Memphis barbecue is king — but this ranking of America's best BBQ cities says otherwise

Memphis is supposedly the second-best city for barbecue in America, according to a study from LawnStarter.

This slight calls for some pettiness on our part.

The site ranked 500 U.S. cities and towns based on 20 metrics in five different categories: access, consumer satisfaction, competition awards, elite BBQ memberships, and hosting (meaning competitions hosted). Based on those criteria, only Kansas City, Missouri, outranked Memphis, according to this "study."

Despite being a purely numbers-based ranking with no subjectivity, it can't help but feel like a snub (because it is). Kansas City ranked 57th and 46th in two categories — Memphis' lowest ranking in a category was 11th. For elite memberships (consisting only of Kansas City Barbeque Society memberships), Kansas City ranked No. 1 with 19. What a weird coincidence, right?

It's an improvement over last year's list — LawnStarter ranked Memphis fourth — but I'm going to stay mad anyway.

These are the key metrics for Memphis:

• Number of National Barbecue & Grilling Association Members: 1st

• Number of Top-Rated Barbecue Vendors (4.5+ Stars and 10+ Reviews): 8th

• Winners in "Memphis in May" World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest: 1st

• Number of KCBS "180 Club" Members: 2nd

• Number of Barbecue Festivals: 4th.

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As for the top five cities, Houston ranked third, followed by Kansas City, Kansas, and Los Angeles. In Tennessee, Nashville ranked 20th, Knoxville 52nd and Chattanooga 79th.

LawnStarter is primarily a lawncare company, but it also creates studies and rankings on topics like food, lifestyle, health and more. Clearly, they need to put away the mower and take a trip to Memphis.

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Memphis ranked on LawnStarter's Best BBQ Cities in America list