Super 7: South Florida's Best Barbecue
Catching smoke, in the best possible way
In theory, it’s the height or outdoor grilling season. For most places. In South Florida, grilling outside often means cooking dinner in an outdoor sauna, and if you’d rather enjoy smoky flavors without the risk of heatstroke we’ve got great options from West Kendall to West Palm. Here’s our picks for the best barbecue in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.
La Traila BBQ
The year’s best comeback story is pitmaster Mel Rodriguez’s new South Miami spot, where he’s reopened La Traila after a successful run in Miami Lakes. The Sunset Place-adjacent restaurant welcome guests with trailer-sized smokers outside, where you can watch Mel’s team do their thing and slice up your lunch. The menu gives big nods to Latin American cuisines with offerings like brisket and queso empanadas and smoked beef cheek tostadas. But the Austin native shines best with his traditional slow-smoked brisket.
Pro tip: Don’t sleep on the burger. The Miami Lakes hit is back, new and improved with smoked brisket and BBQ aioli.
@latrailabarbecue // 5840 SW 71st. St. South Miami
Apocalypse BBQ
While in most cases I’d rather get my teeth pulled out with pliers than wait in line for food, Apocalypse BBQ at least makes the experience enjoyable. Handing our free beer and water to people camped under its outdoor tent goes a long way towards winning people over, and that’s why Apocalypse BBQ has become the most beloved BBQ spot in South Florida. The Cafecito-rubbed ribs and skull-shaped cornbread don’t hurt either. Nor do the smoked brisket sausage links, which make for top-tier leftovers.
Pro tip: Whatever the rotating chicken wing special is, get it. Imagine your favorite wing flavor, but smoked.
@apocalypsebbq // 8695 SW 124th Ave., Kendall
B&D Trap
Broward County was once South Florida’s hub for great barbecue. And though some sad, sad closings have changed that B&D Trap keeps the Texas Hold ‘Em and Tom Jenkins tradition going in their mural-covered Sistrunk smokehouse. It now reigns supreme as BroCo’s best spot for brisket, though the smoked chicken wings have gained B&D a loyal following.
Pro tip: If you’re allergic to Ft. Lauderdale like so many Miamians, there’s a satellite location in the Julia and Henry’s food hall downtown.
@bdtrapbbq // 1551 NW 6th St., Ft. Lauderdale
Drinking Pig BBQ
Coconut Grove has seen plenty of drinking pigs wandering its streets over the years. This Drinking Pig isn’t a reference to people who used to stumble out of The Tavern, though, and rather to the famous beer-chugging pigs on Chef Raheem Sealey’s native island of St. Croix. The man who cut his teeth at KYU opened this smokehouse popup during the pandemic, and it’s grown from his North Miami front yard to a sit-down spot in the Grove. The style melds Caribbean with traditional barbecue, adding stuff like jerk banh mi and Jamaican patties to a lengthy list of meats.
Pro tip: This is the only barbecue spot I’ve ever been to where I’ll order a mixed cocktail. The Pig Punch drives home the tropical vibes and pairs surprisingly well.
@drinkingpigbbq // 3444 Main Highway #6, Coconut Grove
Tropical Smokehouse
No barbecue in South Florida does more to give our region a specific style than Tropical Smokehouse. This West Palm spot goes beyond the traditional, smoking stuff like maji and wahoo in the style of old Florida indigenous tribes. There’s also intriguing stuff like smoked gator sausage and mojo pulled pork, as well as a prime brisket that at $19 an order almost offsets the cost of a drive to West Palm.
Pro tip: Grab a few bottles of the house-made sweet barbecue sauce on your way out. You’ll find yourself putting in on everything within a couple of weeks.
@tropical_smokehouse // 3815 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach
Slab Daddy
Miami’s barbecue style has evolved this decade into a delicious blend of Latin American and traditional Texas-style flavors. Nowhere encompasses this ethos better than Slab Daddy, and Allapattah food truck where an Argenitine chef from Sweetwater incorporated Nicargaguan cuisine in his creations. Try and follow along. Every order comes with a big- instagrammable square of queso frito, as well as plantain chips and, of course, beans and rice. But that makes Slab Daddy’s brisket, wings, and peach-glazed spare ribs no less authentic, especially when topped with its signature light BBQ sauce.
Pro tip: Don’t go on Miami time. Slab Daddy regularly runs out of food, and if you’re running behind you might miss out.
@slabdaddybarbecue // 795 NW 20th St., Allapattah
Smoke & Dough
Smoke & Dough is the creation of Harry’s Empanada proprietor Harry Coleman, who opened this little strip mall smokehouse in deep West Kendall a few years back. It skews more barbecue restaurant than barbecue joint, using Coleman’s slow smoked meats as the base for creative sandwiches and a special Sunday brunch menu.
Pro tip: Saturdays are for mofongo, and Smoke and Dough is the only place in South Florida you’re finding it with smoked duck.
@harryssmokeanddough // 4013 SW 152nd Ave, West Kendall