An all-time popular topic among food lovers and connoisseurs in the U.S. is barbecue.

Barbecue is generally defined as a meal of smoked or grilled meats, usually outdoors, with plenty of sides to go around.

It’s been made famous by regions known for the style of cooking: Kansas City, Texas, North Carolina and Memphis. And everyone has their favorite.

Part of that discussion, of course, is which region or style of barbecue is best. There’s always debate over quality of sauce, dry rubs and cuts of meat, among other talking points.

Kansas City is known best for its sugary-rich sauce, while Memphis is known for its dry rubs, North Carolina for its slow-cooked pork, and Texas for its famous beef brisket.

More: With one bite, manager was 'frickin' sold on them.' Now Chick N Max searching for Salina location.

Where to find barbecue in Salina

But most of these delicacies are found in metropolitan areas. Does good barbecue stretch as far as Salina, Kansas, and where can people get it?

From local businesses to popular chains, here are three options to get your barbecue fix in the greater Salina area.

More: Slim Chickens opens new location in McPherson. Where will it open restaurants next?

Hickory Hut BBQ

The biggest name in local barbecue is Salina’s Hickory Hut. Their story began in 1981 when Dale Blake and his wife Rose began traveling throughout small towns serving barbecue out of a food truck.

In 1983, they opened their first permanent location in Salina. Later on, after garnering popularity at the annual Smoky Hill River Festival, they moved to another location and became drive-thru only.

Eventually, in 2005, they opened at their current location, which serves both drive-thru and dine-in service.

Blake said throughout his restaurant’s 40 years of service to the community, his commitment has remained the same.

“Quality is number one,” he said. “We really strive for that.”

Hickory Hut is known for their ribs, burnt ends and baked beans. They also serve popular specialty items like their “Santa Fe Party Potato” and “Slammer.” The slammer is a polish sausage on a bun, sliced, stuffed with beef and pork and topped with special sauce and spices.

They also serve burnt ends, pulled chicken and a Texas stacker — complete with onion rings.

Blake’s sons, Wes and Tim, handle the daily management. Wes Blake said one part of the business he hopes continues is people from all over the map stopping at their restaurant.

“It is fun to go through the parking lot and see all the different license tags,” he said.

More: Koi Ramen is coming to Salina soon. Here's what to know about the new ramen restaurant

Hog Wild Pit Bar-B-Q

Based out of Wichita, Hog Wild is a barbecue chain known for its low and slow cooking, paying homage to the Texas-style famous brisket.

Hog Wild also prides itself on being more than a restaurant — it doubles as a catering company. People can book a barbecue buffet for office events, weddings, receptions, tailgate parties and just about any other gathering of people.

Famous items at Hog Wild include spicy hot links, ribs and barbecue sandwiches. In addition to their smoke stack and wild hot, they serve up Texas toast, Carolina pulled pork and beef brisket.

They have a famous saying, too. “Don’t be late – we close at 8.”

More: Gourmet to Go changes its menu everyday, serving a variety of homemade specialties

Woodies Smokehouse BBQ

Roughly a 40-minute drive from Salina sits Woodie’s Smokehouse BBQ, in McPherson.

Woodies is known for their St. Louis-style ribs and slow-cooked brisket. And, Woodies caters too.

From their wide selection of barbecue sandwiches and sides, including mac and cheese, potato salad, sweet smoked beans and fired okra, customers can chose from a wide variety of combinations.

More: Salina's Prickly Pear will feature Tex-Mex food, cold beer and live music. Here's when it opens.

A unique menu item called “stackers” are what they call “not your ordinary sandwich.” These come with meat and an array of unique toppings like beans, coleslaw, bacon and mashed potatoes and gravy.

Other unique menu items include a giant baked potato, KC BBQ nachos, and a mac and pork pie — a pile of pulled pork topped with mac and cheese, more cheese and bacon strips.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina area barbecue eateries include Hickory Hut, Hog Wild, Woodies