The Super Bowl is all about the food, and nothing is better than fried chicken, BBQ ribs and cornbread. Here are some of the best BBQ spots in New Jersey to elevate your Big Game spread.
332 BBQ
1 S. Main St., Mullica Hill
For a limited time, the hot honey crispy chicken sandwich is what you should order off the menu. Slow-smoked brisket is also the name of the game here. Plus, they are known for their brisket, chicken and pork nachos.
Austin Cho Kitchen
163B Main St., Hackensack
Menu items for Korean BBQ fusion include Bad as Texas Brisket, pulled pork sandwich, Kajun fries, Korean BBQ ribs, rice bowl, empanadas, Korean BBQ brussels, and a cholander sandwich.
Back Alley Barbeque
2591 Haddonfield Rd., Pennsauken
Their specialty here is the ribs, which they smoke out in the open, literally in the back alley. You can also get chicken, brisket or pulled pork with string beans, collard greens, mac & cheese or yellow rice on the side.
Back Bay BBQ
135 Longpoint Somers Point Blvd., Somers Point
Some items you won’t find anywhere else are jerked chicken, pastrami and chicken kabong. They throw shrimp, scallops, coconut shrimp, tuna, crab cakes, flounder and mahi mahi on the grill. Sides and extras are cowboy beans, L&T (lettuce and tomato with dressing) and a Meal Deal (any two sides plus a drink). If you’re going to eat-in, the restaurant is dog-friendly, so bring the pooch, too.
Bearded One BBQ
933 Rte. 33, Monroe Twp.
As you drive down the highway, don’t miss this stationed food truck pulled off to the side. You’ll want to hop out of the car for pork spare ribs, smoke-fried wings, stuffed grilled cheese, beef brisket, mac n cheese and baked beans.
Big Ed’s BBQ
305 Rte. 34, Old Bridge (Matawan)
Start with classics like a crock of chili, chili cheese and onion potato skins or apple fritters. Share a dinner combo with the adults, like baby back ribs, baby and pulled pork, a trio of pork/chicken/brisket or ribs and fried clams. The Kids Buckaroo Menu for Little Eds under 10 includes choices like pulled chicken, fried chicken, pulled pork, baby back ribs and macaroni & cheese. Add corn off the cob, coleslaw or applesauce to your meal. It’s also a great spot to hang out, since you can catch lots of sports action on their various TVs.
Boss Hog Barbecue
13 South Plainfield Ave., South Plainfield
The key here is the slow-smoked ribs, brisket, pulled pork and chicken that are 100 percent wood-fired. Get them as plain meat, platters or in a sandwich.
Brothers Barbecue Palisades
Palisades Center, West Nyack, NY
The Farella Brothers bring the best of Southern hospitality and North Carolina BBQ to their communities in Ramsey and New Windsor, NY. Their newest location brings their BBQ classics, plus a new Happy Hour.
Brothers Smokehouse BBQ & Soul
900 Rte. 17 N., Ramsey
You can take home your dinner, but if you eat in, you’ll be treated to live music. The menu includes Beaufort shrimp, bacon burnt ends, smokehouse nachos, Uncle Bo’s shrimp and sticky ribs. Get your meal from the pit, on a bun or in your hands. Family-style portions include a full rack of ribs, half a chicken, half a pound of brisket and half a pound of pulled pork; or two full racks of ribs, one pound of brisket, one whole chicken and one pulled pork or chopped BBQ. You have to get some pickles, coleslaw and cornbread, no doubt.
Chop Box
Although this isn’t a restaurant, Chop Box is a New Jersey-based meat and delivery service that offers fresh cuts of filet mignon, steakhouse burgers, salmon and skinless chicken breasts that you can fire up yourself on the grill.
Daddy Matty’s BBQ and Catering
6 Elmer St., Madison
Appetizers include homemade salsa and chips, or stuffed jalapenos. If you are starting lighter, go for the arugula and tomato salad, homemade tomato soup or BBQ salad. Then go whole hog and order a smoked turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce on a ciabatta bun, Nex Mexico pork green chili, a combo meat platter or smoked salmon (must order 48 hours in advance). There is a Colorado-style Mexican menu including a brisket burrito, Navajo tostada and New Mexican hatch green chiles rellenos.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
Multiple Locations
Signature pit-smoked meats and pit-smoked wings come as Cue Combos, build-your-own plates, deals and group packs. Get some loaded baked potatoes, brisket chili cheese fries, green beans and bacon and crispy fried okra on the side.
Fat Jack’s BBQ
3820 Rte. 42, Turnersville
If you can’t wait to eat til you get home, this resto has a drive-through for your BBQ needs. Plus, they feature a recipe of the month if you’re willing to try it at home. The brisket cheesesteak, Notorious P.I.G., Spicy Texas Twister and Tennessee Tornado are a handful of the Specialty Sam’iches. Family Packs are Hawg Heaven, Squeal Meal Deal and Pig Nik Pak, which come with meat, sides, sauces and cornbread. The Sweet Southern Endings include Georgia pecan pie, Southern sweet potato pie and banana wafer pudding.
Fink’s BBQ Smokehouse
26 W. Madison Ave., Dumont
Texas Lollipops (smoked sausage kebab wrapped in bacon) and pork fries (fries smothered in pulled pork and two cheeses) are the way to start your meal. Next up, try a buttermilk battered shrimp basket or broiled garlic shrimp for your entrée. Meats include pulled pork, pulled turkey, chopped beef, Fried-a-Que chicken, mixed BBQ potato hash, center-cut ribs or end-cut ribs. Go light with a green salad or go heavy with a buttermilk chicken slider.
Fire & Flavor BBQ
640 Middlesex Ave., Metuchen
Imagine BBQ with a Portuguese twist. Think pulled pork on a Portuguese roll, charcoal chicken and ribs combo, grilled skirt steak over jambalaya, fried calamari with homemade mango salsa, They also serve Italian spaghetti and meatballs, Mexican tacos and pork belly chimichurri.
Henri’s Hotts Barbecue
1003 Black Horse Pike, Folsom
Homestyle cooking is offered only from 12-7 pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so plan your weekend around this BBQ joint. Load up on platters, burgers, sandwiches, wings and sides. Whether you’ve got a large family getting together or a group of kids, there are special menus for them, too. The chili and the 7Up cake are made fresh daily.
House of ‘Que
Hoboken
HOQ serves up authentic Austin-style barbecue along the waterfront. Award-winning Texas Pitmaster Michael Rodriguez dishes up over 4,000 pounds of in-house smoked chicken, sausage, brisket, pulled pork and ribs weekly. All the meat is hand-seasoned with Rodriguez’s proprietary rub and then smoked low and slow with a blend of oak and hickory, topped with a selection of in-house barbecue sauces. There is Texas-sized fun here, as dueling pianos, live bands, trivia, entertainment and sports games entertain the whole family. Plus, come by on the weekends for a special brunch menu.
KB’s BBQ Smokehouse
1077 Stuyvesant Ave., Irvington
The standout here is the BBQ Flight, which lets you choose three different types of meat to put on top of sliders. We recommend the beef brisket, jerk chicken, potato salad, sriracha slaw and 5-cheese mac and the strawberry cucumber limeade is pretty good, too.
Kimchi Smoke BBQ Shack
2 Godwin Ave., Ridgewood
The Legendary Meats come in 8-ounce or 16-ounce portions: pork shoulder, Texas brisket, Korean BBQ ribs, NYC XXX Bacon (pork belly), southern fried ribs. Since there is a Korean flair here, add Korean slaw, kimchi, rice, Not Cho Mama chili or Korean BBQ cauliflower, colander fries or General Cho’s chicken tenders on the side. If you’re looking for a complete meal, opt for a box that includes meat and two sides.
Local Smoke BBQ
Multiple Locations
Quite possibly the most unique part about this restaurant is its line of CBD sauces, which include original sweet BBQ, spicy BBQ, Carolina style and buffalo. The 4-ounce bottles contain 100 mg of CBD so you can relax after a long day. For the kiddies, go for the regular food menu: there is a burger and dog of the month, seasonal specialties, lots of apps and meat, of course.
Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue
850 Rte. 3, Clifton
Eat like Fred Flinstone when you order the Brontosaurus Rib, or a sandwich made with only the burnt ends of the brisket. Other options include spare ribs, a crispy chicken sandwich and spicy or BBQ wings. There’s also a rice bowl and empanadas on the menu.
More Than Q
3524 Rte. 1, Princeton
Order pulled pork, pulled chicken, sausage, brisket or pork spare ribs by the pound, and add on wings and chicken thighs to your plate. Collard greens with bacon and garlic, hush puppies, fried pickles and cheddar cheese grits complement this southern meal.
Mostly Smoked BBQ Inspired Eatery
520 Rte. 9, Manalapan
Robert Sankovsky spends the majority of his time cooking all of the food here fresh: brisket, pulled pork, turkey, chicken and ribs. Add a side of mac-n-cheese that has freshly grated cheese mixed in; or burnt-end baked beans that have the best part of the freshly smoked brisket mixed in; or parmesan chive mashed potatoes. If you don’t want a platter, opt for a smoke fried chicken sandwich with house-made coleslaw, homemade pickles and Alabama white sauce on a brioche bun; or a smoked buffalo chicken eggroll. Of course, cornbread is needed on the side. And all of the sauces are made in-house, too.
Mutiny BBQ Company
808 5th Ave., Asbury Park
The Jersey Shore is synonymous with seafood, food-wise, but you can still get great smoked meats along the beach. This craft smokehouse creates small batches of BBQ in the southern tradition, incorporating flavors and methods from Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City and Louisiana. Order brisket sliced or chopped, get Texas-style sausage or try a BBQ Cubano sandwich. Don’t hit “order” until you add the cornbread casserole to your items.
Oink & Moo BBQ
Bell Works, 101 Crawfords Corner Rd., Holmdel
63 W. Main St., Somerville
Coming soon: 456 Elizabeth Ave., Somerset
The house-made cornbread stuffed with pulled pork and smothered in chipotle honey is a must-try. Or start with pulled pork nachos. For soups, go with Oink & Moo Chili or the chicken tortilla soup. There are house-made Carolina BBQ, Oink and Moo original BBQ and Spicy Q BBQ sauces. If you prefer seasoning, ask about the variety of rubs: Oink, Cluck, Moo, chili, coffee, Shark Bite or Under the Sea. There are signature sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, gourmet burgers, BBQ platters and meat-only menu items.
Pulled Fork BBQ
38 E. Mill Rd., Long Valley
The menu changes quite frequently. Some options include chopped beef brisket, pulled pork and Texas beef sausage by the pound; sausage tacos or BBQ stuffed tacos; The Big Dawg 1/4-pound beef hot dog; and ranch beans and cornbread pudding.
Red White & Que Smokehouse
150 Rte. 22, Green Brook
The owner went from the U.S. Marine Corps to a classic southern BBQ joint. Brisket, pastrami, pulled pork, turkey breast, chicken, ribs and sausage are sold by the pound. Add some mac & cheese, baked beans or collard greens on the side, or save your appetite for banana pudding or icebox cake.
Smokehouse Grille and BBQ
5012 Rte. 33, Wall Twp.
The rotisserie chicken is cooked in a clay oven, the brisket is cooked Texas-style and the pulled pork and chicken are made Carolina style. The buffalo wings come with buffalo or barbecue sauce. There are also a dozen different jumbo hot dogs on the menu. The burgers are made with a half-pound of fresh Angus beef.
Smokey Sliders
1144 Rte. 33, Farmingdale
The burgers, pulled pork, pulled chicken and sliders are guaranteed to be a hit at any backyard party. Order BBQ wings, St. Louis fire braised ribs, chicken parm or salmon on a bun, or a 6-piece ice cream slider package for dessert.
Smokies Craft BBQ
333 Atlantic City Blvd., Bayville
They provide homemade local BBQ, BBQ sandwiches and BBQ platters to the Ocean County area. Sizes range from specialty plates to classic platters to junior platters to Lil Smokies (for kids 12 and younger). Choose from grilled cheese, a BBQ Sundae (a layered bowl of baked beans, pulled pork or chicken, coleslaw and your choice of sauce), Mac Bowl, a variety of cheesesteaks and deviled egg potato salad.
The SouthSide Smokehouse
315 Cedar Bridge Ave., Lakewood
Lakewood is well-known for its Jewish culture, and this restaurant serves it up foodwise with selections like schnitzel pastrami, corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, Reubens, smoked sandwiches and smoked meats. You can also try a pastrami burger or liver crostini.
Whole Hog Cafe
1811 Rte. 70 West, Cherry Hill
67 N. Main St., Medford
Aside from ordering a pulled pork or smoked sausage sandwich, you can get ribs and chicken, plates of meat, combo platters and even salads. Desserts include salted caramel cheesecake or a fudge brownie. If you eat in, the dining area is BYO.
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