16 BBQ restaurants, one winner. Vote for your favorite restaurant in Round 1 of our bracket

JaNae Williams, The Oklahoman
·7 min read

Oklahoma may not have a "signature" style of barbecue like Memphis, Kansas City, the Carolinas, Texas or other regions, but that means pitmasters in the state get to make their own way. The grappling of whether Oklahoma falls into the South, Midwest, or Southwest also influences the flavors used in barbecue seen throughout the state.

With that in mind, and believing that March isn't the only time that a little bracket madness can be a good time, we bring you an Oklahoma's Best Barbecue Bracket. 16 restaurants. 4 rounds of voting. You decide the best barbecue restaurant in Oklahoma from a field of heavy hitters.

The pitmasters on this list hail from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, Idabel to Wellston and some places in between. They have each built a following by crafting smoked meats that will make your mouth water. Many of them will compete after this bracket wraps up in October at a Barbecue Brawl. Tickets for the event are on sale now and participating pitmasters will put their brisket, ribs, sausage and turkey up for judging.

Chances are you won't have visited all 16 of these restaurants, that's ok. Choose your favorite go-to for 'cue, a restaurant you've recently discovered or pick one at random, just like many do when they fill out their March Madness basketball brackets. You even have time to head to some of the spots and try them out for the first time if you've never had them before.

Whatever your method, make sure you make your choices known and cast your vote!

A sampling of food offered at The Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston: Apple pie beans, smoked sausage jalapeno-cheese hot link, pulled pork, potato salad, ribs, chicken, burnt ends, turkey, pickles and onions, Twinkies and brisket.
A sampling of food offered at The Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston: Apple pie beans, smoked sausage jalapeno-cheese hot link, pulled pork, potato salad, ribs, chicken, burnt ends, turkey, pickles and onions, Twinkies and brisket.

Sweet 16 voting guide

  • Voting started at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10.

  • Elite 8 voting will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 12, featuring winners from the previous round.

Who has the best barbecue in OKC? Here are the matchups for the Sweet Sixteen round of the BBQ bracket.
Who has the best barbecue in OKC? Here are the matchups for the Sweet Sixteen round of the BBQ bracket.

Oklahoma's Best Barbecue Bracket dates

  • Sweet 16: Sept. 5-10.

  • Elite 8: Sept. 12-17.

  • Final Four: Sept. 19-24.

  • THE FINALS: Sept. 26 - Oct. 1.

  • Winner announced Oct. 3.

Smoked ribs and pulled pork from Edge Craft Barbecue in downtown Oklahoma City.
Smoked ribs and pulled pork from Edge Craft Barbecue in downtown Oklahoma City.

Keep reading below to learn more about those in our bracket.

Killer Wail Barbecue vs The Rub Trucks

Killer Wail Barbecue: A mix of multiple barbecue regions are served up from this mobile trailer in Tulsa. Choose from Central Texas-style brisket slow-smoked over post oak or pulled pork and ribs served with a Carolina-style sweet-vinegar sauce. 232 N Tacoma Ave., Tulsa; 918-732-9044, killerwailbarbecue.com/

The Rub Truck: These days you'll primarily find Joel Bein of The Rub Truck catering events through his secondary venture The Meat and Cheese Show, where you'll find him bringing his particular brand of flavors to things like brisket barbacoa tacos among other items. You can visit the store and check online for opportunities to order from Bein. 1306 E 11th St., Suite H, Tulsa; 918-764-8881, themeatandcheeseshow.com/

Burn Co. Barbecue vs Albert G's Barbecue

Burn Co. Barbecue: At Burn Co. you'll find the meats you've come to expect at barbecue joints, plus a signature roll of meat called a fatty, that is smoked, sliced and placed on a cheeseburger. 500 Riverwalk Terrace Suite #135, Jenks; 918-528-6816, Website

Albert G's Barbecue: Since 1992 Albert G's has been making everything sold in store from scratch daily. The restaurant now has three locations in Tulsa — Harvard, Tulsa Hills and Downtown — where you can get their full slate of meats including "Tulsa-style ribs." You can even get a baked sweet potato topped with smoked meat at Albert G's. 2748 S Harvard Ave., Tulsa; 918-747-4799, albertgs.com/

Roxie's vs Phat Tabb's

Roxie's BBQ: A family tradition since 1951, Tyler Wagers now sits at the helm of the restaurant given his father's name. Roxie's bases their methods on technique and their signature sauce, which is available for shipping nationwide. What began with concession stands and small restaurants continues to serve Tahlequah and is a perfect spot to grab lunch to take to the Illinois River or for after an early morning river trip. 16471 Hwy 10, Tahlequah; 918-457-7712, roxiesbbqok.com/

Phat Tabb's: Tabb Singleton has appeared on and won several Food Network competitions and believes in using big flavors with his "Okie -Tex" barbecue. Trying new things isn't out of the ordinary on a day-to-day basis for Singleton, who recently made the trip up from Idabel to showcase a bulgogi beef bologna and a Hawaiian Shoyu pork belly at Chefs Fest at Super Cao Nguyen. Phat Tabb's is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, if you're willing to take a bit of a drive for your barbecue. 1110 South Central, Idabel; 580-376-1088, phattabbsbbq.com/

Hank's vs Bedlam BBQ

Hank's: The love at Hank's started with smoked turkey legs, but a full slate of smoked meats are on the menu now. The spot recently opened at it's new brick and mortar and is cranking out its signature stuffed turkey legs alongside ribs, chops, chicken and more. Don't miss out on the opportunity to try all of Hank's signature sauces. 71228 NE 63 St., Oklahoma City; 405-525-8111, hanksokc.com/

Bedlam BBQ: Opened in 2003, Bedlam BBQ utilizes traditional curing and dry-rub applications in the preparation and smoking of their meats. Using family recipes held to original standards, through multiple generations, the spot now brings a lineup including ribs, chicken, brisket, various sausages, turkey, pulled pork and more. 610 NE 50 St., Oklahoma City; 405-528-7427 bedlambarbq.com/

Leo's Barbecue vs Clark Crew BBQ

Leo's Barbecue: Pitmaster Charles Smith moved his operation to the east-side Homeland location when it opened in 2021 and has been serving up the ribs, brisket and pulled pork Leo's has been known for since his father started the spot back in 1974. Don't miss the hot barbecue sauce for an added kick of flavor. 625 NE 36 St., Oklahoma City

Clark Crew BBQ: The awards are numerous for Travis Clark and Clark Crew BBQ, including being crowned the winners of the 2019 Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The family-owned operation continues to work to perfect and bring consistent top-tier 'cue to the people of OKC daily in their restaurant seven days a week. 3510 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City; 405-724-8888, clarkcrewbbq.com/

George's Happy Hog vs Van's Pig Stands

George's Happy Hog: The restaurant was founded by George Thompson and Dee Bowlin, but in 2012 they sold it to Debra Ivory and her son Stephen, who ran it together until the coronavirus claimed Debra's life in December 2020. Stephen carries on with the whole smoked wings his mother instituted, along with classic ribs, hot links, brisket, chopped beef, pulled pork and smoked bologna. 712 Culbertson Dr., Oklahoma City; 405-525-8111, Website

Van's Pig Stands: Van’s Pig Stands hold the title as Oklahoma’s oldest barbeque restaurant continuously owned and operated by the same family. The location on Highland in Shawnee is regarded as the "original" and there are four additional locations throughout the state. 717 E Highland St., Shawnee; 405-703-3000, pigstands.com

Edge Craft Barbecue vs Backdoor BBQ

Edge Craft Barbecue: Pitmaster Zach Edge learned to make the central Texas-style barbecue he serves up through watching his grandfather cook for family functions growing up. Now he uses the tested-and-true combination of oak, smoke and fire in Oklahoma City. 1920 Linwood Blvd., Oklahoma City; 405-768-2970, edgecraftbbq.com/

Backdoor BBQ: Ok so, you can't actually go get barbecue from Backdoor BBQ anymore since they closed their doors in 2022, however chef Kathryn Mathis is making a return to the barbecue scene for the Barbecue Brawl set for October, so if you remember Backdoor and long for Mathis' flavors this is your chance to cast a vote in honor of the memories.

The Butcher BBQ Stand vs Texlahoma BBQ

The Butcher BBQ Stand: Levi Bouska prides himself on embracing all of the flavors available for barbecue. The restaurant opened in 2015, with Bouska using skills learned from a world-championship bloodline handed down from his father and grandfather. Now he serves up his distinct brand of Oklahoma barbecue on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays utilizing flavors he calls "a little bit of everybody in a big bowl." 3402 W State Highway 66, Wellston; 405-703-3000, butcherbbqstand.com/

Texlahoma BBQ: Boasting two Edmond locations — the original on Waterloo and a new location on Second Street — Texlahoma is focused on putting an Oklahoma stamp on Texas-style barbecue. Both locations are open seven days week and there's even a drive-thru option. 121 E Waterloo Road, Edmond; 405-513-7631, texlahomabbq.com/

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who has the best BBQ in Oklahoma? Vote in Round 1 of our showdown