FIVE ROAD TRIP-WORTHY ARKANSAS BARBECUE RESTAURANTS | MCLARTY DANIEL BUICK GMC

From catfish to cornbread, tamales to cheese dip (the latter of which was invented here, by the way), the culinary scene of Arkansas has a lot of things going for it and enough diversity to keep even the most persnickety palates interested. One of the best things going for foodies in The Natural State, however, is our absolute embarrassment of riches when it comes to great barbecue. Though Memphis may be better known for barbecue, it’s really an artform in Arkansas, with every little barbecue cafe, diner and hole in the wall presenting a unique flavor adventure.

Seen below are some of our favorite Arkansas haunts when we get in the mood for a barbecue road trip, every one of them dishing up ‘cue that is worth the drive. Speaking of driving, if you need a great new or used car to get you there, stop in today…

at McLarty Daniel Buick GMC! With hundreds of great cars on the lot, we’re sure to have the one that meets your needs, at a price that will leave you plenty of scratch left over for road trips and a racks of ribs. Stop in today for a test drive, and read on for our picks for the most road trip worthy barbecue in the state!

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Stubby’s Bar-B-Q
3024 Central Avenue
Hot Springs
Way back in 1952, Richard “Stubby” Stubblefield opened Stubby’s Bar-B-Q with a secret blend of smoking wood, a signature sweet sauce. Thought Stubby’s eventually sold in 1977 to the Dunkel family, the ‘cue is still living up to Stubby’s high standards all these years later, and has since become a Hot Springs institution only rivaled in popularity locally by the legendary McClard’s across town. Located across from Oaklawn race track, Stubby’s delights with huge portions and — unlike a lot of simpler barbecue restaurants in the state — they serve pretty much anything that oinks, clucks or moos, with pulled pork and pork ribs, chicken, beef and ham on the menu, plus excellent sides. Topped with a little of their signature sauce, it’s a real ‘cue destination.

Whole Hog Barbecue
2516 Cantrell Road
Little Rock
Though the stereotypical barbecue joint is a leaning shack on a two-laner out in the sticks, some of the finest barbecue in Arkansas can be found right in the bustling heart of the Capitol City, at Little Rock’s Whole Hog Cafe. Now franchised all over the place (including a location in London, England), Whole Hog was founded in 2000 as a small food trailer by four friends, who built their reputations on entering and winning some of the most demanding barbecue competitions in the world, including multiple wins at the legendary Memphis in May Barbecue Cooking Contest. Today, the original location of the restaurant on Cantrell Road is decorated with the dozens of trophies the Whole Hog founders have won for their succulent ‘cue, with a menu full of crazy-good pulled pork, chicken, sausage, ribs and and truly delicious sides on the menu, and six sauces on every table, even though the perfectly smoked meat is so delicious you really won’t need it. For dessert, be sure to get one of their huge, fudgy brownies. They’re to die for.

Sims Barbecue
2415 Broadway St.
Little Rock
Another Little Rock institution, Little Rock’s Sims Barbecue has been around since 1937, though it has since moved from its original, crusty location on 36th Street. Even though it’s in a strip mall now, it’s still appropriately old-school, dishing up some of the state’s best barbecue, including huge slabs of ribs, pork shoulder (with the meat laboriously chopped with a huge cleaver instead of pulled, as is more common in Arkansas), chicken smoked sausage and bologna, and sliced beef brisket, which is paired with delicious sides, including greens with cornbread, baked beans, and a nice slate of excellent homemade pies and cakes. Another great old-school touch: they only serve white bread. The real star of the show, however, is the sauce: a thin, sweet, mustard-and-vinegar concoction that bears a lot more resemblance to the sauce you’ll find in the Carolinas than anything local and which makes the smoked meats positively sing with flavor. While you’re there, be sure to drop a few quarters in the jukebox. Sims has one of the best in town.

Jones Bar-B-Q Diner
219 West Louisiana Street
Marianna
There are Arkansas barbecue joints and then there are the legendary joints so deservedly famous that you can’t really call yourself a true Arkie unless you’ve had a plate of grub there. One of those places is Marianna’s Jones Bar-B-Q Diner. In business. for over 100 years and still owned by the same family, Jones Bar-B-Q Diner had a much-deserved reputation as the best barbecue in the barbecue-heavy Arkansas Delta long before 2012, when New York City’s James Beard Foundation bestowed one of their rare and coveted James Beard Awards for culinary excellence on the tiny, cinderblock restaurant with an open pit out back. Still slow-smoked the old fashioned way over fruit wood, the barbecue at Jones Bar-B-Q Diner lives up to the hype, with nice-sized portions of perfect pork, served with a house-made cole slaw, Wonder bread, and a vinegar based red sauce. One bite, and you’ll know why they’ve got that Beard Award hanging on the wall.

Ralph’s Pink Flamingo BBQ
2801 Old Greenwood Road
Fort Smith
Though restaurants on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi Delta scoop up a lot of the state’s barbecue love, there’s great barbecue from border to border in the Natural State. Case in point, Ralph’s Pink Flamingo BBQ in Fort Smith. Established in 1998, the barbecue at Ralph’s Pink Flamingo has since won over 150 cooking competition awards. Once you eat there, you’ll know exactly how they did it. The menu has a little something for everyone (they’ve even got salads for the vegetarians), including delicious pork shoulder served sliced or pulled, sliced pork loin, beef brisket (also served sliced or chopped), spare ribs, baby back ribs and their delectable smoked sausage that won the category at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City. Really hungry? Splurge on their “Judge’s Platter,” which features sizable portions of smoked brisket and pulled pork, three baby back ribs, two pieces of sausage, bread and your choice of who sides.

We don’t know about you, but writing about all that great Arkansas barbecue has got us hungry for some ribs and pulled pork! If that’s you as well, get out there and explore the Natural State of Food in that great new or used car, truck or SUV you just bought from McLarty Daniel Buick GMC. With hundreds of vehicles on the lot and ready to roll, we’re sure to have the one that meets your needs, at a price you can afford. Just be sure to bring along some extra napkins. Wouldn’t want to get barbecue sauce on those clean new seats!

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