Yes I’ve heard that with Washington. Can probably be said about most states too once you leave the cities. 

You should. I head to Austin in about a month for our company hands-on and the main thing I’m looking forward to is the bbq. Terry Blacks blew my mind last year. Any recs for better than that or is that the standard there? 

 You aren't going to get much better than Terry's but I hear good things about Franklin's (franklinbbq.com). I enjoyed Salt Lick. The one I went to was out of town so it's a bit of a hike but highly recommended (saltlickbbq.com/driftwood/ ||18300 Ranch to Market Rd 1826, Driftwood, TX 78619).