Best Barbecue

1. Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

Multiple locations, lucillesbbq.com

Talk about doing due diligence. Craig Hofman spent years on a road trip of the best American barbecue shacks before developing a barbecue restaurant concept around Southern hospitality and blues music (possibly inspired by B.B. King’s famous Gibson guitar that he named Lucille). Hofman chose Long Beach for the first location in 1999.

Lucille’s has topped this Best of OC category for 20 years. The BBQ food dishes are slowly smoked with hickory wood using spices popular in Texas, Memphis, and the Carolinas. The large menu is highlighted by such entrées as Texas-style beef brisket, St. Louis ribs, baby back ribs, smoked Alabama half chicken, smoked pulled pork, hot honey-glazed salmon, Southern fried catfish, and shrimp. Then there’s New Orleans gumbo, jambalaya, chimichurri top sirloin steaks and more than a dozen sandwiches or burgers. Among the appetizers are buttermilk battered onion straws, smoked BBQ nachos with smoked brisket, pulled chicken or pork and hot honey cauliflower bites.

On Destination Days, Lucille’s has special discounted food and drink offerings for dine-in guests. This is separate from the weekday happy hour deals from 3-7 p.m. and 9 p.m.-close. Hours may differ by location. Lucille’s is also available for large party celebrations.

Mimi J. of Yorba Linda wrote on Yelp about Lucille’s that the family supper is “really a lot of portions. The meats were tender, juicy and the BBQ flavoring was perfect.”

COURTESY PHOTO

The large, diverse menu at Lucille’s includes hatch green chile cheese grits.

– George A. Paul

2. Heritage Barbecue

31721 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano heritagecraftbbq.com

Heritage is known for long wait times, but corporate chef-turned-pitmaster Daniel Castillo’s Central Texasinspired food is apparently worth it, garnering rave reviews from multiple U.S. food publications and organizations. Register restaurant critic Brad A. Johnson named it his Restaurant of the Year for 2022.

After successful pop-up events with local breweries, Heritage opened a physical location with a patio and picnic tables in 2020.

Castillo says Heritage was the first restaurant in California to use analog offset smokers as used in Texas. They take patience. “We are a true live fire cooking restaurant and offer the traditional Texas trinity of brisket, ribs and housemade sausage, but we are also known for pushing the boundaries of traditional barbecue,” more like SoCal craft barbecue. “That’s why you’ll see everything from brisket banh mi and pastrami tortas to smoked pork belly musubi and pulled pork adobo rice bowls.”

Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (or until sold out) WednesdaysSundays.

Launched by awardwinning pitmaster “Famous” Dave Anderson in 1994, the restaurant chain has nearly 200 locations nationwide.

“From our hand-rubbed hickory smoked meats to our dressings, we pride ourselves on being a scratch made kitchen,” affirms Scott Hohenstein, marketing and catering manager. “We source the highest quality meats and trim them up like we’re in a competition.”

He cites the All-American BBQ Feast — which serves up to six people and includes St. Louis-style spare ribs, tri-tip, countryroasted chicken, Wilbur beans, coleslaw, fries and cornbread — as the most popular menu item.

Nashville hot chicken, tri-tip and Southern fried chicken sandwiches were recently added as sandwich options, along with steakhouse filet, blackened salmon, and veggie salads.

There are also signature burgers such as the JackedN-Stacked, Dave’s Favorite and The Ultimate, various platters, a few desserts and kids’ menu selections.

Catering is available for any type of event from 1010,000 guests.

3. Famous Dave’s

13122 Jamboree Road, Irvine; 714-462-9179 famousdaves.com