Redemption BBQ in Short Pump named one of best new spots in the country

The big picture: Barbecue editor Robert Moss scoured the South, feasting on smoked pork from every "new" (opened since 2021) and notable spot he could find.

• And he found John Vest, the former Chicagoan and pastor who learned the gospel of traditional Virginia-style barbecue when he relocated to RVA in 2015 for a teaching fellowship at Union Seminary.
• Vest took his barbecue to the masses with a local food truck in 2020 and opened Redemption BBQ as a brick-and-mortar location two years later.

What they're saying: "This pastor turned pitmaster's pork is legit: cooked directly over hard-wood coals and then chopped into tender, juicy shreds with plenty of brown outside bits," Moss wrote.

Zoom in: On the menu at Redemption you'll find locally sourced smoked meats available by the pound or in a sandwich, plus sides, and Vest's signature "Old Virginia" sauce: butter, lard, spice and vinegar.

If you go: Redemption is at 3420 Lauderdale Drive and open every Thursday through Sunday, 11:30am-7pm.

• Pro tip: Don't sleep on the Chicago-style deep dish pizzas from its "secret" weekend-only menu.