Barbecue chicken gets overlooked a lot. Most people walk into a smokehouse thinking about ribs or brisket and treat the bird as the backup plan.
In Florida, a handful of kitchens are changing that by cooking their chicken low and slow over oak, the same wood that has fueled Southern pits for generations. Oak burns steady and gives meat a clean, savory smoke that never overpowers the chicken itself.
The six spots on this list stretch from Jacksonville down to Tampa, with a cluster in Central Florida that makes an easy road trip along US-27 and beyond. Some are longtime family-style smokehouses with big plates and Southern sides…