This Miramar restaurant has become a hub where local business workers go for their barbecue fix, meaning it can get pretty busy during the noon hour. Lunch specials ring in under the $10 zone and include your choice of sandwiches loaded with beef brisket, pork shoulder, ham, chicken or kielbasa.

The East County outpost of this well-admired barbecue spot is a sprawling campus for dining as well as entertainment. Serving mostly Texas-style smoked meat, the restaurant recently opened a station inside Petco Park.

A popular catering company since 1999, this is Buckboard’s brick-and-mortar and a popular joint for ribs. Don’t miss out on sides like hush puppies with smoked jalapeño cream cheese, mac ‘n cheese balls with pasilla chile dipping sauce and a corn muffin with maple butter.

Getting good marks in La Mesa, this spot smokes meat ‘round the clock, offering prime brisket, giant beef ribs, and smoked chicken a la carte along with sandwiches and barbecue-topped flatbreads.

Barbecue and craft beers make a tasty pairing at this El Cajon destination. The speciality is California-style barbecue tri-trip, smoked over red oak. Order the tri-tip in sandwiches and atop salads but don’t sleep on the smoked wings.

This North Park meat dealer is not just a second location to the Flinn Springs barbecue phenom — take the smoked Kentucky lamb, for instance, the $12 sandwich available only at this outpost. A few items are cheaper, too, like the St. Louis ribs which go for $19 a pound rather than $25.

Spring Valley’s popular choice for barbecue, which also has locations on El Cajon Boulevard and in Barrio Logan, offers a menu loaded with specialties like ribs, tri-tip, rib tips, chicken, pulled pork. Feeding a big crowd? Consider the Tailgater BBQ Feast packed with enough meats to feed four to five guests plus mac ‘n’ cheese, beans, slaw, potato salad and cornbread.

Still going strong after almost a decade, pitmaster Bradley “Coop” Cooper is the definition of a pro when it comes to smoking meats, specifically his ribs and brisket. Craving fried chicken with your barbecue? Also check out Da Chicken Coop, his adjacent fried chicken shack.

This longtime spot on Mount Hope focuses on East Texas-style barbecue. Owned and operated by the Stance family, the menu incorporates family recipes passed down from generation to generation. Head in and dig into ribs, tri-tip and brisket. Save room for dessert like the lemon cake.

Lil Alex BBQ is a community favorite in Bonita for its ribs (beef or pork), chicken and wings. Satisfy your meat cravings by ordering the mesquite-grilled steak. Built as a feast for two, it includes two small sides or one large side.

Papalito, the in-house food offerings focused on Sonoran-style barbecue, is nuzzled deliciously inside of this North Park wine bar. The smoked baby back ribs, $16 for two pieces soaked in booze and cherry sauce, comes draped in pecans with cornbread on the side.