Sonoma County has a barbecue style all its own. It takes inspiration from the South, Texas and Missouri, as well as closer to home — like California-style smoked tri-tip — to create a one-of-a-kind mashup of flavors and techniques from around the country.
For National Barbecue Day (May 16) — or any day of the year — here are some of the best barbecue spots in Sonoma County.
Our Dining Editor’s Top Picks
A&M BBQ
A&M’s Kris Austin (of Austin’s Southern Smoke BBQ) is among the faithful believers of investing time in worth-the-wait barbecue, turning muscly cuts of beef and pork into soulful Texas-style, smoke-ringed slices of joy with the proper Southern ratio of fat to meat, meaning just enough but not too much. Brisket is what you’re here for, and after 12 hours of white oak and almond wood smoke and 10 hours of resting, it’s just about right and ready to serve. The Mississippi-born Austin has barbecue in his soul, having learned the craft from his mother, aunts and uncles. As with any good apprentice, it took years for the tongs to pass to Austin, who just keeps working to get it perfect. 495 S. Main St., Sebastopol, 707-888-1315, ambbqllc.com
Sweet T’s Restaurant + Bar
Sweet T’s continues serving the southern comfort food locals love. Aside from their acclaimed fried chicken and Mississippi mud pie, you can’t go wrong with one of Sweet T’s barbecue plates, such as the smoked tri-tip plate with fried okra, black-eyed peas and biscuits. 9098 Brooks Road S., Windsor, 707-687-5185, sweettssouthern.com
KINSmoke
Southern meets Western-style barbecue at KINSmoke, where grilling and smoking tender meats is elevated to an art form. With its finger-licking good St. Louis-style pork ribs, succulent pulled pork and brisket sandwich, and sweet cornbread muffins, it’s easy to see why KINSmoke consistently gets rave reviews. 304 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-473-8440, kinsmoke.com
What A Chicken
Find barbecued chicken (and other meats) served however you like it — in a hefty burrito, on corn tortilla tacos with fresh salsa, on a salad with generous amounts of fresh avocado, or served whole with a choice of two sides, such as beans, rice, coleslaw and potato salad. 706 E. Washington St., Petaluma, 707-971-7549, coolgri.wixsite.com/website
Other Popular Spots
Saucy Mama’s Jook Joint
Traditional soul food and Louisiana barbecue from a local family with southern roots, Saucy Mama’s hits all the marks when it comes to serving up comfort food with a heavy helping of hospitality. Best bets for a classic southern barbecue feast here are the hot links, fall-off-the-bone BBQ Pork Ribs and the Flintstones-inspired Yabba Dabba Beef Rib. Entrees come with cornbread and two extras — choose from such sides as okra, mac and cheese, collard greens, potato salad, and red beans and rice. Don’t miss the sweet potato pie for dessert if you’re going for an authentic southern treat. 16632 Highway 116, Guerneville. 707-604-7184, saucymamasjookjoint.com
Legacy BBQ
Joe Edwards III’s father, a Louisiana native, was the pitmaster at Porter Street BBQ in Cotati where The Jaded Toad is now. Today, Edwards continues in his father’s footstep at his catering business Legacy BBQ, which he runs out of a commissary kitchen, complete with a wood burning smoker. He hopes to grow it into something bigger, to pick up where his father left off. For now, he recreates family recipes from memory, like glossy baby back ribs, glazed lightly with barbecue sauce; St. Louis cut pork spareribs, with a dry mahogany-hued rub; and beef ribs, cooked low and slow for half a day or more over hickory smoke. On Instagram @legacybbq707. Contact: lgcybbq@gmail.com
The Hot Box BBQ
Part catering business, part barbecue smoker on wheels, The Hot Box BBQ offers a variety of innovative barbecue sandwiches, which come with your choice of smoked pulled pork, smoked chicken or smoked tofu (so vegetarians aren’t left out in all the fun). Favorites include The Maui Wowie with pineapple, pickled onion and housemade peach barbecue sauce, and The Volcano with housemade jalapeño pepper jelly, Sriracha aioli and crispy onion bits. Also find salads, coleslaw, potato salad, pork ribs and smoked cornbread. 16155 Drake Road, Guerneville. 707-394-5135, thehotboxbbq.com
Canevari’s Delicatessen
This old-school Italian deli on the corner is the best place to grab a gourmet sandwich for lunch (the tri-tip sandwich with Dijon aioli is a favorite) and pick up housemade ravioli and sauce in bulk. But Canevari’s also offers fresh-off-the-grill barbecued meats, like juicy Italian sausage and a tender tri-tip that never disappoints. 695 Lewis Road, Santa Rosa, 707-545-6941, canevarisdeli.com
Camacho’s Southern Style BBQ
Seriously spectacular mobile barbecue. You can find them frequently at local taprooms around Santa Rosa. Find locations at Facebook.com/CamachosSouthernStyleBBQ. 707-595-7427; camachosbbq.com
Han Bul Korean BBQ
While Han Bul offers an assortment of Korean cuisine specialties, like bibimbap and kimchi fried rice, the Korean barbecue is what you’re here for. Bring some friends and treat yourselves to the family-style BBQ Sets, which come with three or four kinds of grilled meats (like short rib, pork belly and sliced brisket) along with rice, steamed egg, Doenjang soup, Korean vegetable pancakes and banchan omakase (small side dishes to accompany your meal). 522 Seventh St., Santa Rosa, 707-919-3094
Luau Hawaiian BBQ
Hawaiian barbecue classics abound at this relatively new family-owned restaurant on Stony Point Road. The Beef Loco Moco is a filling lunch bowl of steamed rice, macaroni salad, barbecue beef in gravy and perfectly fried eggs. For other traditional Hawaiian specialties, go for the BBQ Chicken Musubi, BBQ Beef Saimin and BBQ Pork Luau bowl. 447 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, 707-843-5610, luauhawaiianbbqsr.com
Red Bee BBQ
For generous portions of Asian barbecue fusion, Red Bee BBQ has you covered (like your fingers will be when you dig into the tender BBQ Pork Ribs glazed in a sticky sweet barbecue sauce). Other favorites here include the juicy Smoked Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket, with sides of macaroni salad, baked beans and cornbread to sop up all those delectable juices. 750 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, 707-541-6536; 6560 Hembree Lane, Suite 186, Windsor, 707-836-4090. redbeebbq.com
The Bird
To start your weekends off on the right foot (or wing?), slow smoked barbecue is sold on Fridays at The Bird (formerly Willie Bird’s). A go-to is the Tri-Tip Sandwich, made with thinly sliced smoked tri-tip cooked in a housemade dry rub and served on a brioche bun. There’s also smoked baby back ribs in a house barbecue sauce, a brisket sandwich or dinner, and fun barbecue sides, such as tater tots and jalapeno cheddar cornbread. 4776 Sonoma Highway, Santa Rosa. 707-542-0861, thebirdrestaurant.com
War Pigs BBQ
This Santa Rosa-based catering and pop-up barbecue business offers Texas-style brisket, Kansas City-style pork ribs, and California-style barbecued chicken and tri-tip, served with all the necessary fixings, like quality potato salad and baked beans. The rave-worthy dirty fries topped with pulled pork and coleslaw is a satisfying meal on its own. 3082 Marlow Road, Santa Rosa, 707-508-5551, bbqhustlers.com
Lombardi’s Gourmet Deli & BBQ
Family-owned and operated for nearly 20 years, Lombardi’s has long been a go-to spot for locals to gather provisions for picnics or cater family functions. Lombardi’s barbecue catering is perfect for summertime events, from tender, dry-rubbed baby back ribs and flavorful barbecued oysters to gourmet deli sandwiches and fresh salads. 3413 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-773-1271, lombardisbbq.com
Roy’s Chicago Dogs & BBQ at the Yard
Though it’s in an unassuming location at the Petaluma Livestock Auction Yard, Roy’s Chicago Dogs & BBQ offers up some of the best Chicago-style hot dogs in the county, along with a fine selection of barbecue from Thursday to Saturday. St. Louis-style ribs are smoked to a juicy tenderness and served with a deep-fried mac and cheese ball and a side of spicy mustard coleslaw, and the smoked brisket sandwich with an apple cider vinegar barbecue sauce is topped with pickled onions and served on a soft roll. 84 Corona Road, Petaluma, 707-774-1574, roys-dogs-bbq.my.canva.site or Facebook
Jaded Toad BBQ & Grill
An excellent location for tri-tip baby back ribs, chicken, linguica sausage and ‘que sides in a family-friendly atmosphere. 500 E. Cotati Ave., Cotati, 707-242-3383, jadedtoad.com
Cochon Volant BBQ
Chef Rob Larman, of Cochon Volant BBQ, brought back his famous barbecue during weekend pop-ups at Sonoma’s Il Fuoco restaurant. From noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Cochon Volant serves pizza, brisket, pork shoulder, baby back ribs by the pound, barbecue sandwiches, coleslaw and baked ranch beans. 18350 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, 707-509-5480, facebook.com/CochonVolantBBQ
The Butcherman
A barbecue joint located within The Sonoma Cheese Factory is bound to come out with to-die-for sandwiches, and The Butcherman does not disappoint. The succulent brisket sandwich is dressed with bread and butter pickles and habanero pickled red onions, and the smoked turkey sandwich is topped with bacon, gruyere, tomato, onion, mixed greens and garlic aioli. Other standouts include the pulled pork-topped nachos and creamy mac and cheese (add the house sausage for a meaty mac). 2 W. Spain St., Sonoma, located at The Sonoma Cheese Factory. 707-996-1931, thebutchermansonoma.com
Ginochio’s Kitchen
From the striking views of the bay to the family-style Italian cooking, Ginochino’s offers a little something different than most barbecue spots, including their housemade ravioli and famous caramel bacon monkey bread in addition to their tender and juicy smoked beef brisket. 1410 Bay Flat Road, Bodega Bay, 707-377-4359, ginochioskitchen.com
Worth the trip: Stateline Road Smokehouse
Michelin star-trained chef Darryl Bell Jr. turned his attention to barbecue and launched Stateline Road Smokehouse in Napa with business partner Jeremy Threat.
After falling in love with barbecue in his native Kansas City, Bell has spent thousands of hours toiling over smokers, testing different meats and wood fuels, and not sleeping very much. The result: you can taste the love (and talent) in every morsel.
Customers arrive in droves to snatch up succulent pulled pork butt ($11 small, $20 large), double-smoked burnt ends ($12/$22), Rocky free range chicken ($18 half bird), delectable hickory smoked Black Angus beef brisket ($18 per ½ pound) and exquisite ribs ($24 half, $44 full order). 872 Vallejo St., Napa. 816-694-3197, stateline-road.com
Jennifer Graue and Carey Sweet contributed to this article.