Four Texas cities, including Dallas, earned spots on a top-50 list of large American cities with the greatest appeal to barbecue lovers, according to an analysis by the LawnStarter website.
Dallas received an overall score of 20.97 out of 100 in the ranking, coming in 29th. The other Texas cities serving up the best secret sauce are Houston, third place with a score of 37.51; Austin, 18th at 23.04; and Lubbock, 25th at 21.57.
The study ranked large cities based on 14 metrics, such as top-rated eateries and chefs, most barbecue restaurants per 100,000 residents, number of barbecue festivals and fan ratings. The best barbecue cities also tend to make consumers produce “meat sweat” after chowing down on helpings of the smoked meat, according to the analysis.
In total, LawnStarter ranked 199 of the largest American cities in terms of their appeal to connoisseurs of barbecued foods.
—
Top-50 List of Best Barbecue Cities
| Overall Rank | City | Overall Score | Access | Quality | Events |
| 1 | Kansas City, MO | 60.14 | 83 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Chicago, IL | 46.46 | 32 | 6 | 1 |
| 3 | Houston, TX | 37.51 | 38 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | Cincinnati, OH | 35.88 | 5 | 11 | 5 |
| 5 | Memphis, TN | 34.08 | 65 | 40 | 1 |
| 6 | Louisville, KY | 31.47 | 6 | 18 | 10 |
| 7 | St. Louis, MO | 29.86 | 78 | 2 | 59 |
| 8 | New York, NY | 29.22 | 16 | 24 | 9 |
| 9 | Minneapolis, MN | 28.61 | 36 | 3 | 59 |
| 10 | Overland Park, KS | 27.26 | 137 | 10 | 16 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | 27.07 | 9 | 52 | 5 |
| 12 | Richmond, VA | 26.47 | 91 | 4 | 59 |
| 13 | Denver, CO | 25.33 | 48 | 23 | 16 |
| 14 | Los Angeles, CA | 25.3 | 1 | 26 | 42 |
| 15 | Omaha, NE | 25.22 | 196 | 13 | 16 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | 25.08 | 164 | 17 | 11 |
| 17 | Grand Rapids, MI | 24.64 | 105 | 19 | 16 |
| 18 | Austin, TX | 23.04 | 11 | 16 | 40 |
| 19 | Elk Grove, CA | 23.03 | 26 | 46 | 16 |
| 20 | Raleigh, NC | 22.87 | 87 | 8 | 59 |
| 21 | Tulsa, OK | 22.63 | 141 | 7 | 59 |
| 22 | Charlotte, NC | 22.44 | 80 | 36 | 11 |
| 23 | Buffalo, NY | 22.04 | 22 | 82 | 11 |
| 24 | Little Rock, AR | 21.73 | 90 | 34 | 16 |
| 25 | Lubbock, TX | 21.57 | 33 | 12 | 42 |
| 26 | Nashville, TN | 21.33 | 25 | 14 | 42 |
| 27 | Philadelphia, PA | 21.02 | 29 | 80 | 16 |
| 28 | Baltimore, MD | 21.01 | 59 | 59 | 16 |
| 29 | Dallas, TX | 20.97 | 121 | 9 | 42 |
| 30 | Indianapolis, IN | 20.92 | 18 | 91 | 16 |
| 31 | San Francisco, CA | 20.41 | 45 | 131 | 5 |
| 32 | Lincoln, NE | 19.08 | 175 | 69 | 11 |
| 33 | Augusta, GA | 18.8 | 72 | 86 | 16 |
| 34 | Jackson, MS | 18.64 | 53 | 95 | 16 |
| 35 | Honolulu, HI | 18.6 | 2 | 94 | 59 |
| 36 | Boston, MA | 18.49 | 157 | 74 | 16 |
| 37 | Torrance, CA | 18.39 | 3 | 56 | 59 |
| 38 | Orlando, FL | 18.28 | 37 | 21 | 59 |
| 39 | Olathe, KS | 18.03 | 103 | 15 | 59 |
| 40 | Boise, ID | 17.85 | 55 | 108 | 16 |
| 41 | Oakland, CA | 17.68 | 7 | 41 | 59 |
| 42 | Greensboro, NC | 17.44 | 81 | 98 | 16 |
| 43 | Winston-Salem, NC | 16.77 | 173 | 167 | 5 |
| 44 | Corona, CA | 16.76 | 62 | 144 | 16 |
| 45 | St. Petersburg, FL | 16.57 | 12 | 39 | 59 |
| 46 | Birmingham, AL | 16.43 | 114 | 117 | 16 |
| 47 | Orange, CA | 16.37 | 17 | 38 | 59 |
| 48 | Glendale, CA | 16.31 | 8 | 53 | 59 |
| 49 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 16.18 | 10 | 49 | 59 |
| 50 | Fort Collins, CO | 16.14 | 119 | 127 | 16 |
Source: LawnStarter.com
