Friday Find: Where To Find The Best Ribs In Nebraska
BBQ Tourist shares some of his favorite spots for juicy and flavorful ribs in the Cornhusker State.
Barbecue aficionados often like to argue about which regional barbecue style is the best. Hotspots like Texas, Kansas City, Memphis, and the Carolinas get most of the attention in heated discussions. Suffice to say, Nebraska is rarely, if ever, in the conversation.
The Cornhusker State is known for, well, corn as well as high quality beef. Omaha, in particular, is famous for its steakhouses but until recently had almost no noteworthy barbecue restaurants. In the past few years, things have really started looking up for barbecue fans and surprisingly there are now several spots that serve fantastic ribs.
Here are seven spots where barbecue enthusiasts can find delicious ribs in Nebraska.
Canyon Joe’s Barbecue — Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln native Joe Hager developed a passion for Central Texas-style barbecue while living in the Lone Star State. He brought his love of barbecue back to his hometown and opened Canyon Joe’s BBQ this past summer. While Hager particularly loved cooking brisket, his ribs were our favorite item on the menu. Get their early — they sell out quickly.
Hartland Bar-B-Que — Benson, Nebraska
Hartland Bar-B-Que is a small, family-owned barbecue restaurant located in the heart of the Benson neighborhood of Omaha. They opened in late 2007 and serve pit-smoked barbecue meats and a variety of sides daily. One of our favorite items on their menu is their delicious baby back ribs. While there is only a slight hint of smoke flavor, the baby backs are perfectly tender and juicy.
J’s Smokehouse — Papillion, Nebraska
Pitmaster James Hawk taught himself how to smoke meat in his backyard just two and a half years ago. Last year, he opened J’s Smokehouse, a popular spot where legions of fans line up to get the oak-smoked meats Hawk cooks on his twin offset smokers. The ribs from J’s Smokehouse are some of the absolute best in town and Hawk was recently awarded first place at the Omaha Ribstock Competition.
Mission Ave BBQ — Bellevue, Nebraska
After working in some of the top barbecue spots in Texas, pitmaster Scott Fogle moved up to the Omaha area from Austin last year. This past spring, he opened Mission Ave BBQ, where he is slowly introducing residents to high quality, Texas-style craft barbecue. The brisket at Mission Avenue might be some of the best in town but I always order a rack of ribs whenever I visit the restaurant.
Porky Butts BBQ — Omaha, Nebraska
After finding success at the highest levels in the world of competition barbecue, pitmaster Blane Hunter opened Porky Butts BBQ in 2019, bringing championship quality BBQ to his adopted hometown of Omaha. The restaurant is one of the busiest and most popular in town, and his sweet and tender world championship ribs are a must-order menu item.
Rib Shack Smokehouse — Omaha, Nebraska
Rib Shack Smokehouse was first established in 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri by owners Malcolm and Jackie Robbins, where they served down-home soul food and barbecue. They reopened the restaurant in Omaha in 2021. The tender and delicious old-school St. Louis spare ribs are covered with thick sweet and smoky sauce.
Smokin Barrel BBQ — Millard, Nebraska
Fans of Texas-style barbecue in the Omaha area often mention Smokin Barrel BBQ as the place to go for the best brisket in town. However, the menu also includes delicious, tender spare ribs. Even though Smokin Barrel BBQ has different sauces on hand, these ribs are best enjoyed on their own.
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While these are some of my favorite spots for ribs in Nebraska, I will admit I have not been everywhere (yet). Did I miss your favorite barbecue joint? Email me at ryan@bbqtourist.com, and let me know where I should go next!
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet