Every week, this group proves one thing: good barbecue is alive and well. If you’ve been cooking lately, bring it to the table. Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram.

Now, here’s what we’ve been cooking up all week…

First up, Southern Living names the top barbecue joint in every Southern state, highlighting everything from Carolina chopped pork to Texas brisket temples. Also, Beyond Meat is getting a rebrand. Plus, some must-try recipes for super-crispy grilled chicken wings, smoked cream cheese, and a grilled banana split that will have you rejecting regular ice cream forever.

Every week, we crown the DMS champion of BBQ. And there are only two ways to enter: 1) Submit a pic to the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group 2) Tag us on Instagram. If you aren’t sharing (and competing), what the hell are you waiting for?

This week’s Smoke Show Champ is Coy Goodnight for a pretty convincing “cheaters pastrami.” Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Honorable mention to Joshua Stevenson for this tasty-looking pork butt. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Honorable mention to “Smalltowngrill.” Fresh tomatoes, good steak, and hot honey is a lineup that’s hard to beat. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Have a Smoke Show submission? Stop wasting your time posting on all those other sites and share it with the Facebook group that gives a damn: Dead Meat Society. Or just tag us on Instagram.

That one story that will make you infinitely more interesting than your know-it-all brother-in-law. Seriously, wtf is that guy’s deal?

Every year, someone releases a list of the “best” barbecue joints in America.

And every year, pitmasters (and the armchair experts) everywhere immediately start arguing.

The latest version comes from Southern Living, where readers voted on the best BBQ joint in every Southern state. The list pulls together legendary institutions, modern smokehouses, and a few places that will start debates at the table.

We all know that when it comes to barbecue, there’s no such thing as universal agreement.

The picks cover the full range of Southern barbecue traditions.

Alabama lands on Dreamland Bar-B-Que, famous for its ribs and old-school smokehouse roots. Arkansas goes with Wright’s Barbecue, bringing Texas-style brisket to the Ozarks. Georgia’s Southern Soul Barbeque keeps its reputation as one of the South’s must-visit pit stops.

North Carolina highlights Lexington Barbecue, a temple of chopped pork and vinegar dip that’s been doing things the same way since the 1960s. Kentucky’s Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn earns its spot with a menu built around mutton and burgoo.

And Texas? No shock here. Franklin Barbecue still holds the crown with brisket that regularly creates lines before sunrise.

Some traditions never change.

The list also highlights something pitmasters already know: Southern barbecue isn’t one style. It’s a whole ecosystem of smoke traditions. Here’s the cheatsheet:

Texas: Brisket rules. Salt, pepper, post oak, patience.

The Carolinas: Whole hog, chopped pork, and vinegar sauces that aren’t for everyone.

Memphis: Dry-rub ribs and pork sandwiches that don’t need sauce to be memorable.

Alabama: Chicken and white sauce. One of barbecue’s strangest and best ideas.

Kentucky: Mutton, burgoo, and traditions that go back generations.

Different meats. Different sauces. Same obsession with smoke.

Lists like this are always fun. But everyone reads them the same way. First, you check your state. Next, you decide they got it wrong. And finally, you plan a road trip to hit all the rest.

Last week, we asked: How are you doing St. Patrick’s Day this year?

40% of you answered, “Smoked corned beef.”
Smoke really does improve everything…

This week, we want to know…

Everyone claims they know the best BBQ joint. But what actually makes one the best?

*Check back next week for the results*

Like the memes you send back and forth in your group chat, except these won’t get you canceled. Oh, and lots more grill marks.

🥩 PITMASTER OLYMPICS: Hundreds of teams. Three days of smoke. One champion. The Houston rodeo cook-off, AKA the “World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest,” crowned its winners for 2026.

🥩 BRISKET PTO: If Rus or Kyle loses their job after this, we know why 👇

🥩 MEANWHILE… MEAT: Beyond Meat, the “plant-based” giant, is shifting strategy and moving beyond fake burgers into drinks and other protein products. And I think I speak for all of us when I say… “gross.”

🥩 TINY PIT ENERGY: Proof that barbecue is less about equipment and more about commitment 👇

🥩 SHRED HAPPENS: Smoke it long enough, and the pork gives up 👇

Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

Tips, tech & gear that’ll help you beat your friend’s meat. Wait, that came out wrong…

🥓 FAT BALANCE: A little fat makes steak better. A huge fat cap just makes fires.

🥓 TACO NIGHT RUB: Ten pantry spices, one jar, and suddenly every grilled steak thinks it’s taco night.

🥓 TEMPERATURE TRUTH: If you’re serious about barbecue, the probe thermometer is the most honest tool in the pit.

🥓 TOUGH CHOICE: Spoiler: she was the one who had to go 👇

🥓 BIRD BAPTISM: When chicken gets this treatment, nobody asks where the brisket is 👇

Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

Like a Paula Deen cookbook, but with less butter and more BBQ sauce.

If the skin isn’t crisp, we need to talk.

Season a block of cream cheese and let the smoker do the heavy lifting.

Ice cream is good. Ice cream after grilling bananas is better.

Have a recipe you want to share? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

A happy ending just for you.

That’s it for this week. If you make any of the recipes above, you’re legally obligated to share pics on the DMS Facebook Group or tag us on Instagram so we can feature them next week (sorry, we don’t make the rules).

And since the only thing that is better than grill marks and ice-cold beer is grill marks and ice-cold beer with a side of dad jokes, we’ll leave this right here…

Dead Meat Society Merch in the wild.

We LOVE a Dead Meat unboxing. Shout out to @captaincurrency300

Flip it. Grip it. Stage it. The Dead Grill Station Kit Bundle gives you control over the meat and the mess, complete with…

It’s not just tools, it’s your grill station, dialed in. What are you waiting for?

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