STGEORGE.US

Barbecue in St. George, Utah

Barbecue restaurants in St. George and Washington County — brisket, ribs and smoked meats, and what dry desert air does to a smoker.

Low humidity is a real variable

Barbecue is one of the few cuisines where the local climate genuinely changes the cooking. Smoking depends on a balance of heat, smoke and moisture over many hours, and the air in this region is dry for most of the year.

That has practical effects. Meat surfaces dry faster, which affects how smoke adheres and how the bark forms. Evaporative cooling from the meat surface is stronger in dry air, which can lengthen the stall — the long plateau in internal temperature that every brisket cook knows — and change the timing of a cook substantially. Pitmasters here compensate with water pans, spritzing and wrapping, but the technique is not identical to what works in a humid climate.

Elevation plays a smaller part, and the wide day-to-night temperature swing means an overnight cook faces conditions that shift considerably between midnight and midday.

What to look for

Barbecue is a category where the signals are reasonably reliable. Ask what wood they use and whether the smoker is wood-fired or gas-assisted; both can produce good food, but the answer tells you what kind of operation it is. Ask what time they open and what sells out — a place that runs out of brisket is usually cooking to a schedule rather than reheating to order, which is generally a good sign.

Sauce on the side rather than applied is another reasonable indicator, as is a menu short enough that everything on it gets attention.

Practical points

  • Go early for brisket. It is the item most likely to sell out.
  • Ask about catering if you are planning an event — many barbecue operations do a substantial trade in it.
  • Check Sunday hours, which vary in this region.

Barbecue in St. George

  • Borens Smokehouse

    Southern-style smokehouse in the Shoppes at Zion on the north-east side of St. George, and the second location of a business that started in Richfield, a couple of hours north. Brisket, sausage, burnt ends and ribs come off the smoker, with banana pudding for afters — the traditional close to a Southern barbecue plate.

    250 N Red Cliffs Dr, St. George, UT

    435-301-0227

  • Dickey's Barbecue Pit

    St. George branch of a Texas barbecue chain founded in Dallas in 1941 by Travis Dickey, who began by selling barbecue from a pit he built behind a bar while his wife ran the front. Slow-smoked brisket, pork ribs, kielbasa and Southern sides remain the format eight decades on.

    2610 Pioneer Rd, St. George, UT

    435-674-1206

  • DUB's Barbeque & Catering

    Family-owned Southern smokehouse on Sunset Boulevard, serving St. George and Washington since 2007 and smoking its meats daily on site. Brisket, ribs, pulled pork, wings and catfish make up the board, and catering runs alongside the dining room. Saint George Magazine has voted it the area's best barbecue in several years.

    1812 W Sunset Blvd, St. George, UT

    435-674-1023

  • Lonny Boy's Barbeque

    Hurricane barbecue restaurant run by Lon Allen and his son Scott, trading since February 2012 — first as a roadside stand and then, as the queues grew, from a building across the street. Pulled pork, brisket, ribs and smoked chicken come off the smoker, and the loaded 'Frychos' are what it is best known for. It took the Best of State award for Texas-style barbecue four years running, from 2013 through 2016.

    980 W State St, Hurricane, UT

    435-215-3011

  • Pica Rica BBQ

    Central Texas barbecue with Mexican influences, opened on Main Street in April 2023 by Jason Neeley — who also created the concept behind Wood Ash Rye and Sego in Kanab — on the site that once held St. George's first bakery. Sixteen months after opening, Texas Monthly named it the seventh-best barbecue joint in the country outside Texas, the only Utah restaurant on the list. Brisket is the thing to order.

    25 N Main St, St. George, UT

    435-200-4420

  • Snow Canyon Catering

    Chef-founded catering company working weddings, corporate functions and private events across St. George and Washington County, with menus built to order from barbecue through to fine dining. Catering is a distinct trade from restaurant cooking here: the county's event business runs heavily on destination weddings and conference work, both of which are cooked off-site.

    1478 S Silicon Way, St. George, UT

    585-315-7095

Frequently asked questions

Does the dry climate affect barbecue in St. George?

It does, more than most cuisines. Low humidity accelerates moisture loss from the meat surface, which changes how smoke adheres and how the bark develops, and it strengthens evaporative cooling from the surface — which can extend the stall, the long plateau in internal temperature during a brisket cook, and shift the timing of a cook considerably. Pitmasters here manage it with water pans, spritzing and wrapping, but the approach differs from what works in a humid region.

What should I look for in a barbecue restaurant?

Ask what wood they burn and whether the smoker is wood-fired or gas-assisted — both can produce good results, but the answer tells you what kind of kitchen it is. A place that sells out of brisket by mid-afternoon is generally cooking to a daily schedule rather than holding product, which is usually a good sign. A short menu is another reasonable indicator, since barbecue rewards attention and a long list is hard to do well.

When is the best time to go for brisket?

Early. Brisket takes the longest to cook, is produced in limited quantity, and is the item most likely to run out — at a place cooking properly to a daily schedule, that is a feature rather than a failure. If you have a particular item in mind, going near opening is the reliable approach, or calling ahead to ask what they still have. For a group, ask about pre-ordering.

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