The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America Paperback – May 12, 2015

I would probably give this book 5 Stars, and I KNOW judging BBQ is highly subjective, but I cannot sit idly by as LC's BBQ in Kansas City is awarded a Top 100 ranking in this book. I live in Kansas City and have been to LC's recently. It is NOT good bbq. It just isn't. I don't judge it by the atmosphere, which is quite smokey. I don't judge it by the staff, who were extremely slow and really not even friendly. I like a good dive. I judge it ONLY on the quality of the food. The burnt ends were covered in hard, inedible fat and marinating in a puddle of grease. They were tough and covered in a cloyingly sweet sauce that I would rank among the worst in Kansas City (that I've tried). A few of us ordered coleslaw. One was frozen and the other was like mayonnaise soup. Both disgusting. The french fries were cut waaay too large, almost raw, and terrible. The only passable food we had was ribs. I would rate them 5 out of 10. I will definitely never go back to LC's. We have too much actual quality bbq in Kansas City for me to ever bother with that disaster again.This knowledge of LC's makes me question the author's process, even though he does lay it out nicely in the book. What other mediocre to downright terrible establishments have been erroneously granted "Top 100" status?

I have fortunately tried a variety of barbecue foods from meals I have eaten in both my personal and professional life. Still, curiosity indirectly and partially influenced why I purchased this kindlebook that is The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants In America by Johnny Fugitt that include: how the decision was made on what restaurants to visit, were there restaurants that wanted to meet the author, some barbecue place visits were planned in advance and others were spontaneous visits, what a typical restaurant visit was like, how the author kept track of all of the restaurants featured, the authors take on regional styles of barbecue and more.

Bought as a gift.

I discovered this well researched book on the 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America and after ordering it I couldn't wait until it arrived. I would have loved to be by this writer's side as he traveled the country visiting the best barbecue joints and feasting on all the tasty barbecue in each state. The amazing thing about barbecue is that there are so many tasty ways to smoke up ribs, chicken, brisket, sausage and then scratch make all the tasty sides. I discovered many new BBQ joints that I had never heard of before and made it a point to visit and enjoy the bbq feasts of these little known bbq pit masters. Barbecue is truly America's cuisine. Barbecue is how America celebrates and you'll be celebrating once you get this book! This is the bbq lover's book... no doubt. Thank You Johnny Fugitt for discovering these amazing local bastions of barbecue! Dave Anderson, America's Rib King and founder of Old Southern BBQ Smokehouse

Hands down, the best BBQ ranking I've ever come across! Little known fact: many if not most food rankings, both in print and online, are based on second hand research. The fact that the author actually visited all of these BBQ joints himself in the period of just one year speaks volumes about the credibility of his evaluation of each of these restaurants and the quality of their BBQ. I've been to a number of the places he's reviewed in this book and found his evaluations to be both accurate and insightful. I love this book! My family members WILL be receiving a copy for Christmas this year (please try to keep that under wraps, it's a surprise). It easily earned a spot on my coffee table and I highly recommend it for yours. Enjoy!

Buy this book for the list of America's best barbecue joints, and then enjoy the funny travel stories, honest reviews and anecdotes throughout, as an added bonus. I appreciate the author's honesty, clarity and attention to detail. Food reviews may always just be one man's opinion, but I actually find that to be refreshing in this case. One man's opinion without any fluff or bias.This isn't the kind of book you read once and put away or sell. I plan to hang onto this as a reference for future travels. Any time I visit a new city (or heck, I may even use this to come up with future road trip destinations), you can bet I'll be looking to check off one of America's 100 Best Barbecue restaurants from my list.

This is the best barbecue book I've read. Two things stand out. First, author Johnny Fugitt has approached the task of finding the country's best barbecue with unprecedented rigor, personally visiting 365 restaurants - including both the loved and undiscovered - within a single year. This stands in stark contrast to those lists, which have now become commonplace, that merely cobble together the views of multiple commentators who have not taken the time or effort to compare their favorite local establishment to America's best. It also makes Johnny an expert. Second, despite this research intensity, the book is highly readable. With a focus on the unique and interesting, this book can be read - and enjoyed - from cover to cover. Would highly recommend.

As a lifelong resident of BBQ country, I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Fugitt's well-written book. His writing is witty and insightful, with his passion for BBQ infusing every page. I often seek out new places while traveling and this book represents an indispensable resource for that. I won't hit the interstate without it! Apart from offering recommendations for destinations thousands of miles away, he seems to have also uncovered some new places in my region (can't wait to find out!).BBQ can be overwhelming topic and he also provides a good introduction and overview of the topic, which is useful to the uninitiated and weekend pitmaster alike. He does all of this while taking the reader along on the year-long BBQ adventure of a lifetime.

Fugitt writes with a clarity and purpose which has become very difficult to find. He pulls no punches, and shows no respect for the history of a restaurant, demanding at every turn they earn their reputation today, not just prove they earned it once, a long time ago. His determination to understand just what BBQ means to Americans in different parts of the country shines through in his boundless curiosity and exploration of every style and region, and his conclusion isn't just a listing of his favourite restaurants, but a selection of the best that BBQ in every part of America has to offer. Superbly done.

couldn't be happier