Depending on how far back you trace it, barbecue has roots in Caribbean Taino barbacoa. Today it’s one of the United States’ great regional food arguments. Carolina vinegar, Kansas City saucy sweetness, Texas smoked brisket, Alabama white sauce, Memphis dry rub, and every backyard variation in between all have their loyalists. The Hudson Valley may not be traditional barbecue country, but smoked meats have found a solid home here, showing up at roadside stands, family-run smokehouses, old bank buildings, golf courses, and lakefront bars, each dishing up their own strange, delicious ideas about what Hudson Valley BBQ should mean.
Where to Eat BBQ in the Hudson Valley by County
Dutchess County
Smoky Rock BBQ
6367 Mill Street / Route 9, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
Smoky Rock has been doing its own New York-style barbecue in Rhinebeck since 2014, using hickory, cherry, apple, and maple smoke instead of pledging loyalty to one regional BBQ camp. The family-owned spot regularly shows up on Best of Hudson Valley lists, and the more distinctly Smoky Rock items help explain why: Prime Black Angus smoked pastrami, smoked pork belly, and Volcano potatoes stuffed with pulled pork, pulled chicken, mashed potato, cheese sauce, and bacon. Save room for dessert from the in-house bakery, especially if the maple bourbon pecan pie or Biscoff dessert jars are available.
The Piggy Bank 2.0
446 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508
Greene County
Johnson’s Barbecue
27 Lake Road, Tannersville, NY 12485
Posting up at the Tannersville Boathouse for the season, Johnson’s is keeping the lakefront setup pretty simple: wood-smoked barbecue, seasonal sides, and a dive bar by the water. The menu is short, but it has some real personality, with brisket and beef ribs seasoned with black pepper and kosher salt, smoked duck legs with a maple-apple sauce, and spatchcocked chicken meant for Alabama white. Their four housemade sauces give the small menu more room to move: Kansas City Style, Carolina Gold Mustard, Alabama White, and New York Style, which brings a local maple and apple kick.
Lil’ Piece BBQ
3822 County Route 26, Greenville, NY 12083
Lil’ Piece is worth building your day around, because the most in-demand items, especially the brisket, have a habit of selling out early. Chef Andrew Tobin grew up in the Northern Catskills, left for the Culinary Institute of America and kitchens around the country, then came back home to Greenville to open his own smokehouse. The smoked-then-fried wings, jalapeño poppers, four housemade sauces, and smoked pork reuben make a pretty good case for showing up hungry.
Orange County
Handsome Devil BBQ
3 Corwin Court, Newburgh, NY 12550
26 Academy St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Barnstormer Barbeque
1076 Route 9W, Fort Montgomery, NY 10922
Barnstormer is a good post-Bear Mountain stop, especially once hiking season hits and everyone gets back to the car hungrier than expected. The menu is no-frills in the right way: pork spare ribs you can get dry or wet, smoked hot wings that go from mild to nuclear, BBQ chicken, brisket, pulled pork, and kielbasa. Add a few sides and one of the craft beers on tap, and it does exactly what a roadside barbecue place should do.
Brothers Barbecue
2402 NY-32, New Windsor, NY 12553
Brothers Barbecue started in New Windsor in 2008 and has grown from a family-run Orange County spot into a multi-location BBQ business. The Farella brothers pull from North Carolina family recipes, so the ribs, pulled pork, and chopped BBQ are still the heart of the menu. The brisket chopped cheese, sticky ribs, and Brothers Mac Bowl bring in a little extra fun without losing the original backyard-BBQ feeling.
Sullivan County
Big Kev’s Barbecue
390 Royce Road, White Lake, NY 12783
Big Kev’s started serving barbecue in Bethel in 2009, then moved just down the road after years of competitions, festivals, parties, and busy summer days. The stand is named for the late Kevin Monahan, a local Vietnam veteran and chef whose recipes still shape the rubs, sauces, and signature dishes. The menu stays focused on the essentials, with brisket and pulled pork smoked for 16 to 18 hours, baby back ribs, loaded baked potatoes, and homemade lemonade. If it’s a Bethel Woods concert day, get there early before the brisket disappears.
Ulster County
Hickory BBQ & Smokehouse
743 Route 28, Kingston, NY 12401
Hickory has been doing the family BBQ thing in Kingston since 2002, but the story goes back to Ma and Doc Hickory feeding friends and family in the Catskills long before there was a restaurant. The menu has plenty of smokehouse classics, including St. Louis ribs with Doc Hickory’s rub, slow-smoked beef brisket, and the Kingston Trio with turkey thigh, brisket, and pulled pork. Dessert changes daily and depends on the whims of Ma and Doc, which feels fair for a family that has been feeding people since the 1970s.
John Fazio Barbecue
1836 Route 44/55, Modena, NY 12548
John Fazio’s is more than a BBQ stop with a pizza oven. The farm side has long been known for supplying rabbits to New York City chefs, and the restaurant folds that same farm-market sensibility into a menu that jumps from smoked ribs, brisket and barbecue duck to 20+ different specialty wood-fired pizzas, many topped with house-smoked meats. The smoked duck pizza with arugula and local honey is a fan favorite, but the brisket pizza with gravy is not to be missed, mostly because it’s exactly as weird and good as it sounds.
Outpost BBQ at Kerhonkytonk Roadhouse
6611 US-209, Kerhonkson, NY 12446
Outpost has just enough Road House energy that you half expect Patrick Swayze to be watching the door. The Kerhonkytonk setup is part restaurant, part live music venue, with karaoke, dancing, and dance lessons regularly on the calendar. The menu keeps the BBQ side straightforward with pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs, chicken plates, and combo plates, plus mac ‘n’ cheese, cornbread, and a jackfruit pulled pork option for the non-meat crowd.
Honorable Mention: Darlings
838 Route 32, Tillson, NY 12486
Darlings is not exactly a barbecue restaurant, but it deserves a nod for keeping a smoker in the mix, especially with John Embree, the well-known Kingston BBQ pop-up chef behind Jingle John’s Applewood Smoked BBQ, running it. The Tillson roadhouse menu moves more broadly through Southern comfort food, but the BBQ thread is there in the burnt ends with collard greens and smashed potatoes, wings with Darling’s BBQ or Alabama white sauce, and a smashburger with smoked onions. It’s not a strictly barbecue stop, but the smoker is definitely not there for decoration (and with other options like shrimp and grits and a catfish po boy to round out the menu, honestly the variety is its strong suit).
Westchester County
Holy Smoke
241 Route 6N, Mahopac, NY 10541
Holy Smoke covers the big BBQ bases, from pulled pork and brisket to house-made pastrami and a “PIG NIC” platter that lets two people pick four pit specialties. The move, though, might be the bacon candy: a half-pound of smoked and candied Duroc pork belly. There’s also seafood and salads for anyone tagging along who doesn’t eat meat, plus craft beer and a hefty bourbon list.
