This Kentucky City Has Been Named One of the South’s Top Three Best BBQ Towns

When you grow up in Owensboro, Kentucky, barbecue is just a fact of life. It's always been there. It will always be there. And it will always be phenomenal. We're the Barbecue Capitol of the World, and we not only own it, but we prove it every day.

Favorite Barbecue

I've tried it all and have never been disappointed. My favorite is mutton, but the brisket, pork, and chicken I've devoured throughout the decades are nothing to sneeze at either. The hickory used to smoke the meat is the perfect choice, and then you have signature sauces from each of Owensboro's legendary barbecue joints. Whether it's Old Hickory or Moonlite or Ole South, slather it on everything.

Southern Living Picks Owensboro as a Top Three Southern BBQ Town

The staff at Southern Living knows good eating when they see it, smell it, and, above all, taste it. I'm a fan of their many lists of "the best whatever in the South." With their most recent tally, the iconic lifestyle publication is sharing the glory that is Southern barbecue. They've chosen their three favorite BBQ towns in the South, and Owensboro makes the cut.

Southern Living's Owensboro Highlights

I love how Southern Living refers to Owensboro's big three as "mutton houses." That never occurred to me, but I dig it. Southern Living digs Moonlite's hickory-fired pit and diverse buffet; Old Hickory's mouthwatering "dip" and tangy burgoo; and Ole South's breakfast offerings and coconut cream pie.

But the Southern Living judges were all on board with the barbecue. Of course they were. We're Owensboro. We have barbecue sauce in our veins.

Or is it "dip"? If you polled the crowd, I don't think anyone would care one way or another. As long as it's barbecue.