Nashville Barbecue, Explained

What makes Nashville barbecue

Start with the honest answer: Nashville doesn’t have one house style. The Infatuation puts it plainly, saying the city has no specific style beyond a focus on smoked pork1. Pitmaster Carey Bringle, who grew up here with family roots in West Tennessee, has said Nashville historically had good barbecue but no barbecue culture of its own, while Memphis was the capital6.

That gap got filled from every direction. Pat Martin opened his first Martin’s in Nolensville in October 2006 to carry on West Tennessee’s whole-hog tradition7, and twenty years later the company employs about 450 people across several states8. Bringle opened Peg Leg Porker in the Gulch in 2013 with Memphis-style dry ribs2, 6. Texas-style brisket arrived through places like Shotgun Willie’s, smoked over white oak and pecan2. And The Infatuation reports that Edley’s was the first spot to put a name on “Nashville-style”: low-and-slow meats under a hot dry rub built on cayenne and a habanero mash1.

Underneath all of it is pork. Eater Nashville describes the city’s pulled pork sandwiches as coming from “the whole-hog tradition of West Tennessee”2, and Tennessee barbecue more broadly is defined by Memphis-style ribs and pulled shoulder11. If you only eat one thing, make it a pork sandwich with slaw.

The spots everyone agrees on

Here’s where three independent sources overlap: The Infatuation’s guide (updated October 2026)1, Eater Nashville’s map2 and the 2026 Nashville Scene readers’ poll3, 4.

Worth knowing: Edley’s won Best Barbecue in the Scene’s 2025 readers’ poll5 before slipping to third in the Scene’s 2026 poll, behind Martin’s and Papa Turney’s3. Readers’ polls measure popularity, not a tasting panel, so read them as “who locals love right now.”

Where to go, by what you’re craving

Eight spots, one for every kind of hungry.

Neighborhood by neighborhood

• Downtown, SoBro & Broadway. Martin’s on 4th Ave S has an upstairs beer garden2. Two former Broadway stops are gone: Jack’s closed its Broadway location on August 4, 202513, and Rodney Scott’s at Chief’s closed in May 202614.
• The Gulch. Peg Leg Porker, steps from the busy mural district1.
• North Nashville & Jefferson Street. The Ooh Wee trailer and, on Clarksville Pike, Joyce’s for smoked chicken and ribs1, 2. Mary’s Old Fashioned Pit Bar-B-Que, on Jefferson Street since 1962, closed on February 1, 202512. Jack’s on Trinity Lane is The Infatuation’s preferred Jack’s1.
• East Nashville & Madison. Curry Boys, the tiny Stoke Haus brewery and, just north in Madison, Shotgun Willie’s1.
• 12 South. The original Edley’s, with a covered patio for people-watching1.
• The Nations & Germantown. Bringle’s for the patio crowd and Butchertown Hall for brisket tacos in a beer hall2.

A one-day barbecue route

Four styles in one day: Texas brisket, Tennessee pork shoulder, Memphis dry ribs and West Tennessee whole hog. Split plates and pace yourself; nobody finishes four full meals.

Food trucks and trailers

Ooh Wee Bar-B-Q is the bright blue trailer on Jefferson Street. Eater credits pitmaster Freddie Waller and lists $1 chicken legs on a “99 cents” menu2, while The Infatuation (more recently) puts the legs at under $31. Expect prices to have moved. Papa Turney’s started as a truck before settling at Nashville Shores1. Trucks move, so check their social accounts the day you go.

When to go, and beating the sell-out

• Arrive at opening for brisket and ribs. Shotgun Willie’s ribs “always seem to be sold out,” and the spot itself warns that meats run out1, 2.
• Weekends need an 11am start. That’s when The Infatuation says to show up at Stoke Haus for weekend-only brisket1.
• Go early at Curry Boys. The Infatuation calls its brisket sell-out risk “pretty high”1.
• Plan around specials. Bringle’s does birria tacos on Thursdays and smoked prime rib on Fridays2.

What’s changed

Spots close and polls change. Here’s what we’ve updated, newest first.

• Oct 2026Martin’s took Best Barbecue and Best Ribs in the Scene readers’ poll; Edley’s, the 2025 winner, placed third in the Scene’s 2026 poll3, 4, 5.
• May 2026Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s on Broadway closed14.
• Aug 4, 2025Jack’s closed its Broadway location; Trinity Lane and Charlotte Ave remain13, 15.
• Feb 1, 2025Mary’s Old Fashioned Pit Bar-B-Que, on Jefferson Street since 1962, served its last plates12.

Watch before you go

Which Nashville spots made The Infatuation, Eater and the Nashville Scene lists? See Tennessee barbecue on the best-of lists, with every list credited and linked.

Nashville barbecue FAQ

Sources

1. The Best BBQ In Nashville · The Infatuation · published Oct 14, 2026
2. The Best Finger-Licking Barbecue in Nashville · Eater Nashville · published updated May 2024
3. Best of Nashville 2026 readers' poll: Best Barbecue · Nashville Scene · published Oct 8, 2026

How we write guides. We don’t publish our own reviews or scores. Listings reflect where independent press and readers’ polls agree, and every claim links to its source. Paid placements never change a guide. Hours and sell-outs change, so check with the spot before you drive.