Chester’s Barbecue

Chester Dugas may be Connecticut-born, but his taste buds came alive during years as a journeyman cook and sometime blues musician along the Memphis-Chicago axis. Southerners stationed at Navy and Coast Guard bases in the New London-Groton area hanker for down-home food, and Dugas aims to please. Something of a purist, his trademarked motto states his position on wet versus dry: “Barbecue is not the sauce. It’s what the sauce goes on.’’ His signature meat is beef brisket, slow-smoked for 12-15 hours.

941 Poquonnock Road, Groton, Conn. 860-449-6868, www.chestersbbq.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. $7-$26.