Nashville does not have a proprietary BBQ style. This is not a weakness. The city has built a strong BBQ scene precisely because it borrows from every regional tradition without owing allegiance to any of them, and because it has produced two or three pitmasters whose work is nationally recognized on its own terms.
The Nashville BBQ Landscape
The city’s most common BBQ style, if forced to name one, is hickory-smoked pork, pulling loosely from Memphis and West Tennessee traditions. But Nashville’s top BBQ spots range from whole hog to dry-rub ribs to Texas-style brisket, and the variety has become a feature rather than a sign of identity confusion.
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
Multiple Nashville locations, including 410 4th Ave S downtown (a short walk from Broadway).
Pitmaster Pat Martin opened his first location in Nolensville in October 2006 after learning West Tennessee whole hog BBQ in Henderson, TN. The whole hog is smoked 22 to 24 hours over local hickory. Staff arrives at 5am every day. There are no freezers and no microwaves in Martin’s kitchens. Martin has appeared on Netflix’s Chef’s Table: BBQ and on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and wrote a book on live-fire cooking. For whole hog BBQ specifically, Martin’s is the Nashville answer. The ribs and brisket are also considered among the city’s best. The downtown location is walkable from Broadway and does not require a car.
Peg Leg Porker
903 Gleaves St, The Gulch. Closed Sundays.
Pitmaster Carey Bringle is a Nashville native who lost his leg to osteosarcoma as a teenager, hence the restaurant’s name. He has cooked at the James Beard House twice, a recognition given to a small number of BBQ pitmasters nationally. Southern Living readers named Peg Leg the 2024 Best Barbecue in Tennessee. The signature is Memphis-style dry rub ribs cooked over hickory. The ribs are not fall-off-the-bone soft, which would indicate overcooking; they have the right resistance before yielding. Kool-Aid Pickles and banana pudding are the sides that get specifically mentioned by regulars. Bringle also operates Bringle’s Smoking Oasis in The Nations, which does West Texas-style brisket and smoked pastrami and was named by Southern Living as one of the 22 Best New Barbecue Restaurants of the South in 2024 (ranked 11th).
Jack’s Bar-B-Que
Charlotte Ave and Trinity Lane locations. Open since 1976.
The original downtown BBQ institution. Jack Cawthon’s menu covers Tennessee pork shoulder, Texas brisket and sausage, St. Louis style ribs, and smoked turkey. No single style dominates; the range is the point. The food is consistent across five decades.
Edley’s Bar-B-Que
Three Nashville locations. The grits casserole side dish has developed its own reputation. Brisket and ribs are the main attractions. The baked beans and mac and cheese are notably better than the average BBQ side program.
Nashville vs. Texas
Texas BBQ is built around beef brisket, cooked in offset smokers predominantly with oak or post oak, and served without sauce or with a sauce on the side that is understood to be optional. The best Texas BBQ operations, particularly in Central Texas, produce brisket with a bark and smoke ring that Nashville rarely matches. Martin’s brisket is good; it is not Central Texas brisket. The techniques and the wood are different, and so is the cattle. Nashville does not compete with Texas on brisket and should not try to.
Nashville vs. Carolina
Eastern North Carolina BBQ is whole hog cooked over wood coals, mopped with a thin vinegar and pepper sauce, and piled onto a bun or a tray. Western North Carolina and South Carolina have their own traditions built around specific sauce profiles (vinegar-tomato and mustard-based respectively). Nashville has whole hog at Martin’s, which is West Tennessee style and related to the tradition. The vinegar sauce tradition is not native to Nashville.
The Honest Assessment
The best BBQ in Nashville, in terms of consistent quality and national recognition, is at Martin’s (for whole hog and overall cooking philosophy) and Peg Leg Porker (for dry rub ribs specifically). Neither competes with the top tier of Central Texas brisket or Eastern North Carolina whole hog on purely stylistic grounds. Nashville’s advantage is range: you can eat six different BBQ traditions within five miles of each other.
Sources
- Notes on Nashville, “Where To Find Nashville’s Best Barbecue,” notesonnashville.com
- Nashville Lifestyles, “Best Barbecue in Nashville,” nashvillelifestyles.com
- Nashville Restaurant Atlas, “Best Barbecue in Nashville,” nashvilleatlas.com
- A Little Local Flavor, “Best BBQ in Nashville,” alittlelocalflavor.com
- Southern Living, “2024 Best Barbecue in Tennessee”
- Southern Living, “22 Best New Barbecue Restaurants 2024”
- Tripadvisor, Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint reviews, tripadvisor.com
- Appetites Abroad, “Discovering the Best BBQ in Nashville,” appetitesabroad.com