While this probably might not come as a surprise to local Tennessee foodies, a recent survey from Travel + Leisure posted on CNN shared that Tennessee is at the top of the barbecue food chain in the U.S. The survey ranked Memphis barbecue No. 2 behind Nashville on a list of the top 10 best barbecue cities, giving a shout out to Central BBQ and the Bar-B-Q Shop as local favorites. Living in Memphis means access to delicious barbecue, such as ribs and pork sandwiches, which are the staples of Memphis-style barbecue: dry-rubbed and smoked over hickory, and often mopped with sauce while cooking.

To eat with the savviest locals, head to one of the branches of Central BBQ, which does a classic pork sandwich, pulled-pork nachos, and even a four-ounce barbecued bologna sandwich (the newest is downtown, next to the National Civil Rights Museum). Another favorite – especially with local chefs – is the Bar-B-Q Shop (“home of the Dancing Pigs BBQ sauce”), which claims to be the birthplace of another Memphis staple, sauce-coated barbecue spaghetti.

The To 10 Cities are as follows:

Nashville
Memphis
Kansas City
Houston
San Antonio
Charleston
Dallas-Fort Worth
Savannah
New Orleans