N.J.’s 31 best BBQ joints ranked for 2025. A new No. 1 is crowned!

A photo of pork ribs and sides

Our statewide guide the best barbecue in all corners of New Jersey is here now, happy eating! Oink and Moo pictured here.Oink and Moo BBQ

Nothing gets me going quite like the smell of smoked meats: ribs, brisket, chicken, you name it.

Back in 2015, I proclaimed that New Jersey was a barbecue wasteland. The outlook has improved since then; there’s great barbecue in New Jersey, you just have to know where to look. Is New Jersey on a par with, say, the Carolinas? Of course not. But the state’s selections are well ahead of our options ten years ago.

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