My favorite five right now

In no particular order, here are my top five BBQ joints in Oklahoma - the ones I can't get enough of.

Declaring a BBQ joint the best in the state can be fightin’ words. But passionate debate is also part of what makes barbeque great. So at the risk of angering some, here are the five Oklahoma joints I’d hit if I had one week left to live. 

Killer Wail BBQ - Tulsa

Sliced brisket at Killer Wail BBQ in Tulsa.

This list isn’t presented in any particular order, but there’s probably a reason I’m leading with Killer Wail BBQ. Serving the best brisket I’ve had in Oklahoma, this Tulsa truck operated by Oliver Larrabee has continued to draw me down the Turnpike many times.

Open only on Saturdays and parked next to Heirloom Rustic Ales, this one-man show is known to sell out fast. Don’t sleep on the ribs or chicken, but the central Texas-style brisket is what keeps bringing me back. Fatty with a perfect salt and pepper bark, this brisket melts in your mouth and forces a audible wail true to its namesake.

2113 E. Admiral Blvd. Tulsa

Phat Tabb’s - Idabel

A tray of pork ribs, sliced brisket, turkey and burnt ends at Phat Tabb’s in Idabel.

Tabb Singleton left his hometown of Idabel more than 14 years ago to cook in New Orleans, where he starred on a national television cooking show and developed his culinary skills under some of the most accomplished fine-dining chefs in the nation. 

But Singleton always had the dream of opening a BBQ smokehouse in his hometown and when the New Orleans restaurant he was working at last year closed in response to the pandemic, the timing seemed right to come home. 

Since opening Phat Tabb’s BBQ last July inside an old burger joint on the south end of this small southeast Oklahoma town, Singleton has drawn from family traditions, local products and his own creativity to seriously contend as one of the state’s best barbecue offerings. 

“We are right between Texas and Kansas City, the two biggest BBQ places in the United States and I'm amazed that Oklahoma doesn’t get more attention than it does,” Singleton said. 

“I think Oklahoma can have its own style, which to me is not being held down to just salt and pepper, or a sweet sauce or other constraints.”

Singleton smokes his brisket for 19 hours, spraying it along the way with pickle juice and apple cider, a trick he learned from his grandfather. 

The juicy brisket is sliced thick with a perfect bark and layer of buttery fat. The melt-in-your-mouth burnt ends are surrounded by a slightly chewy bark. 

And the turkey, my god the turkey. 

Brined in sweet tea, Singleton removes the skin and heavily seasons the bird to get a crispy crust that has a little kick to it. The juiciness of the bird also comes from his process of wrapping it in foil, although not too tight, and loading it up with butter that is made in-house using beef scraps off the smoker, giving the turkey a complex smokiness.

1110 S Central Ave, Idabel

John and Cooks - Lawton 

Brisket and pork ribs at John Q Cooks.

Tender and juicy ribs are my go-to at this old school joint that has been serving barbeque for more than 70 years. “If it’s not brick it’s not a pit,” says Pitmaster Lonzo Gaines, who uses a mix of wood, including pecan and hickory. 

I also dig the house barbeque sauce, a sweet and tangy sauce with a pasty consistency that paired well with the brisket. 

1310 SW 21st St, Lawton

Jo-Bawb’s BBQ

Sliced brisket and burnt ends at Jo-Bawb’s.

Jo-Bawb’s is the OKC joint I visit the most where, for me, it’s all about the beef - the sliced brisket is perfection and the burnt ends are the bits of meat candy they should be. Lon Mitchell and his wife JoAnne operate this trailer in northwest Oklahoma City and have an impressive competition background, the proof of which is in a room in their warehouse dedicated to their dozens of trophies from some of the nation’s top BBQ contests. 

7921 Northside Dr, Oklahoma City

The Butcher BBQ Stand - Wellston

For many, this is Oklahoma’s best BBQ, and it’s hard to argue. If Jo-Bawb’s doesn't have the state’s best burnt ends then they can be found at The Butcher. But I never pass up the ribs, which are cooked with perfect texture and color, and finished with a splash of the tangy sauce.

3402 OK-66, Wellston

That’s my list. What do you got?