Here's where to find that good sloppy barbecue in the Orlando area

4 Rivers Smokehouse

Multiple locations
No longer a local secret, 4 Rivers has expanded over the last few years to multiple locations and cities. The line to get in during the rush hour speaks to how popular this traditional Southern-style BBQ joint is. Try not to fill up too much on their smoked meat or mac and cheese, because most of them have a bakery full of desserts as well.
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Try this: What they call the Happy Herd: chicken, ribs, pulled pork and brisket with two sides and biscuits. It’s family-style, unless you believe in yourself hard enough.

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Pig Floyds Urban Barbakoa

Multiple locations
Pig Floyd’s serves a Latin-style barbecue, so trade in that mac-and-cheese for plantains. They also serve a variety of BBQ tacos that change from time to time. If you get one of their sandwiches with a side definitely don’t expect to leave hungry. There are some dishes for serious eaters only.
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Try this: They call it Matahambre, aka the hunger killer: meat, coleslaw, an egg to top it off. It’s just a little bit of everything.

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Cecil’s BBQ

2800 S. Orange Ave., 407-423-9871
This Texas-style BBQ place prides itself on meat so tender that no knife is required, since 1992. They’ll make sure to load your plate up with classic sides from coleslaw to potato salad, a large choice of meats, and a free ice cream cone at the end is a great way to wash it all down.
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Try this: Ribs, brisket, baked beans, green beans, Texas toast, jalapeno popper. That’s one heavy tray. When you get to scoop your own sides, things can get out of hand quickly.

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Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar-B-Que

Multiple locations
Bubbalou’s doesn’t need to tell you how good their BBQ is, because they have enough awards to do it for them. They have been recognized as some of the best barbecue in the country by several publications, including CNN and the Food Network. They attribute their success to some of the highest-quality meat, cooking in a old-school low-and-slow manner, and the secret-recipe rubs they put on the meat.
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Try this:Can’t go wrong with a classic like pulled pork and these sides.

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Lillie Pearl’s BBQ

3450 Rio Vista Ave., 407-480-6471
Parked next to Red 13 Cigars saloon, Lillie Pearl’s provides that authentic and satisfying feeling some more mainstream places can’t. At Lillie Pearl’s you can see the grill, feel the heat and enjoy your food outside, the way BBQ is supposed to eaten. Their menu changes from day to day and you can call ahead to place your order.
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Try this: There’s something satisfying about seeing the ribs being cooked while you wait.

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Yellow Dog Eats

Multiple locations
Yellow Dog puts a little bit of a twist on Southern BBQ. Sure, you can go there to get ribs, but you would honestly be missing out on their more original sandwiches and other dishes which have gone off-script a bit more. Try to make room for dessert (even though their portions are huge) because their bakery is next-level.
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Try this:This is the chili pig ... good luck keeping all of that in the buns.

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Swine and Sons

595 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 407-636-7601
Swine and Sons offers a more refined take on barbecue. The clean decor inside makes it a place where atmosphere is just as important as the food. Everything on the menu is made from scratch on site, including all the bread and sweets.
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Try this:This is definitely not your grandma’s pulled-pork sandwich.

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Kings Taste BBQ

503 Palmetto St., Eustis, 352-589-0404
As the story has it, Eustis native and NASA astronaut Dave Walker liked the sauce at Kings Taste so much that he actually brought it to space with him to space in 1992. You don’t need to be in zero gravity to enjoy their signature sauce, though. Kings Taste prides itself on tradition and not fixing what isn’t broken. From the sound of it they won’t be switching it up from that classic Southern style of eating, boiled peanuts and all.
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Try this: Just load it all in sauce until it’s swimming.

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Sugarboo’s

1305 N. Grandview St., Mt Dora, 352-735-7675
This hole-in-the-wall offers a variety of meats and hearty sides to go with them. It’s down to the basics: You order at a window and eat outside on a picnic table. Don’t let the sympicity of the facilities fool you, though; Sugarboo’s has plenty to awards to boast about for their classic BBQ.
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Try this: Classic BBQ ribs with old-school hearty sides give this place a timeless taste.

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The Ravenous Pig

565 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, 407-628-2333
Winter Park's upscale eatery also is one of the better places to score some serious BBQ, specifically at their monthly pig roasts.
Photo via theravenouspig/ Instagram

Try this: The monthly pig roasts sometimes vary, but you can usually expect all the fixins' like pulled pork, pork ribs, candied collards, black eyed peas, cornbread and dessert.

Photo via theravenouspig/ Instagram