Los Angeles has a long and storied barbecue history, from its cowboy roots and Mexican pit-cooking heart to its more recent run of Black-owned Southern spots and today’s Texas hegemony. Thankfully, some of the city’s best pitmasters are keeping to the underground, using rotating (and often secretive) pop-ups to transform the scene in real-time. There are Chinese- and Armenian-American specialties, Southern traditionalists who love to cook rib tips, and even a take on Carolina-style whole hog barbecue. Here are the stands, weekend Instagram sellers, and backyard barbecue pop-ups to know about; there are separate lists for ongoing, sit-down barbecue restaurants and for out-of-town restaurants, too. Locations are listed geographically.
Added: River St., Black Cat BBQ
Removed: Zef BBQ, OC Smoke Queen, Ugly Drum, Carnivore Kingdom, Avi Cue, Edna Jane’s, the Bad Jew, Black Sugar Rib Co., the Barbacoa Boyz, Scroggin’s, Sweet Smoke
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