Boar’s Nest Makes List of 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America

Author Johnny Fugitt's barbecue-laden book launches today and a Seattle spot made the cut

By Lauren Mang May 20, 2015

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Last October, we told you about Virginia-based writer Johnny Fugitt and his year-long quest to eat at one barbecue joint every day in order to find the best of the best for his new book, The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America, which hits Amazon today.

Fugitt stopped in Seattle and tried out two of our saucy spots: Hole in the Wall BBQ in Pioneer Square and The Boar’s Nest in Ballard. He wrote about his experiences at both, which we featured here.

On Hole in the Wall:

“I loved the experience of Hole in the Wall. It’s a comfortable, fun place run by a kind family and if I worked in downtown Seattle, I would be a regular for lunch.”

On The Boar’s Nest:

“I could hardly pick up the ribs at The Boar’s Nest, as they quite literally fell off the bone. The pork was quite smoky, but in no way too smoky. The fried mac ‘n cheese balls were creamy and perfect, and the panko coating on the fried pickles added welcome crunch to a fried item that often seems greasy and flimsy.”

Today, Fugitt tells us that The Boar’s Nest made the cut for his book and what’s more, he listed it as number 3 for the Best Mac ‘n Cheese in America, along with some spots in South Dakota and Chicago. “I found [it] to be a nice all-around barbecue spot,” he wrote. “It was my favorite of my visits to the Pacific Northwest and the fried mac ‘n cheese balls alone are worth the trip.”

The book, which Fugitt opted to write after being “unsatified with the Top 10 lists that recycle the same historic or well-marketed restaurants,” uncovers some hidden gems in places like Kansas City, Memphis, North Carolina, Arkansas, New York, Florida and Texas. His favorite was a mom-and-pop trailer in Austin called Kerlin BBQ. 

“This was the adventure of a lifetime,” Fugitt said. “I immersed myself in the barbecue world for a year and a half to write this book and I think it raises the bar for investigative food journalism. The book may stir up a little controversy, but I don’t mind fanning the flames of the never-ending barbecue debates.”

Snag a copy of The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America on Amazon for $14.39.

 

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