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Where To Eat › Barbecue
Short answer: Tennessee barbecue is pork: Memphis ribs, dry-rubbed or sauced, and pulled pork shoulder, per Memphis Tourism, and whole hog in rural West Tennessee, per the Southern Foodways Alliance. Below: places that cook it, two road trips with real road times, and the yearly festivals and cook-offs.
- 23Places listedeach from its own site
- 12Yearly festivalsfrom organizer pages
- 2Road tripswith road times
- 2StylesMemphis ribs and whole hog
How we checked: the places’ own websites, the state tourism office’s 2025 barbecue list, Memphis Tourism, the Southern Foodways Alliance, festival and contest pages, and our own events calendar. All read on November 4, 2026. Hours, prices and dates change, so confirm with the place or organizer before you drive. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. We rank nothing: no source we used ranks these places, and we did not taste, rate or compare them. Nobody paid to be listed.
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How Tennessee Barbecue Works
Tennessee barbecue is pork, and two traditions lead. Memphis Tourism says Memphis barbecue is mainly ribs and pulled pork shoulder cooked low and slow, and that the city’s defining argument is dry against wet: dry ribs are coated in a spice rub and smoked without sauce, wet ribs are basted while they cook and sauced before serving. Out in rural West Tennessee, around Henderson and Lexington, pitmasters smoke the whole hog, per the Southern Foodways Alliance’s 2003 oral histories. Our styles page explains both and compares five other Southern states.
This section is built so you can act on that. Where To Eat Barbecue groups places by style, each linked to its own site with the days it says it is open. Barbecue Road Trips turns the styles into two drivable days with road times between stops. Barbecue Festivals lists the yearly festivals and cook-offs, from Memphis in May to Lynchburg, with the next date only when the organizer has published one. Hot chicken has its own page: BBQ And Hot Chicken Guide.
Next Barbecue Events
No barbecue events are on our checked calendar right now. We add them when the organizer publishes a date. The barbecue festivals page lists the yearly ones.
Map of Barbecue Places
More Barbecue Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between dry and wet Memphis ribs?
Per Memphis Tourism, dry ribs are coated in a spice rub and smoked without sauce; wet ribs are basted while they cook and sauced before serving. Our styles page has the detail.
What is West Tennessee whole hog?
A whole hog smoked for many hours, the rural West Tennessee tradition the Southern Foodways Alliance recorded around Henderson and Lexington in 2003. More on the styles page.
When is Memphis in May barbecue?
The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest runs in May at Liberty Park. The organizer lists May 12-15, 2027; one heading on its site says May 12-17, so check before you book.
Do Memphis barbecue places close on Sundays and Mondays?
Many do. Cozy Corner and The Bar-B-Q Shop list Sunday and Monday as closed, the Rendezvous lists no hours for those days, and Interstate closes Sunday. Leonard’s and Germantown Commissary list Sunday hours.
Sources
- Memphis Tourism, What Is Memphis-Style BBQ?, read November 4, 2026 (dry and wet ribs, pulled pork shoulder)
- Southern Foodways Alliance (University of Mississippi), Rural Tennessee BBQ Project, 2003, read November 4, 2026 (West Tennessee whole hog)
- Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (tnvacation.com), barbecue bucket list article, published October 15, 2025, updated October 20, 2025, read November 4, 2026 (the state tourism list)
- Memphis in May, World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, read November 4, 2026 (contest dates)
- Tennessee Vacation, BBQ Festivals in Tennessee, read November 4, 2026 (festival names only; dates come from organizers)
How we check: editorial standards. Spot a mistake or a closure? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's Tennessee, “Tennessee Barbecue: Styles, Places, Road Trips and Festivals”, itstennessee.com/barbecue/ (updated ). By the It's Tennessee editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.