Tennessee BBQ Road Trip Planner, by Region

Before you pick a region

Tennessee has 3 grand divisions, and our site groups 495 spots on our list into 8 areas across them, per our Tennessee page. A few rules hold everywhere:

1. Pick the day first. Many barbecue spots close early in the week. On 2 of our trails, Sunday and Monday don't work at all.
2. Follow the road, not a list. Our trails run in driving order.
3. Split plates. Plan 1 to 3 full meals a day and share the rest.
4. Call ahead. Hours change.

West Tennessee · Memphis and whole hog country

What it's known for

Memphis ribs, served dry or wet, and West Tennessee whole hog, per our Memphis vs. Nashville guide and whole hog guide.

Start here

Memphis in a Day, 4 stops in about 8 miles and about 20 minutes of driving, Tuesday to Saturday.

• Tops Bar-B-Q, 1286 Union Ave. Breakfast until 10:30am at this location, per Tops' site1.
• Cozy Corner, 735 N Parkway. Open 11am to 8pm Tuesday to Saturday, per their site2. Cozy Corner is featured in Tennessee Tourism's Made in Tennessee Bucket List Barbecue Spots4.
• The Bar-B-Q Shop, 1782 Madison Ave. Its site points to its Facebook and Instagram pages for hour changes3. Featured in the same Tennessee Tourism article4.
• Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous, 52 S Second St. Dinner and ribs, the last stop on the Memphis in a Day trail.

Add a day for whole hog: B.E. Scott's Bar-B-Que in Lexington, about 2 hours east of Memphis on the Tennessee BBQ Trail. It's closed Sunday and Monday and closes at 4pm Saturday, per the trail page, so go in the morning. B.E. Scott's is also featured in Tennessee Tourism's bucket list article4.

Also on the way: Leonard's Pit Barbecue in Cordova and A&R Bar-B-Que in South Memphis, both stops on the Tennessee BBQ Trail.

Browse more: Memphis BBQ guide

Middle Tennessee · Nashville and around

What it's known for

no single style. Our Nashville guide covers whole hog, Memphis style dry ribs, Texas brisket and Nashville style ribs in one city.

Start here

Nashville in a Weekend, 2 days and 4 spots in route order. Monday and Tuesday don't work for Day 2, since Shotgun Willie's BBQ is closed.

• Peg Leg Porker, the Gulch. Its dry ribs are on Eater's 2016 list of The 23 Essential Barbecue Dishes in America5.
• Butchertown Hall, Germantown.
• Shotgun Willie's BBQ, Madison. Texas brisket, lunch only, and The Infatuation's Nashville BBQ guide notes the ribs always seem to be sold out6. Get there at opening.
• Edley's Bar-B-Que, 12 South. Edley's is featured in Tennessee Tourism's bucket list article4.

Want whole hog close to town? Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint opened in Nolensville in 2006, per our Nashville guide, and took Best Barbecue and Best Ribs in the Nashville Scene's Best of Nashville 2026 readers' poll7, 8. Martin's and Edley's both appear on Eater Nashville's barbecue map9.

Close to home for us: the Franklin and Williamson County trail.

East Tennessee · Knoxville and the Smokies

What it's known for

a wide mix. Our Knoxville and the Smokies page lists 87 locations, with 15 written up so far, and East Tennessee also includes our Chattanooga and Tri-Cities areas.

We don't have an East Tennessee trail yet. 3 written up Knoxville spots, alphabetical:

• Dead End BBQ, Sutherland Avenue in the Pond Gap community. A competition team turned spot, opened in 2009, per our spot page.
• Sweet P's Uptown Corner, 3029 Tazewell Pike, Fountain City. Open 11am to 9pm and closed Monday, per their site10, with weekend brunch, per our spot page. Featured in Tennessee Tourism's bucket list article4.
• The Humble Hog, 312 South Gay Street, downtown. Opened February 2024, per our spot page.

Headed toward Chattanooga instead? Our Chattanooga guide covers killer potatoes and scrap plates, built from Chattanooga Times Free Press reporting.

Linking regions into 1 trip

The Tennessee BBQ Trail covers Middle to West in 2 days: 7 stops (1 optional), 246 miles, about 5 hours 35 minutes of driving from Nolensville to Memphis, per the trail page. Downtown Knoxville to downtown Nashville is about 179 miles by road, per an OSRM route on OpenStreetMap data, run Nov 3, 202611.

Want more weekend ideas? Get The Smoke Report and the printable trail map at bbqtrailguide.com/#smoke.

Sources

1. Union Ave location page · Tops Bar-B-Q · published checked Nov 3, 2026
2. Home page · Cozy Corner BBQ · published checked Nov 4, 2026
3. Hours · The Bar-B-Q Shop · published checked Nov 4, 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.