That unmistakable aroma of hickory smoke wafting through the air along Route 60 in Williamsburg signals you’ve arrived at Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que, where Virginia’s barbecue dreams come true.

The ribs at Pierce’s represent barbecue in its highest form—not the fall-off-the-bone style that barbecue purists recognize as overcooked, but with that perfect bite resistance that surrenders to ...