The Scene

Owensboro is the most singular barbecue town in America, the one place where the meat of choice is mutton. This corner of western Kentucky slow-smokes older sheep over hickory coals in masonry pits until the dark, gamy meat turns tender, then chops or slices it and mops it with a thin, tangy Worcestershire-and-vinegar black 'dip.' Alongside it comes burgoo, a thick, long-simmered stew that is the region's other signature. The tradition is old and deep: Old Hickory has smoked mutton since 1918, the Bosley family's Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn grew into a 350-seat destination, and every May the International Bar-B-Q Festival crowns the town the self-styled 'Barbecue Capital of the World.' Pork, ribs, ham, and chicken fill out the pits, but mutton and burgoo are why people drive here.

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