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Barbecue isn’t easy. The long hours, the procurement of hardwood for fuel, the unpredictability of the process, and the cost of meat mean that the best smokehouses are run by passionate souls dedicated to perfecting an imperfect craft.
Even when the smoking’s done, pitmasters still have to please the picky palates of Denver transplants craving a taste of home. Is the brisket sliced or chopped, and is it offered in both lean or fatty cuts? Does the pulled pork have that certain vinegar tang from an eastern North Carolina mop or does it come with a mustardy South Carolina sauce? Are the ribs dry rubbed or glazed? Can you get burnt ends, rib tips, chicken wings, and meatless options like tofu and jackfruit?
There was a time when the Mile High City’s barbecue scene wasn’t much of a scene at all, but in more recent years the sharing of recipes and techniques on social media and cooking shows has turned art into science, allowing more pitmasters to dial in their products before going pro. So yes, the barbecue tide is high and more boats are rising with it—but the bar has also been raised so that what was once considered the best in town a decade or two ago is now merely adequate.
Here, a dozen of the best barbecue joints in metro Denver.
Jump Ahead:
Barbosa’s Barbeque. Photo by Mark Antonation
A decade ago, Alejandro “Alex” Barbosa launched his barbecue business in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, then relocated to Denver and cranked up the smoker in 2020. His brisket could very well be the best in town, with a deep smoke ring, coffee-dark bark, and rich flavor that penetrates to the center of each slice. But you’ll be plenty satisfied with Barbosa’s pulled pork that comes in big, juicy shreds.
You’ll find the compact trailer serving smoked meats and chef-level sides (we’re smitten with the agave lime coleslaw and mustard-forward potato salad) at local breweries (North Park Hill’s Long Table Brewhouse is a frequent stop), or you can put in a group order for pick-up or delivery to experience a full spread with add-ons such as smoked chicken salad in Alabama white sauce and green chile queso mac in your own home or office. Barbosa says his trailer isn’t air conditioned so he hasn’t made as many appearances this summer, but you can expect to see him at his favorite breweries once or twice a week once the weather cools.
Where: Mobile; see schedule for locations
Style: Texas (with surprises)
David and Jordan Haskia have only been serving Texas-style brisket, smoked turkey, pork belly, and a few unlikely finds—maple-glazed ribs and house-made sausage with Oaxaca cheese and serrano chiles, for example—for two years, but they’ve quickly become an integral part of Denver’s food truck and barbecue scene. But don’t just take our word for it: Texas Monthly barbecue editor and author Daniel Vaughn recently sampled and praised the ’cue at Jordy’s. We couldn’t agree more, and we rarely leave with room for dessert. That said, there’s tempting peach cobbler and banana pudding at the end of the menu—if you get that far.
Mama Jo’s pulled pork sandwich, banana pudding hand pie, and collard greens. Photo by Mark Antonation
Where: 3525 E. Colfax Ave., Denver (City Park)
Style: Carolina
Whether you’re sharing a picnic-style meal with multiple meats, sides, and desserts or just dropping in for a pulled pork sandwich, you’ll be deeply satisfied with every bite at Mama Jo’s. Let’s start with that sandwich: The cushy brioche buns and smoked Gouda biscuits (your choice) that serve as the base are baked in-house by co-owner Jodi Polson, and the pork itself is slow-smoked by her husband, Ben. The meat is supple and slightly tangy from the Carolina-style vinegar mop; creamy coleslaw and house pickle slices make for a messy but delicious combo.
Of course, you can order the pulled pork by the pound along with hot links, toothsome spare ribs, surprisingly craveable smoked jackfruit, Saturday-only brisket, and Wednesday-only wings. Make sure to sample the range of sauces, from sweet and spicy to tangy and mustardy. For sides, we recommend the spicy collard greens cooked with smoky bacon and the extra-gooey pimento mac and cheese.
Pit Fiend’s smoked lamb and brisket with house-made pickles and esquites. Photo by Mark Antonation
Where: 2826 Larimer St., Denver (RiNo)
Style: Texas
Dungeons & Dragons fans will appreciate the evolution of RiNo barbecue joint Owlbear BBQ into Pit Fiend in 2022, when a group of former Owlbear employees reopened in the same space after founder Karl Fallenius decided to close up shop. The monster-themed Pit Fiend has kept the fires burning, offering some of the most meltingly tender brisket you’ll ever have alongside Duroc pork shoulder and ribs, pulled lamb shoulder, and specialties like smoked lion’s mane mushrooms. They’re all available by weight or in sandwiches, pita, or rice bowls, along with both classic and original sides such as pit beans, mac and cheese, and esquites topped with Cotija cheese and Tajin.
While indoor seating is limited, you can spread out on the patio of Our Mutual Friend Brewing next door as long as you order beer. Do as the eatery’s motto suggests: “Eat good. Fight Evil.”
Read More: Get 2 Courses (and Wine) for Less Than $50 at These 7 Bib Gourmand-style Restaurants
Inside Berkeley’s Post Oak Barbecue. Photo by Mark Antonation
Post Oak’s brisket and pulled pork. Photo by Mark Antonation
Where: 4000 Tennyson St., Denver (Berkeley)
Style: Texas
Fort Worth isn’t the heart of the Texas barbecue scene; for that, you’ll have to head about three hours south to Austin. That’s where Fort Worth native and Post Oak Barbecue owner Nick Prince gets the wood (post oak, of course) that fuels the smokers and the inspiration for the deceptively simple brisket at his six-year-old Berkeley restaurant. Post Oak’s brisket seasoning isn’t complicated (Prince will give you the recipe if you ask) but it’s generously applied to find its way deep into the meat after hours of smoking, resulting in an almost sausagey flavor. There’s no need for sauce or bread, but if you’re feeling fancy you can order it in tacos and sandwiches, atop a baked potato, or in dirty (meaning studded with bacon and jalapeño) mac and cheese.
For a deeper dive into Texas-style beef, go on Fridays for rich burnt ends or weekends for giant smoked beef ribs.
Riot BBQ’s brisket torta. Photo by Mark Antonation
Where: 2180 S. Delaware St., Denver (Overland)
Style: Texas with Mexican influences
Food tends to ignore borders, so we invent names like Tex-Mex to describe an evolution of a cuisine that exists in both Texas and Mexico. In the modern world, styles of cooking and specific regional dishes can jump from city to city while skipping that slow evolution. That’s what you’ll find at Riot BBQ, thanks to partners Patrick Klaiber and Manny Barella. Klaiber’s smoked meats are mostly inspired by Central Texas, while Barella adds a taste of Mexico in the rubs (as with the pastor pork ribs), sides like the esquites cornbread, and pibil-style chicken tacos.
If you’re looking for something other than meat by the pound, the new brisket torta won’t let you down. A quarter pound of chopped brisket on a fresh, locally baked bolillo is the way to go, especially with some jalapeño-heavy escabeche from Riot’s condiment station.
Read More: Riot BBQ Throws Down in Overland
Roaming Buffalo’s smoked lamb, mac and cheese, and cornbread muffin. Photo by Mark Antonation
Where: 2387 S. Downing St., Denver (Rosedale)
Style: Colorado
Roaming Buffalo is proof that the Centennial State could have had its own distinct barbecue style all along. It turns out that iconic Colorado meats like lamb, bison, and venison do just as well when smoked low and slow as the more familiar beef and pork. You’ll find those here, in the form of mildly smoky brisket, ribs, and shoulder, along with deeply flavorful bison back ribs, savory pulled lamb shoulder, and juicy venison or bison green chile sausage. If you like your barbecue in sandwich form, we recommend the Redneck Reuben, a pile of chopped brisket, smoked cabbage, and Swiss cheese on marble rye bread.
Burnt ends and pulled pork with sides at Wheat Ridge’s Rolling Smoke Barbecue. Photo by Mark Antonation
Where: 2501 Dallas St., Aurora (Stanley Marketplace); 7470 S. University Blvd., Centennial; 7100 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge; 1012 Ford St., Golden (The Golden Mill)
Style: Oklahoma
Oklahoman Terry Walsh hit the streets of Denver with his Rolling Smoke barbecue truck back in 2014 before settling into Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace when it opened in 2017. Since then, he’s added Centennial, Golden, and Wheat Ridge outposts, and you can even sample the goods at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
So, what makes Oklahoma-style barbecue unique? Think of smokehouse traditions more as a continuum, with Rolling Smoke’s self-described Southern style falling somewhere between Kansas City and Austin. There’s a hint of spice in the pulled pork and ribs, but they’re not served saucy. For brisket, the best bet is the burnt ends served in dark-crusted cubes with a visible layer of fat that melts in your mouth.
William Espiricueta will open a streamlined version of Smōk, his modern barbecue joint located inside the Source Hotel, at Junction Food & Drink. Photo by Sarah Boyum
Where: The Source Hotel, 3330 Brighton Blvd., Denver (RiNo); 327 E. Foothills Parkway, Fort Collins
Style: Texas
We’re going to go out on a limb and say that RiNo’s eight-year-old Smōk is the best hotel barbecue you’ll find, in Denver or otherwise. Frankly, we can’t imagine trying to get some shut-eye while wisps of oak smoke waft upward from the restaurant’s deck.
Founder Bill Espiricueta lived in both Austin and Kansas City, but the meats, especially the brisket, lean Texas in style. Whether you stick with beef (fatty or lean), or dig into smoked turkey, pulled pork, or bone-in chicken, it’s all served on slices of white bread the way it’s done in the Lone Star State. Other favorites include smoked hot wings, pulled pork nachos, excellent elote-spiced deviled eggs, and a surprising fried chicken sandwich. If a B&B (bed-and-barbecue) isn’t your thing, head up to Smōk’s newer Fort Collins location.
Ribs and slaw at Smokin’ Yards. Photo by Mark Antonation
Where: 900 W. First Ave., Denver (Baker); 2736 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs
Style: Mixed
Alan Yard and his sons Ian, Scott, and Andrew debuted Smokin’ Yards in Idaho Springs in 2008 and then doubled down with a Denver shop in 2017. The Yards call their style “high-altitude barbecue,” so you’ll find a little of everything here, including Carolina pulled pork, Kansas City burnt ends, chopped or sliced brisket, and (our favorite) Saint Louis–style ribs labeled as “just bones” on the menu, which you can swap out for lean and petite baby back ribs for $3 more. The rib meat pulls from the bone easily without being dry or overcooked and carries a zesty dry rub that you can build on with house sauces. The menu is rounded out with Southern specialties such as a catfish po’ boy, fried okra, and mashed potatoes with gravy.
Devil’s Elbow at Switchback Smokehouse. Photo by Aaron Colussi
Where: 26220 Highway 74, Kittredge
Style: Eclectic
While Kittredge isn’t part of metro Denver, it’s only a half hour or so from the city and an easy stop for high-country adventurers. There you’ll find an unusual array of smoked meats, including pitmaster Darryl Swarts’ take on Montreal-style brisket (which is similar to pastrami), smoked duck breast and salmon, and Thursday-only beef tri-tip, a steaklike cut that originated in Santa Maria, California. If you’ve worked up an appetite while hiking or biking, go with the Devil’s Elbow, a gargantuan sandwich piled with pulled pork, fried pickles and slaw. Then follow it up with a scoop of house-made ice cream from the seasonal Switchback Sweetshack.
Read More: This Mountain-Town BBQ Joint Offers a Hellacious Pulled Pork Sandwich
Wayne’s beef brisket. Photo by Carol W. Maybach
Where: 406 Center Dr., Superior
Style: Texas
Texas native Wayne Shellnutt was a leader in the resurgence of Colorado’s barbecue scene when he opened his Superior smokehouse in 2013. After the Marshall fire closed Wayne’s in 2021, Shelnutt spent a year rebuilding and reopened in January 2023 for Friday and Saturday business only. Like the Lone Star State’s best barbecue destinations, Wayne’s opens at 11 a.m. on those two days and closes the doors when the meats are gone.
Of course, slow-smoked brisket is the star, along with sausage made from burnt ends. But you’ll also find original creations such as pineapple-glazed ham, candied pork belly, and hot-smoked catfish. When you’re finished eating, peruse the shelves for grass-fed beef butter, handmade tallow soap, and Wayne’s signature spice rub.
Dining and Cooking