Located in a Pleasant Hill strip mall, Slow Hand does a solid job with the usual lineup of ribs and brisket, but it also gives corned beef a turn in the smoker, and the tender, intensely flavorful smoked chicken is a particularly nice surprise.

Reopened now after a 2017 fire, this longstanding West Berkeley neighborhood joint is best known for its pork ribs, which are available for purchase by the “short end” (aka the meatier, fattier end) or the “long end” if you don’t want a full rack. The sauce tends toward sweet and tangy.

In the Emeryville Public Market, Pig in a Pickle is offers a wide range of regional barbecue specialties: Texas-style brisket, Alabama-style smoked chicken, and Cajun-style hot links that are actually made in house.

Matt Horn’s acclaimed barbecue restaurant finally opened its doors in West Oakland, bringing his sold-out pop-ups to permanent residency. Horn’s “West Coast barbecue” draws on meat-smoking techniques of Central Texas, producing jiggly, glistening briskets, spicy hot links, and more. Southern sides like collard greens, mac and cheese, and desserts like banana pudding are equally worth the wait.

The only one of the restaurants on this list we’d recommend to non meat eaters, this popular Lake Merritt spot — “the Bay Area’s favorite vegan BBQ” — is known for its plant-based versions of smoked “brisket” and barbecue “ribs.” The restaurant is open for takeout Tuesday through Sunday.

An Oakland classic since 1973, Everett & Jones is still serving its usual slate of ribs, brisket, and links. Stop in to one of the restaurant’s Oakland locations (in Jack London and the Laurel), or it’s Berkeley location on San Pablo.

Celebrated meat master Ryan Farr’s Divisadero restaurant dishes out some of the best smoked meat in the Bay, especially if you’re a fan of lush, thick-sliced brisket. The side dishes are especially good, including a wicked fried mac and cheese and hot dog creation.

For a long time, Memphis Minnie’s was the standard bearer for barbecue in the city, and now, decades later and through a recent ownership change, the restaurant is still plugging away, serving solid pulled pork and brisket and its popular Wednesday special smoked pastrami.

This NorCal mini chain — with locations in Livermore, Walnut Creek, Sacramento, and San Jose — serves a range of regional barbecue specialties, including Kansas City-style burnt ends and Carolina-style pulled pork, though no one would blame you for sticking with the crowd favorite: thick-sliced smoked brisket.

The potato salad is, indeed, good enough to name an entire restaurant after, but this Hayward gem is mostly a barbecue restaurant, and its St. Louis-style ribs, in particular, are one of the most enjoyable versions you can find in the East Bay.

This popular food truck appears at Off the Grid and other select locations, but the Capelo’s restaurant and beer garden in Redwood City is open to fill your barbecue needs on a regular basis. The slow-smoked brisket is the signature meat offering at Capelo’s, and the restaurant has added online ordering to make things easier, whether you’re eating in or taking out.

This Santa Clara barbecue spot is know for smoking some of the best beef brisket and tri-tip in the South Bay, as well as for over-the-top sides like oxtail poutine tater tots.

Henry’s has been around for more than 50 years in San Jose, and with good reason: the food here is great. The steaks are certainly a draw, but the ribs are worthy in their own right. While you can certainly get a rack, the pro move is to get the combo chicken and ribs plate to maximize your dinner options. All dishes come with a baked potato, garlic bread, and salad, so arrive hungry.