Ridgefield Eatery Serves Up Best BBQ In Connecticut: Food & Wine

RIDGEFIELD, CT — In their quest to find the best barbecue in every state in the Union, the editors at Food & Wine magazine pretty much described every restaurant in Connecticut as eateries to avoid.

Barbecue joints, they insisted, "will not be found in places with host stands and cocktail menus... in establishments owned by people who refer to their restaurants as concepts. There won't be appetizers, and there probably won't be table service…"

Ouch.

But that only makes their over-the-top praise for Hoodoo Brown BBQ in Ridgefield the more extraordinary.

Food & Wine named the restaurant to its 2022 list of "The Best Barbecue in Every State." That's no mean achievement in a time when "being the best barbecue in America is more of a challenge than ever," according to the editors. All the more impressive: Hoodoo Brown Barbecue is a baby among BBQ joints, having only opened in May of 2015.

As far as national acclaim from salivating food editors goes, this isn't Hoodoo Brown's first rodeo. Food and travel ratings website Thrillist also named it Connecticut's best, recommending the Holy Texas Trinity of brisket served alongside jalapeño sausage and pork ribs. Even though the BBQ competition in Connecticut can hardly be called stiff, the Thrillist reviewer gushed, "This Ridgefield joint would be a top competitor in any state."

The Daily Meal concurred, describing the Ethan Allen Highway establishment as "the real deal" in its roundup of the country's top BBQ. Foodie website First We Feast cites gourmands "traveling from as far away as Sweden, who swear HooDoo is the best barbecue they've eaten outside of Texas." Closer to home, Connecticut Magazine names Hoodoo Brown BBQ to its "Best in the State" lists on a regular basis.

Owner Cody Sperry said the inspiration behind his restaurant came from a "guys trip" to Austin, TX. He returned to Ridgefield with a new love of barbecue, and challenged himself to replicate what he experienced in Texas. A barbecue catering business followed, and then, with "the encouragement of his customers, friends and family, he decided to open Hoodoo Brown BBQ," according to the restaurant's website.

The Food & Wine editors, initially dismissive about Connecticut BBQ joints, now sing the praises of both Hoodoo's menu and ambience, recommending the "beautifully barked, cherry red spare ribs, crispy pork belly, pastrami, and a fistful of bacon as an appetizer."

It will take quite a bit before the area's BBQ is generally on par with its lobster roll or apizza, but the magazine editors grudgingly admit that things are looking up: "New England has a growing number of options lately, but there's still very little destination barbecue. Hoodoo Brown's comes close."