The Top 35 BBQ Joints I’ve Eaten At

I realize that I'm missing some of the big spots like Rendezvous, but this still seems like a pretty good list. Where applicable, I've indicated some of what makes the place stand out.

1. John Mueller’s/JMueller (Austin, Texas) (I've been to both incarnations of this one, the building on Manor and the trailer on South First, which miraculously appeared six years after the brick-and-mortar restaurant vanished.)
2. Franklin (Austin, Texas) (It truly is the best brisket you'll ever have, but don't sleep on the pulled pork.)

3. Salt Lick (Driftwood, Texas) (bonus points for being the only place I've had my picture taken with Bevo, and for the family style all-you-can-eat dinner)
4. Rudy’s (Austin, Texas) (bonus points for the creamed corn)
5. (tie) Corky’s (Memphis, Tennessee) (bonus points for best pork shoulder)
Arthur Bryant's (Kansas City, Kansas) (bonus points for the best sandwich and the most succinct ordering)
7. Sonny Bryan’s (Dallas, Texas) (bonus points for the school desks and best onion rings)
8. Meyer’s (Elgin, Texas) (bonus points for being halfway between Aggie football and Longhorn football, and for the best sausage)
9. Opie's (Spicewood, Texas)
10. Stubb’s (Austin, Texas) (bonus points for the music)
11. McClard’s (Hot Springs, Arkansas) (bonus points for the tamales)
12. Luling City Market (Luling, Texas) (bonus points for being the first place I ate off butcher paper)
13. Public Eye (Memphis, Tennessee) (sympathy points for burning down)
14. Goode Company (Houston, Texas) (bonus points for jambalaya)
15. Penguin Ed’s B&B (Fayetteville, Arkansas) (bonus points for the sliced pork sandwiches)
16. Pig-N-Whistle (Memphis, Tennessee)
17. County Line (Austin, Texas) (bonus points for the bread)
18. Spring Creek (Dallas, Texas) (bonus points for the rolls, cobbler, and ice cream)
19. Germantown Commissary (Germantown, Tennessee)
20. Ruby’s (Austin, Texas)
21. Whole Foods Market (Austin, Texas) (bonus points for the habanero sausage)
22. Pok-e-Jo's (Austin, Texas)
23. Iron Works (Austin, Texas)
24. Kruez Market (Lockhart, Texas)
25. Railhead (Fort Worth, Texas)
26. Lambert's (Austin, Texas)
27. Famous Dave's (Wichita, Kansas) (bonus points for the regional sauces)
28. Southside Market (Elgin, Texas)
29. Little Richard's (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) (Tough to evaluate--the chopped pork was, in my opinion, subpar, but the ribs more than made up for it. Good hush puppies, too.)
30. Gridley’s (Memphis, Tennessee)
31. Swinging Door (Richmond, Texas)
32. Colter's (Fort Worth, Texas)
33. Jerry Mikeska's (Columbus, Texas)
34. Tom's (College Station, Texas)
35. Peter's (Ellinger, Texas)