An afternoon eating plate after plate of barbecue is a pretty good way to spend a Saturday. Which is what our BBQ Pit Crew of barbecue lovers did earlier this month.

Dozens of barbecue fans applied to join our panel of experts, and we chose three aficionados to test-drive the goods at four of the finest spots in town. Des Moines is loaded with tasty joints to grab a slab of ribs or a pile of brisket, so we asked for suggestions and settled on four for our crew’s enjoyment.

Two meats — ribs and brisket — would serve as our barbecue barometers. We also asked each restaurant to serve up their most popular signature side dish. Our fearless crew weighed in with their opinions. The result: tables covered in used wet wipes, sauce-splattered score sheets and stuffed stomachs.

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