Arizona hosts outdoors nine months a year, so barbecue has to survive desert heat, long service windows and guest lists that run into the hundreds. These guides rank the pitmasters who deliver, city by city, and explain how to book them well.
A caterer who is excellent in a mild climate can fall apart at a June picnic in Tempe or an August reception in Gilbert. Arizona events reward pitmasters who smoke same day, hold meat safely past 105 degrees, and know how to set up in the shade at a Papago Park ramada or a Troon North backyard. Every guide on this page is written with that in mind.
Start with the statewide ranking if you are comparing options across the Valley. Then open the guide for your event's city, since venues, HOA rules, seasons and crowd sizes change from Old Town Scottsdale to Dobson Ranch. Each guide names our top pick and gives you the questions to ask before you pay a deposit.
Statewide RankingsThe statewide ranking covers pitmasters who travel across the Valley and beyond, and our wider catering guides cover Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert and Goodyear.
