Miami's Top Ten Barbecue Restaurants: Dry Rubs, Jerks, and Ponies

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Oh barbecue, how we love to suck your bones.

While Miami is almost as far south as one can get in the contiguous 48 states, it's really not considered the South (which is home to what's known as "real barbecue"). Nor is our city part of the Midwestern and Western barbecue capitals of St. Louis and Texas.

But don't let this discourage you from seeking a nice juicy rack (and we're not talking about the kind found on the beaches, either).

Miami has its share of people willing to take the time to smoke their meat low and slow. You just have to know where to look. Here's a list of our ten favorite old-fashioned, down-home American barbecue joints. Just remember to wear clothes you don't mind getting smeared.

Kareem Shaker

10. Austen's Q
The third barbecue joint in this location, on the corner of 16th Street and Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, proves to be a charm for the space that housed Hogzilla and Barbeque Beach before it. Austen's Q slow-cooks its proteins low and slow. We're talking pork, chicken, and beef cooked in a wood stove at 200 degrees for 24 hours. This is clearly not barbecue for folks in a hurry. Plus, it's the only place for decent 'cue in SoBe.

Laine Doss

9. Mad Man Jack's
Chef-owner Michael Herran saw the need for a good place to get inexpensive barbecue in Miami and ran with it. Mad Man Jack's, named for the man who taught him how to fish, fits the bill with slow-cooked meats and homemade sauces and marinades. Spare ribs cooked low and slow are $9 for a third rack, $14 for a half rack, and $25 for a full rack of meaty goodness. A pulled-pork sandwich to die for is only $7. Slow food at fast-food prices? This guy must be as mad as his name implies.