Every two years, Southern Living heads due South to eat its way through pounds of tender brisket, baked beans and smoked sausage looking for the best new barbecue restaurants ‘round our parts.
The updated list highlights 16 different restaurants around Texas, the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. Not only did they find stellar barbecue in unconventional places like Orlando, but they also found a nontraditional barbecue spot in North Texas fusing Texas barbecue and Iraqi spices: Kafi BBQ.
After 14 years working in tech, Kafi BBQ owner and pitmaster Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi left the industry to pursue the ‘cue. When he opened his restaurant at the end of 2024, he filled a gap in what was considered a concrete industry by serving certified halal barbecue…