Cheapflights.com Fires Up the Grill in Time for This Long Holiday Weekend

Serves up its Top Finger-lickin’ Barbecue Towns Across the U.S.

Boston, MA – August 24, 2011 – With the Labor Day long weekend quickly approaching, summer is sadly coming to an end. Cheapflights.com, the online leader in publishing travel deals, recommends the best way to make the most of this holiday long weekend is to drown your sorrows in some finger-lickin’ barbecue delights. Picking top barbecue spots is a tad bit dangerous given that the emotions connected to hometown recipes run as deeply as their flavors. However, Cheapflights.com was up to the task and is here to serve up its Top Barbecue Towns across the nation. Enjoy the best cuts of beef and pork around – all cooked over hot flames and guaranteed to satisfy your appetite.

Here’s a little taste of Cheapflights.com’s top barbecue hotspots down found in the south. Warning – your mouth may start watering...

Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Find quintessential Eastern North Carolina barbecue (hint: slow-roasted pork and thin, vinegar-based sauce) in Chapel Hill at cult favorite Allen & Son Barbecue. No need to wear your jacket and tie to this neighborhood joint; its floors are covered in vinyl tile and its tables with checkered table cloths. Keith Allen cuts hickory wood himself, then uses his secret ingredient to smoke house specialties like fall-off-the-bone ribs and BBQ sandwiches. Accompany Allen’s tangy dishes with a glass of sweet tea, and remember to save – or compartmentalize – room for southern sweets like homemade peach cobbler.

Memphis, Tennessee - Dry rub reigns in Memphis, where restaurants throw elbows to win the hearts of visitors and would take to the grave their I’ll-never-tell recipes. Heavy hitter Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous, opened in 1948 by “Mr. Downtown” Vergos himself, dishes out slabs of pork – part wet, part dry. “Vous style” ribs are basted with vinegar before they’re dusted with savory spices, creating a crispy, smoked bark. Though Vergos passed away in 2010, his legacy lives on in downtown Memphis. Those without a trip to the River City on the near horizon need not fear: Rendezvous ships ribs, pork shoulder, barbecue sauce and other specialty items at a pricey – though worthy – cost.

Austin, Texas - The only thing better than chowing down on Texas barbecue is chowing down on Texas barbecue outside at a live rock concert. Stubb’s Bar-B-Q combines Austin’s two claims to fame – barbecue and live music – at one awesome downtown venue. Gracing the menu is barbecued brisket, served with your choice of two sides, including coleslaw, fried okra or pinto beans. And while other southern states perfect pork, Texas focuses its culinary attention on beef brisket. Prepped with a simple seasoning – usually just salt and pepper – the beef is slowly cooked over wood or coals. Some joints sop their meat in a famous beer, lemon and vinegar concoction, while others let the brisket speak for its savory self.

Holly Hill, South Carolina - South Carolina isn’t a particularly large state, but you’d never guess from its extraordinary variety of secret barbecue recipes. In the western part of the state, pork comes drenched in a thick, ketchup-based tomato sauce. Central South Carolina prides itself on a mustard-vinegar-brown sugar combination. And on the east coast, it’s the whole hog served up in a watered-down vinegar and pepper blend. To taste the central “Carolina Gold” recipe, head to Sweatman’s Bar-b-que in Holly Hill. Carnivores drive more than 100 miles for the mustard-style pork, and the pig-filled buffet makes each mile worth it.

Doral, Florida - South of the equator, the epitome of barbecue excellence is found in Brazil, where churrasco – that’s Portuguese for barbecue – is king. But you don’t have to travel that far to find world-class churrasco. At the aptly named Churrasco’s, just west of Miami, you can choose from top-notch standards like grilled chicken, short ribs, and every cut of steak you could wish for. Pair these with sides like fried sweet plantains and black beans, and you’ve sampled some of the finest barbecue Latin America has to offer.

Are you hungry yet? Rounding out our list of Top Barbecue Towns are hotspots spread across the rest of the nation including Kansas City, Kansas; Chicago, Illinois; Honolulu, Hawaii; Santa Barbara, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.