Montgomery County’s pandemic-born food truck hit Money Muscle BBQ recently expanded to neighboring Prince George’s County with a dedicated location to finally call its own. The dine-in stall inside Le Fantome brings an array of smoked meats, sandwiches, sides, and standout sauces in regional styles to the Station at Riverdale Park. Based in Silver Spring, Money Muscle pitmaster and Emporia, Virginia, native Ed Reavis augments his pulled pork, brisket, and bone-in beef ribs with standout sauces namedropping regional styles from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kansas. Load up on exceptional sides like tender collards, campenelle noodle mac and cheese, and cheddar sriracha biscuits.

Oak smoke and fatty, wagyu-grade beef make the brisket stand out at this destination for Texas-style barbecue in Riverdale Park. Owners Fernando González and Debby Portillo are part of a large restaurant family in El Salvador. Their barbecue shop, and outgrowth of a farmers market stand, offers giant beef ribs, sausage links, turkey, and pork ribs, too. In 2021, the couple opened a 2Fifty’s stand with a condensed menu in D.C.’s Union Market.

Cinder has given Petworth’s main drag a place to get generously spice-rubbed barbecue from longtime mobile pitmaster Bill Coleman. The space that formerly housed Latin American wine bar Ruta del Vino now serves rare whiskeys from the central square bar.

Rob Sonderman is one of the biggest names in D.C.’s small barbecue scene. The pitmaster was schooled at Hill Country and drew acclaim for brisket and fried onion sandwiches and crispy Brussels sprouts when he founded DCity Smokehouse. He’s gained steam at Federalist Pig, where the wings are a big hit, too. Sonderman and partner Steve Salis added a space in Hyattsville to plant a bigger location where they can smoke without the gas-assisted rigs they have to use in D.C., and there’s also an outpost in Bethesda food hall Ensemble.

Started in Glover Park in 1990, this D.C. outfit has locations in Alexandria and Arlington and a presence in Capital One Arena and Nationals Park. In addition to mainstay meats, Rocklands has grilled lamb and a pit beef sandwich built with spicy peppers.

DCity’s “brisket squad” smokes a little bit of everything for a menu boasting tender beef, wings, turkey breast, pulled pork, pork belly, ribs, rib tips, and a house half-smoke. For $10, customers can get a signature DCity half-smoke covered in brisket chili, cheddar-jack cheese, onions, and mustard. A second location opened in Anacostia this week.

This outpost of a Central Texas-style barbecue joint from New York is a destination for brisket, Shiner Bock, and live music. Prices fit for tourist-heavy Penn Quarter and lapses in consistency can make Hill Country feel like a Disneyland version of Texas ‘cue, but traditional touches like sausages shipped in from Kreuz Market in Lockhart help make up for it.

Former high school teacher and football coach Joe Neuman built up enough of a following with a (now retired) barbecue truck. Neuman opened a permanent home for Sloppy Mama’s wood-fired barbecue, located in an old Pizza Hut building in July 2019. Find smoked sausage, chicken, brisket, turkey, pork, and ribs (and vegan jackfruit) by the pound. His barbecue also shows up at D.C. newcomer Hill East Burger.

Owners Ahmad and Aladdin Ashkar started this place as an Oklahoma Joe’s franchise, then split off on their own a couple years ago to focus on barbecue (including halal meats) from their hometown of Kansas City. So burnt ends caramelized in barbecue sauce are a speciality.

Thick, peppery bark marks some of the area’s best brisket at this polished smokehouse in Arlington. In addition to hefty beef ribs and St. Louis style spare ribs, there’s Mexican street corn, veggie burritos, and banana pudding with dulce de leche.

The family-friendly spot tucked away in suburban Arlington guarantees all-day plates of smoked brisket, sticky spare ribs and grilled salmon and squash from chef and owner Matt Hill. Thanks to the “meat and two/three” format, diners can also load up on sides of creamy dill potato salad, grits, crispy Brussels sprouts, and, of course, mac and cheese. In addition to a spacious indoor venue and patio, Ruthie’s All Day also offers takeout and delivery.