Bulletin board reviews from a diverse audience provide exceptionally balanced and reliable info on restaurants of all kinds. A fantastic resource for info on new places.

Greater Boston / Northern New England / Southern New England

NYC Manhattan / NYC Outer Boroughs / New York State / New Jersey

Menu Pages

Very useful search tool and menu listings site for several large American cities, including New York and Boston. A great way to locate (participating) BBQ joints by neighborhood; New York's listings are infinitely more representative than Boston's.

Boston / Boston BBQ / Boston burgers

New York / New York BBQ / New York burgers

Road Food

Nice site featuring mom & pop joints across the country; Connecticut-based writers; barbecue coverage is limited for the Northeast compared to the South; reviews tend to be positive-only but generally reliable. Most of the reviewed joints are in the New York Area: Big W's Bar-B-Q in Wingdale NY, Dinosaur in NYC, Georgia's Eastside BBQ in NYC, Hill Country in NYC, RUB in NYC, Second's BBQ in Amityville NY, Southern Hospitality in NYC. For some reason, the search engine no longer returns several formerly available Northeast BBQ reviews, but here are some links: Bub's (Sunderland MA), Curtis BBQ (Putney VT), Uncle Willie's (Waterbury CT).

eGullet

Well-written site covering all aspects of enjoying food. Check out this preview of Bailey's Smokehouse in Blauvelt NY.

Grub Street

Originally the restaurant blog of New York Magazine, Grub Street has since taken its entertaining restaurant news and gossip site national.

Eater

Clever writing and objective position make it the go-to site for restaurant openings, closings and gossip in New York City and now also in Boston.

Boston / New York

Zagat

Web version of those popular maroon pocket guides; the opinions are not all that useful, but it's a good source for leads, addresses and phone numbers.

BBQ Pilgrim (dormant)

Multimedia site with profiles and recordings of barbecue personalities. Northeast BBQ joints include Dinosaur in NY and Curtis BBQ in Putney VT.

Phantom Gourmet

Restaurant directory by the Boston-based TV show; scope includes New England; I watch the TV show but the BBQ reviews are generally not very reliable.

Serious Eats / Serious Eats: New York

This site is a must-visit for foodies, with restaurant banter (minus the gossip), food news and trends and ocasional barbecue paydirt.

BBQ-Festivals

Guide to BBQ festivals held around the country. Also includes hot sauce festivals, restaurant listings, competition info and links to BBQ blogs.

Kevin's BBQ Joints (dormant)

Great resource for barbecue joints all across the country, with handy Google maps.

BBQ Blogs with Some Restaurant Content

White Trash BBQ, now White Trash Barbecue (dormant)

Brooklyn-based blogger Robert Fernandez riffs on competitions, home cooking and news from the barbecue world, with some restaurant commentary. Check out his reviews of Blue Smoke, Bone Lick Park, Brother Jimmy's (1), Brother Jimmy's (2), Brother Jimmy's (3), Bobbique, Daisy May's (1), Daisy May's (2), Daisy May's (3), Daisy May's (4), Dinosaur (1), Dinosaur (2), Fatty Cue, Fette Sau, Jake's, Joey's, Mo Gridder's, RUB (1) , RUB (2), Ruby's Famous BBQ Joint, Spanky's, Three Brothers Butcher, Virgil's, Waterfront Ale House, Wildwood BBQ.

NYC BBQ Blog (dormant)

Not a critic, just a BBQ lover on a quest. Check out the reviews of Blue Smoke, Brooklyn Ice House, Brother Jimmy's, Dallas BBQ, Dallas Jones BBQ, Dinosaur, Fette Sau, Fort Reno, Hill Country, Jake's BBQ, Little Brother BBQ, Peaches Hot House, Pork Slope, Smoke Joint, Spoonbread Too.

3rd Degree Berns BBQ Sabbatical (dormant)

The "realm of the unkosher" extends from Georgia (author's previous location) to New York (new location), plus the Carolinas to Texas to Kansas City. Check out his reviews of Blue Smoke, Bone Lick Park, Dinosaur, Fette Sau, Hill Country.

Hampton Smoker (dormant)

New York blogger Matt Fisher focuses on cooking, with some restaurant content.

Ted Lorson's BBQ Blog (dormant)

Connecticut writer from the QHaven competition team that was the NEBS 2006 rookie team of the year; focus is on competitions, with some restaurant content. Check out his reviews of Big Bubba's BBQ (1), Big Bubba's BBQ (2), Black-eyed Sally's, Chester's BBQ, The Cookhouse Café, Daisy May's (1) , Daisy May's (2), Danny's Little Taste of Texas, Dinosaur BBQ (Syracuse), Hill Country, Holy Smokes, Red Rose Cafe, Route 7 Grill and SouthernQue.

BBQ Illuminati (dormant)

Sledneck's new blog is a mix of barbecue, barbecue news and all-around enjoyment of good eats. Check out his reviews of Express BBQ, RUB and Ruby's Famous BBQ Joint in New York, plus Lexington #1 in North Carolina.

HomeBBQ

All-around site with recipes, instruction, bulletin boards.

Restaurant Blogs with Some BBQ Content

Off the Broiler

Inside the mind of eGullet founder Jason Perlow, with daily updates and an abundance of photos and multimedia. Check out his coverage of Bailey's Smokehouse in Blauvelt NY, Bourbon BBQ in Wyckoff NJ, Dinosaur in NYC, Front Street Smokehouse in Elizabeth NJ, Hill Country BBQ in NYC and video of the 2006 Big Apple Barbecue Block Party.

Writing With My Mouth Full (more recipes now)

This New York writer covers high end and ethnic fare, but weighs in on Daisy May's, Dinosaur, Fatty Cue, Hill Country, Oklahoma Smoke, RUB, Town Line BBQ and Wildwood BBQ.

Hub Food Trucks

Info and reviews on Boston's most popular food trucks, all in one place. Barbecue truck reviews include BBQsmith, M&M Ribs, Redbones.

Blog Soop (dormant)

A clever blog compilation resource for New York restaurants: choose the cuisine, location or restaurant and see what various bloggers had to say.

Ozersky TV (dormant)

Although the star of Josh Ozersky's videos is always himself, the co-star is often great coverage of barbecue and barbecue personalities, including Scott Smith of RUB and Adam Perry Lang of Daisy May's.

Beef Aficionado

Yet another New York blogger, with a focus on beef, from high end steakhouses to burger shacks and barbecue joints. He has a love/hate relationship with Hill Country, with posts after the 2007 Big Apple Block Party, after his first visit in July 2007, an August 2007 visit, and a November 2007 visit. Also check out his recent reviews of Fette Sau (Brooklyn), the Smoke Joint (Brooklyn), Southern Hospitality and Wildwood BBQ (NYC).

From Away

Maine's leading food bloggers get a good dose of barbecue in: Buck's Naked, Deux Cochon, Shaw's Ridge Farm, Sista's BBQ, The SoPo

(plus many joints with near-BBQ items on the menu)

OmNomCT

A Stamford-focused couple hits it all from bistro to joint, and some of the joints are barbecue: Ash Creek Saloon, Bar Q, BJ Ryan's B AN C House, Bobby Q, Dinosaur BBQ (be sure to check out the many burger posts as well)

Blog and Website Directories

Blogarama

Blog directory with many search categories.

Blog Flux Directory

Blog directory with many search categories.

Blog Top Sites

Blog directory with many search categories.

BBQ Bulletin Boards & Forums

Steve Raichlen's Barbecue Bible

Extensive postings of BBQ restaurants, some in the Northeast.

BBQ Brethren / Forum (membership required but free)

Comprehensive BBQ cooking resource, with an occasional restaurant mention, such as: Porky/Les on Bad Bob's in Oceanside NY; MotoEric/Eric on BBQ Inc. in Rockville Centre NY; Sledneck/Steve on Big Daddy's in Massapequa; Porky/Les on Big Ed's Barbeque in Long Beach NY; BigBarry on Bobbique in Patchogue NY; Pigmaker23/Eric on Buck's Naked in Freeport ME (and other Maine BBQ); RockawayBeachBQ on Daisy May's in NYC; Cabrito/Walter on Harbor Q in Port Washington NY; Porky/Les on Hill Country in NYC; Militant Squatter/Vinny on Hog House in Merrick NY; Pigmaker23/Eric (and others) on Mo Gridder's in the Bronx; Sledneck/Steve on Mo Gridder's in the Bronx; MotoEric/Eric and MilitantSquatter/Vinny on RS Jones in Merrick NY; MAsQue/Brian and others on Rib City Alehouse in Port Jefferson NY; MilitantSquatter/Vinny on RUB in NYC;

MilitantSquatter/Vinny on Ruby's Famous BBQ Joint in East Meadow NY; MilitantSquatter/Vinny on Ruby's Famous BBQ Joint (new pitmaster 2009) in East Meadow NY;MotoEric/Eric on Second's BBQ in Amityville NY; MotoEric/Eric and Sledneck/Steve on Second's BBQ in Amityville NY; MotoEric/Eric on Smokehouse Grill in Sayville NY; MotoEric/Eric asking about Smokey Joe's in Stamford CT; MotoEric/Eric on Smokin' Al's in Massapequa Park NY; MotoEric/Eric on Smokin' Sloe's in Northport NY; Sledneck/Steve and others on SoulFire in Boston MA; Sledneck/Steve and others on South of the Border BBQ in East Meadow NY; Militant Squatter/Vinny on Southern Hospitality in NYC; Militant Squatter/Vinny and MotoEric/Eric on Sparky's Texas BBQ in Farmingdale NY; Militant Squatter/Vinny (and others) on Swingbelly's in Long Beach NY; MotoEric/Eric and Sledneck/Steve on Tennessee Jed's BBQ in Wantagh NY; Militant Squatter/Vinny on Willie B's in Bay Shore NY.

Roadfood Forums

These are broken down by topic and include all regions of the US. Here's the BBQ forum.

BBQ Forum

Valuable BBQ cooking resource, including a bulletin board, blog and podcasts featuring interviews with noted BBQ personalities.

BBQ Association Websites

NEBS - New England Barbecue Society

Lots of information on New England and New York barbecue competition events, cooking classes, judging classes and barbecue events open to the public.

KCBS - Kansas City Barbeque Society

Intense site geared to barbecue competitions nationwide, including schedules, rules, etc.

Northeast Competition Teams With Web Sites

Bastey Boys

IQue / see also IQue Blog / see also Fearless Chef

I Smell Smoke / see also The Barbecue Odyssey

Lakeside Smokers Blog

Lost Nation Smoke Company

Lunchmeat (photo album)

Muzzle Brake Outfitters

Pigmaker Productions

Purple Turtle Catering Company

R2BQ, aka Sledneck

Ribs Within

Smoke In Da Eye / see also Blog In Da Eye

Transformer BBQ

Yankee Barbeque

BBQ Restaurant Info/Reviews Elsewhere in America

Holly Eats

This is an all-around hole-in-the-wall review site with a focus on hot dog joints, New England clam shacks, Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwiches and North Carolina BBQ.

Off The Broiler's Finger-Lickin' Ginormous Carolina 'Q Post

Jason Perlow's recent barbecue tour through North and South Carolina.

The Texas BBQ Trail

A guide to the legendary "Texas Hill Country" joints in the greater Austin area.

Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints

Compiled in May 2013 and listed alphabetically by city, this guide is chock full of info for a Texas BBQ crawl. Also see the June 2008 list.

Full Custom Gospel BBQ (Texas) (dormant)

Over a hundred Texas barbecue joints reviewed, with even more listed that haven't been reviewed yet. This includes many of the legendary Texas joints you've heard about and hidden gems you probably won't read about anywhere else.

Doop and Kyle's Bar-B-Q Review (dormant)

Florida barbecue, reviewed Siskel and Ebert style with two opinions.

Smoked Pig and Sweet Tea (dormant)

Barbecue reviews from the South, mostly covering Florida. The posts aren't recent, but there's some good info there.

BBQ Books, Magazines, Newspapers

National Barbecue News

Mostly geared to competition schedules and news, often with features and listings of BBQ restaurants.

Pigout Publications

The only bookstore that specializes in BBQ books.

BBQ Sauces

Hot Sauce Blog

The go-to site for hot sauces also covers BBQ sauces.

BBQ Sauce Reviews

Very entertaining site, with subjective but scientifically-determined ratings of sauces. Good selection of large and small manufacturers, including restaurants.

Mostly Cooking Blogs

Amazing Ribs

"Meathead" has created an educational site about ribs and barbecue that's as entertaining as it is informative.

Nibble Me This

Prolific posts, fantastic photography.

Homesick Texan

Whether it's the food or the stories, it's always a great read.

My Year on the Grill

One man's attempt to improve his outdoor cooking skills (grilling and smoking) to justify his $12,000 patio.

One Food Guy (dormant)

His restaurant list overlaps perfectly with mine, and his pizzas rock.

Food On the Food

A traditional food blog with amusing anecdotes, assorted recipes and links to other typical, traditional (read:non-BBQ) food blogs that are outside the radar of most of the other links on this page.

Other Food and Drink Blogs You May Like

Burgers

A Hamburger Today

The lowdown on burgers, with a strong Northeast focus.

Beef Aficionado

Already listed above, this one deserves another mention here because it's very much a burger blog and what I consider the authority on New York City burgers.

Boston Burger Blog

The name pretty much says it all. I've been to many of the places reviewed by this burger loving duo, and I mostly agree with their findings.

Burger of the Month (dormant)

Rankings of New York burgers by a dedicated panel.

Burger Sutra (dormant)

His-and-hers reviews of burgers from Boston to Washington DC.

Small Boston Kitchen

Cooking, high end dining, and burger reviews from a woman's perspective.

Wings

Hot 'n' Saucy Wings (dormant)

This site is the Pigtrip of Buffalo wings, possibly the only food more fattening bite-for-bite than pork ribs.

Best Wings: Long Island

Nice new site with concise, edgy reviews and fantastic wing porn. Appropriately, many of the reviews are of barbecue joints: Smokin' Al's Swingbellys Tennessee Jed's

Men of Wings (dormant)

Boston-centric site with reviews that head out to western Mass, New Hampshire and Vermont. A few barbecue joints got a look here as well: Farm Bar Theodore's Whiskey's

Hawaii

Ono Kine Grindz (dormant)

If you're planning a trip to Hawaii and want some ono grindz, or just want to live vicariously, this is da site, bra. The recent posts have become a little less Hawaii-centric and a lot less frequent, but there is a huge repository of info on good Oahu eats.

Tasty Island

Another Hawaii food blog, with frequent updates and a good mix of cooking and restaurant content. For some mouthwatering BBQ grindz, check out this post: Big Island Smoked Pork.

Boston

Hub Chow (dormant)

Irreverant Boston restaurant blog that's refreshingly honest, always perceptive and often hilarious.

Other

Bacon Unwrapped

This often-updated blog on barbecue's kissin' cousin is a gateway to all things bacon.

Pho Fever

If you're willing to travel the country in search of Vietnamese noodle soup, this is the site for you.

Hot Sauce Blog

The authority on hot sauces.

The Blog Nut (dormant)

All doughnuts, all the time. 'Nuff said.

Starbucks Gossip

The dirt on that corporate behemoth that some love and some loveto hate.

Scanwiches

Sandwich food porn unencumbered by words.

Chefs, Barbecue and Otherwise

Dr. BBQ

Ray Lampe, formerly of New York City's Southern Hospitality, has a revamped site with more photos and more information.

Media

Feed Me

The dish on Long Island's food and restaurant scene from Joan Reminick, Erica Marcus and company at Newsday. Requires subscription to see more than just the previews.

North Jersey.com Food and Dining

North Jersey restaurant news from the Record.

MC Slim JB

Boston's most erudite food critic is a regular (and my favorite) Boston Chowhound contributor who was offered gigs with the Weekly Dig, Stuff @ Night, Boston Phoenix and Boston magazine. I particularly like his rants on the Phantom Gourmet and Todd English.

Food Service

Waiter Rant

This behind-the-scenes account from a waiter's perspective is funny, informative and was one of the most addictive reads on the internet until he wrtote his book. Check out the older stuff first.

The Bitchy Waiter

Another waiter blog that seems angry at first, but there's some thoughtful stuff in there.

Server Not Servant

Boston food service professional Patrick Maguire's rambling on customers, tipping and all things restaurant service-related.

Just Plain Fun

Suicide Food (dormant)

A celebration of logos and other advertising where the pigs and other mascots seem to want to be killed or eaten. No longer acttive but still a fun read.

Here's the YouTube video on chicken fried bacon. That's right, chicken fried bacon. The videoclip is a television segment on Frank Sodolak's Original Country Inn in Snook, Texas. About 7 years ago (assuming the clip is current), Sodolak made culinary history by inventing the deep fried treat. You gotta love it. What's better than bacon? Battered, deep-fried bacon.