Where is the best BBQ in Stanislaus County? See who Bee readers picked as their favorite
To find the best barbecue in Stanislaus County, you might have to take a little drive.
The county has great BBQ joints throughout its borders, with the Top 5 finishers in The Bee’s online poll spread across Modesto, Turlock, Hughson and Patterson. While the Central Valley may not be as famous for is barbecue as regions like Texas, Memphis and St. Louis, we still have many mouthwatering places to stop for tri-tip, brisket, ribs and pulled pork.
But which Stanislaus County barbecue restaurant is your favorite?
We asked readers to pick the best, and the decisive winner of our nonscientific poll — which we conduct for fun and bragging rights — is Patterson restaurant Almond Wood.
Opened in the western Stanislaus County city in 2013, the restaurant was introduced under another name — Apricot Wood. Chef and owner Steve Ceron moved to Patterson from his native Las Vegas in 2009. He opened the restaurant Damasco Fine Foods & Spirits, which is since closed, and a few years later started his signature barbecue place.
Ceron specializes in Texas-style barbecue, and smokes his meats low and slow over local apricot, almond and cherry wood. The brisket smokes for 15 hours and the pulled pork for 12 hours in the restaurant’s massive outdoor smoker, which can handle 1,200 pounds of meat at once.
Just follow the smell of smoking meat, and look for the gigantic neon BBQ sign out front, to find the restaurant off Interstate 5, north of Sperry Avenue. The large 12,000-square-foot eatery can seat about 250 and has grown since the pandemic started.
The expansion into the next-door former Pizza Factory space came as the restaurant upgraded its menu and changed its name.
Ceron said the change from Apricot Wood (named after the city’s once-signature crop) to Almond Wood came because of the evolving agricultural landscape of the Valley. With more almond orchards going in, it made sense to rebrand, he said.
“Apricot wood is going extinct in the area, so it made sense to look toward the future,” Ceron said. “The expansion gives us two kitchens now, too, which allows us to be more agile when it comes to serving tables and give a better overall experience.”
Their new menu includes brick oven pizzas and a pasta bar. But it’s the BBQ, and from-scratch approach to the food, that has made the restaurant a favorite of locals and tourists passing through alike. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily, closed on Sundays.
Placing second just under Almond Wood was Turlock’s Big Vic’s BBQ. The former catering business turned brick-and-mortar restaurant from its namesake owner, Victor Rivas, opened amid the pandemic in July 2020. The Golden State Boulevard spot has been attracting new fans and loyal followers since.
The full Top 5 finishers for Best BBQ in Stanislaus County are:
1. Almond Wood, Patterson
2. Big Vic’s BBQ, Turlock
3. Doc’s Q’In Pit Stop, Modesto
4. Slick Fork BBQ, Hughson
5. Divine Swine, Modesto
Congratulations to all the winners, though Central Valley diners may be the real winners with all the tasty BBQ options available.
“It feels good to be loved,” Ceron said. “Through the years, thanks to the restaurant, we’ve met people from San Francisco, Washington, Oregon, Canada and locally from every city — Gustine, Newman, Modesto, Turlock and, of course, Patterson. It’s been great.”
