The Memorial Day Meat Each State Loves to Grill
Happy ALMOST Memorial Day weekend! If you're looking forward to grilling, you're not alone.
According to WalletHub.com, 58% of Americans plan to barbecue this weekend. And Instacart shared some stats on WHAT we're grilling.
They looked at the type of meat each state bought more than other states for Memorial Day weekend last year. The most popular options overall are burgers and dogs, but Instacart's list is a little more unique. Here are the highlights . . .
1. The entire Midwest is obsessed with bratwurst. Almost every state from Ohio to Colorado bought a ton of brats over Memorial Day weekend last year.
2. Texas, California, and most states out west are into steak. Skirt steak in Texas . . . ribeyes in Arizona and Idaho . . . T-bones in Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico . . . and "beef flap" in California, a popular choice for fajitas. Then WAY out West, it's frozen turkey burgers in Hawaii.
3. Ribs are popular across the South. That includes Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. Louisiana and Virginia are into pork butts . . . Florida is getting fancy with filet mignon . . . Kentucky buys lots of burger patties . . . and it's chicken wings in both Carolinas, plus Maryland.
4. Most states in the Northeast are putting meat between bread. Beef patties in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire . . . turkey burgers in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maine . . . and the one exception is Vermont with country-style ribs. Alaska likes them too.
5. Three states have a serious affection for chicken burgers. They're all on the Canadian border . . . Washington, Montana, and North Dakota.
6. And finally, two outliers: Hot dogs are more popular in West Virginia than anywhere else. And vegetarian sausages are big in Oregon. (Hippies.)
They also looked at the most popular side in each state, and it's a mixed bag. But in general, it's potato salad in the Midwest . . . pasta salad in New England AND out west . . . and coleslaw in the South.
Originally posted on May 23rd, 2025