Sweet Lucy's wins a spot on best-barbecue list
Johnny Fugitt's smoky findings are contained in his new book "The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America," a chatty, informative look at not only the people and restaurants that he deemed "the best," but at 'cue culture around the country.
Just about a year ago, Johnny Fugitt was passing through Philly on his way to fulfill one of his life's missions: visiting 365 barbecue restaurants in 48 states over a year.
His smoky findings are contained in his new book The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America, a chatty, informative look at not only the people and restaurants that he deemed "the best," but at 'cue culture around the country.
Fugitt, a Missourian and Navy reservist who got the idea during a road trip, is no pro, as he points out. He's simply well-traveled and now well-fed.
Fugitt created his own national "best-of list" because, he says, there was no other personally curated and vetted list out there.
Best-of lists that cover a city, he explains, are fine because they are compiled by local writers who are familiar with the joints. But once lists go national, he says, they're simply marketing fodder. One person had probably not tried each sandwich in the list of "America's 10 best barbecue sandwiches," as Fugitt had. (He prefer the pork sandwich with slaw from Payne's in Memphis.)
Fugitt amassed 31,000 miles on his Subaru and racked up plenty more in airline seats. He maintained his weight, he said.
Among Fugitt's assertions is that the best city for barbecue today is Austin, Texas, home of Fugitt's #1 spot, Kerlin's. It's a relatively new spot operated out of a parked trailer. (Franklin, which makes most best-of-Austin lists, was ranked #7 nationally.)
Fugitt's #2 nationwide was Hometown Bar-B-Que in that BBQ mecca of Brooklyn, followed by Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que in Kansas City, Kan.
The top 25 restaurants are enumerated and get full-blown descriptions, while the next 75 are reviewed more tersely and are grouped by region. Philly gets limited love, as Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse in the Northeast was included among the 100 (he loved the ribs, sweet potatoes, and beans but shunned the brisket), as was Porky's Place in York (he raves about the pork wings).
Also on the list was Whole Hog Cafe, which is out of Little Rock but operates a branch in Cherry Hill. He can't vouch for the New Jersey branch, he said.
In a section of the book dedicated to specialties, the smoked bacon from Jimmy's BBQ in Malvern was 7th on the list of 10 Best Non-Traditional Meats or Main Dishes.
Fugitt said he didn't list all 365 restaurants that he visited because he didn't want to highlight the also-rans. He's covered them on his blog.
Besides Jimmy's, Porky's Place, and Sweet Lucy's, he visited Hog Father's in Washington, Pa., Rib Rack in Northeast Philadelphia, Percy Street on South Street, Zachary's in Norristown, Phoebe's on South Street West, Uncle Buck's in Shavertown, Pa., Windy Acres BBQ in Kutztown, Pa., and Schell's Hot Dogs BBQ in Temple, Pa., plus Henri's "Hotts" in Hammonton, N.J., Carolina Blue in Pitman, N.J., and Kelsey & Kim's Soul Food in Pleasantville, N.J.