BBQ trends blowing up
Texas‑style BBQ feasts for big groups have gone viral in Japan, fueling debates about which U.S. region—Texas, South Carolina, Missouri or Kansas City—makes the ‘best’ BBQ and sparking heated online takes (x.com) (x.com). Meanwhile, St. Louis–cut pork ribs are getting renewed attention as a smoking favorite for American BBQ setups (x.com).
The original X post came from user @hotcake_kun_ and, according to Japanese-language coverage, logged roughly 12 million impressions while prompting “hundreds” of reply invitations from Americans offering to host him at regional barbecues. (haradaeigo.com) Replies explicitly named destinations — “Come to Texas,” offers to visit the Carolinas, Kentucky invites and Kansas City recommendations — turning the thread into a rapid-fire regional BBQ showdown across reply chains. (newsbreak.com) Japan’s own Texas-style smokehouses are part of the conversation: Midtown BBQ in Tokyo (and other Japan smokehouses) serve Texas-style platters using A5 wagyu brisket, a menu choice that food writers say invites direct comparisons with U.S. brisket traditions. (chron.com) St. Louis–cut pork ribs have resurfaced on social platforms this year, with a steady stream of TikTok tutorials tagged #stlouiscut and recent how‑to guides and food‑service writeups promoting the trimmed spare‑rib for even cooking and restaurant menus. (tiktok.com) The online exchanges revived familiar BBQ fault lines — Texas brisket vs. Kansas City sauce vs. Carolina whole‑hog — and spilled into short‑form video comparisons and list pieces that continue to fuel the “best BBQ” arguments across social feeds. (tiktok.com)
