Three Illinois BBQ Joints Belong on Your ‘Need To Try Right Now’ List

When it comes to BBQ, some states just do it better than others.

Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina all come to mind when thinking about destinations for smoked meats.

Whether it be spare ribs, pulled pork, brisket, or something else, sometimes you just need to travel to get the good eats.

Luckily for me, I have had the opportunity to eat BBQ in Texas, Missouri, and Kansas. Yep, Kansas is certainly no slouch.

Speaking of, did you Illinois has some of America's best BBQ too?

Thrillist put together a massive list of 41 American Barbecue Joints You Need To Try Right Now, and on there were three different restaurants featured that call Illinois home

In Belleville, Thrillist says Beast Craft Barbecue, 20 South Belt West, and their St. Louis Ribs is the thing we should be eating right now saying "At Beast, Old Hickory pits smoke only the finest proteins, from Duroc pork to Wagyu brisket."

The second one in Illinois is actually in Chicago, at Lem's Bar-B-Q, 311 East 75th Street. Thrillist believes we should be chowing down on the hot links at Lem's calling them "gloriously gelatinous, slightly cumbersome but the worth-the-trouble staple of the Chicago barbecue scene."

Lastly, 17th Street BBQ, 32 North 17th Street in Murphysboro is the scene and Thrillist calls the Chicken Wings worthy of the drive, saying "People travel from across the country to the small town of Murphysboro to devour them, and budding pitmasters can leave with more than just leftovers thanks to a series of cooking workshops from Mike (the owner) and business classes from his daughter, who also recently penned a tell-all book."

Have you been to any of these BBQ joints? Do you believe they are the best in Illinois? Tell us.