On a recent Saturday, well past lunchtime and nowhere near dinnertime, a line of about 25 patrons ran along the length of a restaurant. Outside, a dozen cars idled at the drive-thru window. By dinnertime, the line had tripled.

Sam Jones, the owner of Sam Jones BBQ, says he expected ...

For years, barbecue hounds planned their visits to barbecue joints with the precision of a Special Forces operation.

Why? Because they knew there was a narrow window when the smoked meat would be at its juiciest, smokiest best. Once the window had closed, a platter of would-be sublimity typically deteriorated ...