Going far beyond the standard smoked meat platters, the Georgia-born gents who run this Longmont staple (with outposts in Greeley and Frederick) get creative with their ’cue, serving everything from pulled pork and chopped chicken to brisket and smoked turkey atop nachos, fries, tater tots, baked potatoes, mac and cheese, salads, and tacos as well as in elaborate sandwiches. It’s an occasion for gluttony for sure — but no feast here is complete without a side of sweet potato casserole and banana pudding for dessert.

The succulent rib tips alone are worth the drive to this rustic charmer in Louisville’s quaint downtown, while the Hot Mess sandwich with chopped, sauced brisket and pork as well as pickle-pepper-onion relish and slaw more than earns its name. Bonus points for the fried pickles — spears, not chips — and a full bar that whips up Sangria slushes and barrel-aged Manhattans.

The candied pork belly’s like butter and the smoked salmon’s a rare treat, but it’s owner Wayne Shelnutt’s brisket that lures longtime loyalists to this truly superior Superior smokehouse, ensuring the line begins to form well before the doors open at 11 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. In short, the early bird gets the worm here — and maybe the last helping of ribs, green chile mac and cheese, and peach cobbler.

The aura of a honky-tonk and the aroma of smoke from the namesake wood — sourced straight from Austin — combine to direct Tennyson Street foot traffic to the doorstep of this good-time spot, complete with brisket, pork belly, sausages of the month like chorizo verde or jalapeño-cotija, and a sizable selection of whiskeys to wash it all down. On weekends, colossal beef ribs are fit for a (really hungry) king alongside trimmings such as spiced creamed corn and fried okra.

Chef Bill Espiricueta brings both his upbringing in Kansas City and Austin and his background in fine dining to bear on the menu at this easygoing banger inside the Source Hotel + Market Hall in RiNo, which supplements bone-in chicken legs and smoked salmon with the gloriously get-your-hands-dirty likes of pulled pork tacos with ginger slaw on pork-fat flour tortillas and nachos topped with chopped brisket, guacamole, black beans, and more. Sweet potato tots, creamed corn with smoked chiles and queso fresco, and strawberry-rhubarb hand pies make it a meal and then some, as do cocktails like the Bloody Mary garnished with burnt ends.

Two words: candied ribs. Okay, a few more: cherrywood-smoked pulled pork with tomatillo-avocado salsa on brioche, wings in blueberry-habañero sauce, green-chile mac and cheese, and bourbon cream floats. All this and much more — including smoked brownies — await at this laid-back Golden hideaway, except for the booze, which goes for its tiny Aurora satellite. The owner’s from Iowa, but the genuine hospitality of his crew has a Southern twang.

A Michelin-recommended restaurant as of last year, Jared and Amanda Leonard’s south Denver hideaway pit-smokes over post oak in Texan fashion to yield less-common dishes such as Wagyu pastrami, spicy beef sausage, and tri-tip, accompanied by equally irresistible sides like custard-filled cornbread and truffled mac and cheese. A solid beer selection and sometime specials (think short-rib empanadas and boudin balls) seal the deal.

Consider this exhibit A in the case for Colorado-style ’cue: Coy and Rachael Webb’s tiny but mighty University joint is a showcase for the luscious likes of bison back ribs, pulled lamb shoulder, and venison sausage. Try the latter in the Bambi, a sandwich with cilantro-lime coleslaw and chipotle aioli — and don’t sleep on the smoked sweet potato with pecan butter.