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On a sunny afternoon in Queens, Galdino Molinero invited me into his truck to photograph the making of an epic sandwich. He's the owner of Corona mainstay Tortas Neza, which serves some of the best sandwiches on this side of the Rio Grande; a clear standout in stye and substance from the mass of antojitos carts and taco trucks parked all along Roosevelt Avenue. More

I don't always eat a sandwich the size of my own skull. But when I do, I prefer the Puma, a hand-held smörgåsbord named after its creator's favorite Mexican soccer team—Mexico City's Pumas. More

We abide by Philly's status as a mecca for sandwich lovers. One visit to Paesano's is proof that the title goes above and beyond the cheesesteak. More

The joint's six seats place everyone a good word's length from the griddle, the prep counter, the other customers, and Jodie himself—and Jodie Royston is not a man who takes money from strangers. Naturally, it takes only one meal to become a regular, especially when one takes hunger into account. The restaurant's sprawling menu—over 64 specials splayed across two walls in the form of cheeky laminates and repurposed receipts—offers a bounty of flavor beyond the fried chicken leg. More

Good brisket is hard to come by, but the slow-cooked meat at newly re-opened David's Brisket House does right by its namesake. More

Butcher Bar is ready to satisfy New York's unabashed love of pork belly. The sustainable meat heads' pork belly, lettuce and tomato sandwich ($10.99 with slaw and pickle) starts with a quality slab of belly from a naturally raised pig. More

If you've never been to David's Brisket House, now is a good time to make your first pilgrimage. The Bed-Stuy institution—a longstanding Jewish deli now operated by Muslims—has re-opened its doors after being closed for over two months of renovation. More

Santa Maria is best known for tri-tip, which became the signature of Central California 'cue during the 1960s. Taken from the bottom of the sirloin, tri-tip is a versatile cut of beef, and the folks at Rancho Nipomo sure make a tasty sandwich of it. More

Santa Maria's claim to culinary fame is a type of open-flame grilling that dates back to the 19th century. Despite its association with colonial Spain's vaquero culture, this approach was not too different from most American barbecue of the time—a process with three general steps: "Dig hole. Light coals. Apply carcass." More

Boerum Hill's standby for Mexican standards, Fast and Fresh Burrito Deli is not quite in the same league as the taquerias of Sunset Park, but it's nothing to scoff at if you need a serviceable torta or a pair of tacos in a pinch. The deli's breakfast tortas ($3.50 each, $4 after 11:00 a.m.) make for an particularly good meal on the go, offering a few options for mixing and matching. More

Bedouin Tent's leg of lamb sandwich ($8) rolls just-baked pita around green letttuce, tomato, onion, and (of course) slices of roasted leg of lamb. The well-done lamb meat is powerfully seasoned, particularly heavy on black pepper and roasted garlic and nudged to a higher level of flavor by the house's tasty lemon-mint mayonaise. More

More than the sum of its parts, the final product is a messy but satisfying nod to the best of life's leftovers. More

Birria tatemada, which at Zaragoza translates roughly to "roasted goat," reflects the family's inspired adaptation of Jalisco's native birria, one that followsa devoted cooking process More

For years, the only place in New York to enjoy a legit plate of burnt ends was Righteous Urban Barbecue. Thanks to Long Island City's John Brown Smokehouse, barbecue lovers in the big city have a new source for this Kansas City classic. More

A relative newcomer to the barbecue trail, Chicago's Smoque has quickly made a name for itself with meticulously studied barbecue staples. Believe the hype: The Irving Park smoke joint's beef brisket sandwich ($7.45), a standout in what is historically a pork rib town, is perfectly executed. More

Brisket with Chinese mustard and pickled mushrooms is one of the current lineup's more intuitive combinations. The sub's slow-cooked beef brisket—plenty moist, well-salted, and laced with just enough rendered fat to stay on the "juicy" side of the grease line—is barely contained by No. 7's custom roll. More

Those who can get over the sticker shock of an $8 breakfast sandwich should make a point of trying the breakfast special, a grilled English muffin stuffed with house-made chorizo and slow-cooked egg. More

If you're in the Windy City and in the barbecue mood, this is something to order by the bucket (and isn't that always fun?). Rib tips. They're one of the top sellers at Lem's Bar-B-Q and it's not difficult to understand why. Each tip points to a deep blend of flavors, merging the powerful tastes of charcoal and hickory smoke with the simple sweetness of pork. Lem's tangy, spicy barbecue sauce adds a molasses-colored kick before the tips find their way into a freshly popped paper bag. More

Soggy bread is a sin among sandwiches, but when said bread is a springy Italian roll soaked with jus from slow-roasted, thinly sliced, and heavily seasoned roast beef at Al's #1 Italian Beef, be prepared to forgive. More

There are smokehouse inquisitors who would raise an eyebrow at Uncle John's Barbecue, a hole-in-the-wall, South Side smoke joint that serves its aquarium-smoked ribs and rib tips two ways: drowned in barbecue sauce, and drowned in spicy barbecue sauce. More

Lexington Barbecue, which has been serving oak-smoked pork shoulder in various forms since the 1960s, offers its barbecue in sandwich form for less than $4. If you intend to get serious about it, ask for yours with "extra brown" (bits of meat cut from the edges of the shoulder). Lexington's chewy, smoky chopped pork, crowned with a scoop of sweet and tart barbecue slaw and stuffed into a factory-made hamburger bun, is a classic handful of American barbecue. More

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The 9th annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party was hardly different from the 8th annual Big Apple Barbecue, which wasn't all too different from the 7th annual Big Apple Barbecue. Fortunately, after nine years of building a bigger and better barbecue, the Block Party's repetitions taste more like tradition. A curated festival of Southern-style barbecue in New York City is not something to turn down lightly, no matter how many times we've lined up for our favorite pulled pork sandwich in the past. More

The state of Maryland practices barbecue in a rare form. I discovered this for myself on a grassy road outside of Baltimore, in front of a truck that had been built around a barrel-shaped smoker and decorated on all sides with the words: "PIT BEEF." After taking my order, the ladies of Bull on the Run picked up a rested round roast and nestled it into their deli slicer, carving away thin, pink ribbons and piling them unceremoniously onto a roll. More

What good is a guide to American barbecue sauce styles if you can't actually try any of those sauces? Thankfully, most regional styles of barbecue sauce are available via mail order. if you've never tried northern Alabama white sauce or want to see what the most infamous mustard sauce in South Carolina is all about, mail-order is the easiest way to get sauced. More

Jodie's, a warm hole-in-the-wall dining counter that's a treasured local secret in California's East Bay, is known for its Shopsin's-like menu of breakfast platters. Jodie and his grandson Charles are also quite handy when it comes to sandwiches. More