Cooking meat low and slow over an indirect heat source—the only real qualifications for barbecue—is a truly American tradition, going back to indigenous cultures and picked up by early Spanish colonizers who also gave it the name the cooking style goes by now: barbacoa. Today, barbecue is a wildly popular staple across the U.S., with many cities and regions boasting their own take (and all claiming to have the best). Because barbecue meat spends hours upon hours cooking, restaurants are a go-to source for many Americans who would rather not spend all day and all night tending to their flames. Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated barbecue restaurants in Rockford on Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Some restaurants on the list may have recently closed.
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#3. Smokin’ Coop BBQ Pit
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (125 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: Quick Bites, American
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 2022 Business Route 20 Corner of Beaver Valley Road and US Rt. 20, Belvidere, IL 61008-7100
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#2. Smokey Bones Rockford
– Rating: 2.5 / 5 (46 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (3.0/5), Service (2.0/5), Value (2.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 6690 E. State Street, Rockford, IL 61108
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#1. Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (57 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 3303 North Perryville Road, Rockford, IL 61114
– Read more on Tripadvisor