Kenny's BBQ Smokehouse- Washington, DC

Where in the world do members of Congress go to spend their money on BBQ after they vote on spending your money? One place may be Kenny's BBQ Smokehouse on Capitol Hill.

Congress members and their staffers can get BBQ at the cafeterias in the belly of the Capitol complex...but trust me, if you order the pulled pork you might want to grab an extra drink. It's a smidge dry. But don't worry about that problem at Kenny's. They have the BBQ swimming in a sweet-tangy sauce. In fact, you may want to bring some floaties for your ribs and brisket.

The ribs were meaty, the brisket was lean, and the chopped pork was adequate. There's not really more I can say. Did I mention there was a ton of sauce on the BBQ?

If you drag the kiddies out to the Nation's Capital, don't feel you have to make a special effort after seeing the Declaration of Independence to run up to the Hill for BBQ.

Red Hot & Blue Southern Grill- Annapolis, MD

Typically chain restaurants don't always come with the best BBQ effort (with the major exception of Rudy's, of course). But Red Hot & Blue makes a pretty darn good effort.

The only other time I've been to a RHB was back in Colorado Springs almost eight years ago. And what I remember from that visit was the ribs. RHB believes in the Memphis style of ribs. They're seasoned with a dry rub and smoked to fall off the bone tenderness.

This time around I ordered some brisket and sausage along with the ribs. The ribs once again did not disappoint. But I was pleasantly surprised by the sausage. It was flavorful and juicy. The brisket was fine...but nothing spectacular. The intriguing part of the dish was the variety of BBQ styles. The ribs were Memphis, the sausage and brisket were Texas, and the side of mustard suggested a nod to South Carolina BBQ. And I can't forget to mention the cornbread sides. It was very sweet and had kernels of corn.

Wash it all down with some sweet tea out of a canning jar...and it was a pretty darn good BBQ meal for crab country.