blow through like tumbleweed and get it to go, but the colorful, chrome lined digs are done up with vintage signs and license plates. There’s a 2nd Blue Ribbon in West Newton.

Uncle Pete's Hickory Ribs (closed) (The Greatest: Ribs)
72 Squire Rd.
Revere, MA 02151
(781) 289-7427
www.unclepetes.com

Layover in Logan? Sweet! Get your rib fix, just 5 minutes away at Uncle Pete’s. The legendary dive is an interesting intersection of Thai food and southern BBQ infused with hickory, oak, and apple woods. The wicked pork ribs are insanely tender thanks to the 3 day cooking procedure. The massive caramelized Texas beef ribs are steeped in rich spices, and the exceptionally smoky pulled pork forgoes vinegar tradition in favor of sweet BBQ sauce. Phantom also loves their Asian peanut slaw and the mango salsa served with fried tortillas.

Firefly's Bar-B-Que (The Greatest: Barbecue Sauce)
350 E. Main St.
Marlboro, MA 01752
(508) 357-8883
www.fireflysbbq.com

Firefly’s is a fun barbecue house where the low and slow cooking is as quality as the colorful décor. Hickory, cherry, and apple wood smoke the meats, which are packed with flavor from spice-filled dry rubs. For added zest, the condiment bar includes 5 saucy sauces (North or South Carolina, Memphis, Beelzebar (hot!), or Texas), assorted pickles, and 40 radical hot sauces. The amazing Phantom Platter combines ribs, wings, brisket, catfish fingers, and homemade chips. Phantom also loves the cracklin’ bread, grilled with onions and smoked mozzarella.

Pit Stop Barbeque (The Greatest: Pit Master)
888 Morton St.
Dorchester, MA 02126
(617) 436-0485

Pit Stop Barbecue is so tightly spaced that customers can hardly see through the take-out window. In fact, it’s cramped to the point that the grill master has to sit on the floor. The cash register is on one side, the prep area is on the other, and the middle houses an old-fashioned brick pit where the cook tends to mouth-watering ribs, sausage, and chicken. The meaty menu has all the barbecue staples plus sensational side dishes like candied yams, collard greens, mac & cheese, and sweet potato pie.

Memphis Roadhouse (closed?) (The Greatest: BBQ Fixins)
383 Washington St. (Route 1)
South Attleboro, MA 02703
(508) 761-5700
www.memphisroadhouse.com

At Memphis Roadhouse, there’s only one place to sit: the smoking section (and we’re not talking tobacco)! Following the BBQ bible, they barbecue low and slow over a hickory wood smoked pit. All the lip-smacking fixin’s are prepared in-house daily, like creamy slaw, BBQ pit beans, collard greens, and country cornbread. Southern specialties range from New Orleans catfish etouffee and oyster po-boys to Texas chili. It’s a gingham tablecloth and neon lit scene surrounded by Jazz legend portraits, tin torpedo lamps, and Blues in the background.

Bob's Southern Bistro (closed) (The Greatest: Soulful Atmosphere)
604 Columbus Ave.
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 536-6204
www.BobsSouthernBistro.com

Formerly known as Bob the Chef’s, Bob’s Southern Bistro joins stick-to-your-ribs southern fare and classy atmosphere in soulful success. Their juicy glorifried chicken is the ultimate golden fried poultry, with gnarly, knotted batter jacked up on Cajun spice. Other down South specialties include collard greens, corned beef hash, BBQ ribs, fried catfish, and sweet potato pie. Bob ups the soul food ante with live jazz, and there’s a stone bar for cocktails while you wait. On Sundays you can get your grits at the all-you-can-eat buffet brunch.

Muddy River Smokehouse (The Greatest: Pulled Pork)
21 Congress St.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 430-9582
www.muddyriver.com

The Muddy River Smokehouse is a comfortable barbecue and Blues house where the art of smoking, grilling, and saucing are taken seriously. The awesome pulled pork is slow smoked for 15 hours, shredded by hand, and mixed with secret barbecue sauce. Other highlights are the moist, flavorful ribs that are first rubbed with spices and then slow smoked over hickory logs for 12 hours. There’s baby back, meaty St. Louis, and the massive Texas rib, nicknamed the “Fred Flintstone”.

RedBones (The Greatest: Regional Barbecue)
55 Chester St.
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 628-2200
www.redbonesbbq.com

Sweeping the BBQ belt, RedBones has the best regional renditions. Texas beef, St. Louis ribs, and Georgia pulled pork top the list. Tantalizing appetizers include sausage du jour, hushpuppies, buffalo shrimp, and corn fritters. An eclectic crowd of bikers, families, and singles on the prowl packs the psychedelic neon den downstairs, while barflies buzz about the 24 daily changing microbrews on tap. Lucky for 2 wheelers, RedBones offers a complimentary, first-in-the-nation bicycle valet.