3 Michigan Cities Ranked Among the 100 Best BBQ Towns in the US

A new survey ranking the barbecue options in America's 500 biggest cities says 3 of the country's best 100 locations are in Michigan.

Granted, we're not up there in the Top 10 with BBQ meccas like Kansas City, Memphis and St. Louis - but Michigan's holding its own.

So, what Michigan cities rated best? And how were they rated, anyway? Here are the saucy details.

Ranking America's Best BBQ Cities

Lawnstarter is behind the survey of "2024's Best Barbecue Cities in America". They looked a wide variety of metrics, including:

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Access - things like each city's total number of barbecue vendors and/or smokehouses;
Quality - a deep dive into consumer ratings and reviews;
Competition Awards - how well the city's barbecue mainstays fare in major sanctioned competitions with their peers nationwide;
Elite BBQ Memberships - the number of each city's establishments recognized to be among the best of the best within the Kansas City Barbecue Society; and
Hosting - the number of BBQ festivals or competitions each city annually hosts.

The 3rd-Best BBQ City in Michigan

This survey ranks Detroit as the 3rd-best city for BBQ in Michigan, 64th in America overall.

Detroit scores well for its access to great BBQ and consumer satisfaction, but Lawnstarter doesn't note any festivals or BBQ competitions being held in the city at all.

Photo via Facebook (T-Mo's BBQ)

T-Mo's Barbeque Pit in Detroit is considered a must, according to reviewers on Yelp.

The 2nd-Best BBQ City in Michigan

Grand Rapids gets honors for being the 2nd-best city for barbecue in the state.

Its BBQ offerings are highly rated by both the experts and consumers, but again, Lawnstarter notes no major festivals or competitions held in Grand Rapids.

Photo via Facebook (Two Scotts Barbecue)

Want to sample some tasty Grand Rapids barbecue? Yelp reviewers say to try the burnt ends at Two Scotts Barbecue.

The Top-Rated BBQ City in Michigan

So, with Michigan's two biggest cities out of the way, who's got the state's best barbecue?

According to this survey, it's Westland. While the city may not be able to offer the number of BBQ establishments that bigger places in Michigan can, it makes up for it in the number of vendors who are recognized by their peers for being downright amazing - places like Hogz Backyard BBQ, which is one of the area's favorite food trucks.

Photo via Facebook (Hogz Backyard BBQ)

It certainly doesn't hurt that the annual Blues, Brews & Barbecue Festival is held each year in Westland as well.