Southern Living names a KY city one of the South’s 3 ‘best barbecue towns’
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- Southern Living ranks Owensboro as a top-tier barbecue town in the South.
- Moonlite, Old Hickory and Ole South Bar-B-Q anchor Owensboro’s barbecue scene.
- Owensboro’s unique mutton barbecue and annual festival draw thousands of visitors.
The crown jewel of Western Kentucky’s “Barbecue Belt” is once again receiving critical acclaim, this time from popular publication Southern Living, which calls Owensboro one of the South’s “few great barbecue towns.”
What makes a great barbecue town? According to Southern Living writer Robert F. Moss, it takes not just multiple spots for sampling authentic smoked meats, but the cultivation of a unique style that draws fans from hundreds of miles for the experience. In a July 23 article, the Southern Living writer put Owensboro in the same league as similar towns in Texas and North Carolina.
According to Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson, it’s easy to see why.
“Barbecue is woven into Owensboro’s history. When people talk about burgoo and mutton, they think of Owensboro,” Watson told the Herald-Leader in an emailed statement. He added the BBQ & Barrels festival, where smoked meats and Kentucky bourbon are the stars, draws thousands to downtown Owensboro each year.
This isn’t the first time Owensboro has gotten nods from Southern Living for its mouth-watering barbecue scene. Local favorites such as Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn and Old Hickory Bar-B-Que are regularly praised by Southern Living for offering some of the best barbecue in the South. Both restaurants have been honored again in the July article, along with a third Owensboro spot some locals call a hidden gem.
3 Owensboro barbecue spots that are worth a trip
If you’re making a trip to Owensboro, these three barbecue spots are worth your time, according to Southern Living. The Herald-Leader has reached out to each restaurant for comment.
Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn: Owned by the same family since 1963, Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn has since grown from humble beginnings when it could sit just 30 people to now more than 300. Its fans keep coming back for fast-and-friendly service and the buffet, which is stocked with fresh food and plenty of variety.
The joint has been recognized with many awards and accolades over the years, including from Food Network, Southern Living and others. Mutton is Moonlite’s specialty, Moss of Southern Living notes.
“Its custom hickory-fired pits turn out thousands of pounds of this meat each week, not to mention an incredible volume of smoked beef, pork, and chicken. Two long buffets in the dining room brim with pans of mac and cheese, stewed apples, sweet corn muffins, and so much more,” Moss writes.
If you go: Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn is located at 2840 West Parrish Ave. in Owensboro. Hours are listed on its website.
Old Hickory Bar-B-Que: Old Hickory traces its ancestry to 1918, when Charles “Pappy” Foreman started cooking while also working as a blacksmith.
As Moss writes, the business has grown from a small stand adjoining the blacksmith’s shop to a full-service restaurant with two large dining halls.
“You can order the meats chopped or sliced, and you’ll find mutton ribs and mutton loin, too, all dressed with thin Worcestershire-laced ‘dip.’ The rich burgoo at Old Hickory Bar-B-Q is as good a version as you can eat in all of Kentucky,” according to Moss.
If you go: Old Hickory Bar-B-Que is located at 338 Washington Ave. in Owensboro. It’s open all week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the hours listed on its website.
Ole South Bar-B-Q: A relative newcomer compared to the other two on Southern Living’s list, Ole South Bar-B-Q has been in business for 30 years.
“Ole South Bar-B-Q is still the new kid on the block, having only been in operation since 1995,” according to Moss. “Brisket, pork, chicken and turkey are served alongside the requisite mutton, and fried chicken is featured on the lunch and dinner buffets. Ole South serves breakfast each day, too, though there’s no mutton included on the morning menu.”
Ole South is considered a hidden gem by Owensboro foodies.
If you go: Ole South Bar-B-Q is located at 3523 on Kentucky 54. It’s open daily starting at 6 a.m., according to its Facebook page.
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