When Midwestern pitmaster Chuck Forsyth opened Hole in the Wall BBQ in 1989, he was one of the only restaurateurs in Seattle serving Texas-style barbecue, and the office crowds have flocked to this tiny storefront on James Street ever since. (His son John and John’s wife, Diane, have been running the show since Forsyth passed in 2006.) Today, the barbecue is a hodgepodge of Texas, South Carolina, and St. Louis styles, offering a mustardy Carolinian sauce option to adorn the dry-rubbed STL pork ribs and the low-and-slow Texas-style brisket, replete with smoke ring. House specialties include the smoked meatloaf sandwich and the chopped hot link sandwich. Hours are limited to lunchtime on weekdays, so plan ahead.

Brileys in Lake Forest Park draws in many fans for good reason. The restaurant's Southern Pride SPK 500 smoker imparts the flavor of cherry and applewood into everything from sausages to brisket, ribs, and chicken. Sides are a big focus here, too, and the Brileys Fries, topped with barbecue sauce and Brunswick stew, are a must.

Okay, this one isn’t in Seattle, but it’d be delinquent to skip it here. About 40 minutes outside the city, in the darling mountain town of Snoqualmie, Dave Van Storm’s honoring his West Virginian roots by serving house-smoked, fall-apart brisket, pork shank, and pulled pork out of an historic bank. (The name refers to his grandmother adding an empty bowl to the table whenever she cooked squirrel — “for the buckshot, honey.”) Some standouts are the burnt ends chili with provolone whiz, the pulled pork drizzled in chimichurri with black pepper mayo on challah, and the Oscar Wilde — gochujang-sauced burnt ends, local mushrooms, roasted apples, pickled shallots, sour lacto-fermented corn, and fresh herbs. Or you can have it Dave’s Way: a luscious brisket sandwich with half a pound of meat, roasted onions, pickled peppers, black pepper mayo, and whiz on light rye. It’s a total smokeshow.

Southern barbecue meets Jamaican flavors at this takeout-only restaurant and catering operation in Columbia City. The menu ranges from fantastic jerk fried chicken and waffles to barbecue wings to a delectable smoked and fried bologna sandwich. The restaurant also offers catering with platters of ribs, barbecue chicken, brisket, and more. In 2021, Lil Red was listed among one of national barbecue expert Adrian Miller’s 20 favorite Black-owned barbecue restaurants in the U.S., and it was a 2022 James Beard semifinalist in the Best Chef: Northwest category.

This small restaurant in Hillman City has been serving some of Seattle's best barbecue for years, without making a huge fuss about it. Certainly the massive portions of smoked meat, inspired by owner Tess Thomas’s roots in Arkansas and Memphis, are still turning heads, with piles of succulent pulled pork, brisket, and chicken, alongside terrific cornbread and collard greens.

Jack Timmons — a Texas transplant and former Microsoft employee — got his start in the biz when he created the Seattle Brisket Experience, with an offset smoker and loads of oak, mesquite, and hickory. Fans of his SoDo restaurant (with other locations in South Lake Union, Columbia Center, Algona, and Redmond) especially favor the Frito pie, rib tips, barbecue tacos, smoked cocktails, and, of course, brisket.

Smoke is a central theme at Lady Jaye, which has a 2,000-pound smoker dubbed “Cletus.” It turns out such delights as bulgogi short ribs, pork belly burnt ends, and smoked bologna sandwiches. The meat pairs perfectly with the bourbon and rye-heavy cocktail menu, including the smoked old fashioned.