10 Best BBQ Cities in US

Those looking for the best barbecue city in the US can skip Texas and head to Missouri instead. Kansas City comes out No. 1 in a new ranking by the firm Lawn Starter. The ranking takes into account factors such as the number of BBQ joints, the number of competition awards, and the number of top-rated or "elite" places. The top 10 overall finishers:

1. Kansas City, Missouri, 52.02 overall score
2. Los Angeles, 49.43
3. Houston, 48.64
4. St. Louis, Missouri, 46.75
5. Austin, Texas, 46.54
6. Chicago, 42.20
7. Las Vegas, 40.78
8. Memphis, Tennessee, 40.39
9. Nashville, Tennessee, 40.03
10. New York City, 38.19

• Lesser-known: The top 50 includes cities that might not come to mind including Duluth, Minnesota; Des Moines, Iowa; Rapid City, South Dakota; Syracuse, New York; and Homestead, Florida.
• Most elite place: Austin has the highest number of top-rated BBQ restaurants with 21, followed by Los Angeles (20), St. Louis (15), Las Vegas (14) and Chicago and Nashville (both with 12).

See the full ranking. (Or check out other lists.)