Hill Country's glory is its moist brisket, though that gets stiff competition from its pork ribs, which only slightly edge out its beef ribs, and then there are the sausage specials.
For my taste, the city's residents are too calorie-conscious; I was appalled to learn that a hot new barbecue restaurant had to stop giving its patrons a choice between "fatty" and "lean" versions of its excellent brisket because almost no one ordered the fatty.
Neighborhood joint Smoque BBQ is known for its sliced brisket, St .Louis-style spareribs, and peach cobbler; for maximum cred, it sources its peppery sausages from Taylor, Texas.
At its worst, brisket cooks up dry and bland, with stringy meat that sticks in your teeth.
The glory of Pearson's, New York's only pit barbecue restaurant, is its beef brisket, which is the barbecue cut of choice in Texas.
A year ago, Bludso's Bar-&-Que on La Brea Avenue opened on Super Bowl Sunday, serving the first of its smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork, mac 'n' cheese, baked beans and rib tips.
Ben's Deli, an unrelated chain of delicatessens around New York, has put a $15 surcharge on its catered holiday brisket package, and canceled its annual March corned beef celebration.
WHEN Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the Hamptons in 1998, one of their stops was Turtle Crossing, a Western-style barbecue joint in East Hampton known for its ribs, smoked brisket, onion rings and corn bread.
Where to Get It: Consistently claiming the top spot on "best of" lists, Franklin Barbecue in Austin has been called "barbecue nirvana" by Serious Eats for its famously tender brisket piled high on wax paper.
