Amazing BBQ Ribs NowBBQ Ribs

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

I am a big Barbeque Nut. So one of my favorite towns to visit on Earth is Memphis, Tennessee. The home of the Blues is also the home of some sweet Memphis BBQ.

There is nothing else quite like sinking your teeth into the smokey goodness of the melt-in-your-mouth ribs at Charlie Vergo’s Rendezvous or relishing the Blues-backed tangy sauces on Beale Street. If you live for good barbecue it’s hard to go wrong in Memphis because there is a great restaurant on almost every corner. Your hardest problems you will have will be deciding were to start, where to go next and not wanting to leave.

Here are my can’t-miss picks for Memphis BBQ Heaven if you have a week to eat in the hometown of “the King”.

I’d suggest beginning at the most storied of all of Memphis barbecue restaurants, Charlie Vergo’s Rendezvous. You enter the restaurant from an alley that’s full of heavenly smells of smoking pork and customers waiting to get a seat. How can you not love a world famous barbecue joint that’s in an alley? The ‘Vous is known for it’s “dry ribs” that use only a spicy barbecue rub and no sauce. Not to worry if you love barbecue sauce — a cold drink of beer with each bite will work just nicely.

The Rendezvous is in midtown near the world famous Peabody Hotel. Head a couple of blocks south to “The Home of the Blues”, Beale Street, and you will find several more excellent restaurants to try. Sitting right across the street from each other at the entrance to Beale are B B King’s and Blues City Cafe. Both serve tangy sweet, sauce covered ribs and pulled pork with a backdrop of some of the best blues music you’ll ever hear. Both restaurants feature full menus, ranging from tamales to catfish. But who cares — we’re here to eat barbecue!

Up the road a bit, past the Elvis stores, the Blues bars and Fed-Ex Forum, you’ll find Silky O’Sullivan’s. Don’t let the Irish name fool you. Mr. O’Sullivan knows his barbecue. Start your meal with a plate of BBQ Nachos then get down to serious eating with a rack of the ribs. Just be careful with the “Diver!”

Getting out of the city, don’t miss Corky’s and Interstate. Even though both places have gone “chain” and are apt to be full of tourists, both have excellent barbecue and you can pick up a bottle or two of their sauce to take home with you.

On the last night of your stay treat yourself with a trip to the place where the locals go when they want barbecue, Cozy Corner. Michael Stern of “Roadfood” says, “If you have time for just one barbecue meal in Memphis (or anywhere on earth), go to Cozy Corner.” The specialties of this down-home joint are barbequed cornish game hens, barbecued spaghetti and barbequed baloney. All three have to be tried to be believed.

That’s one week’s worth of Memphis barbecue for a normal person to try or about a day and a half’s worth for the true barbecue Fan. But even if you eat barbecue for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can get your fill in Memphis.

Known for the birthplace of the Blues, home of Graceland and BBQ ribs, Memphis is great place to spend a few days. The city fathers have cordoned off the Main Street area to create a pedestrian walkway allowing for a leisurely stroll without having to worry about avoiding vehicles. Along Main Street you will find many unusual sculptures representing the Mississippi River which separates Tennessee from Arkansas. The kids will have fun playing at a rather large fountain that jets streams of water high into the air and scattered along the way numerous chicest restaurants serving up nearly any form of food you may desire.  No visit to the downtown would be complete without a visit to the historic Peabody Hotel to watch the parade of ducks.  Take a ride on one of the streetcars that travel up and down Main Street, but be sure to get off and stop by The Peanut Shoppe or grab a bite at Sam’s Diner.

Once you have finished touring downtown head for Beale Street.  As the sun begins to set in the western sky, the barricades go up, the music starts to wail and the smell of BBQ fills the air. Not sure what type of music you are in the mood, then take your pick.  B.B. Kings, The Blues Hall Juke Joint or the Rum Boogie Cafe just to name a few will have the music blaring.  While in the area check at the Orpheum Theater to see who is in concert.

Ready to eat? Like ribs? Then you will be in hog heaven. Take your pick, dry, wet, rubbed, hot, mild, big slabs or small slabs all are awaiting to test your palatte.  Served with beans, slaw or fries add a couple slices of bread and you have the perfect Memphis dinner.  Check out the Blues City Cafe, one of the local favorites, you will not be disappointed.

Not in the mood for ribs?  Head down towards the end of Beale Street to Dyers Hamburgers.  What makes Dyers so special?  Deep fried hamburgers, that is right deep fried hamburgers. Since they opened in 1912 Dyers has using the same grease (strained daily) to serve up an artery clogging hamburger or cheeseburger. Do not ask for lettuce or tomato, they are not served. Add some fries, sweet tea or a shake and you will have a unique dining experience.

Last but not least, once you have gotten your fill on music and food, take a short ride to south Memphis and visit Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion. Join the thousands who take a yearly pilgrimage to pay their respect and visit the grave site of one of America’s most beloved rock and rollers.

One of the things I can truly congratulate my hometown of Memphis on is the absolute positive growth of one of the best contests that truly says Memphis; the BBQ contest. Our contest here is the best contest there is for truly it’s a totally Memphis thing at least as far as the cooking of swine or pig if you would. It’s so big that it covers all of Tom Lee Park and they close off the riverfront just to hold it. I remember when I did security there some years back and it was one of my more pleasant job experiences. The people were friendly and there to have a real good time as they cooked up their best recipes of swine trying to win that coveted trophy and the $25,000 prize. Back then it wasn’t about the money, it was about being known as having the best BBQ in the Mid-South, for a lot of them spent MORE than $25,000 on their grills and other gear. Now if I’m not mistaken the prize money is like $100,000 or more but still the contestants may spend more than that on their equipment. So I suspect that bragging rights are still at the core of their motivations to keep coming back (plus to established BBQ houses it’s a feather in their cap adding extra prestige for their BBQ shaks). Well this years contest begins this weekend and I’m looking forward to the sweet smells (and some not so sweet) of that pig meat cooking on a grill. There are several categories; ribs, pork loin, whole hog and several others I’m not that familiar with because my favorite is the ribs and whole hog! There’s nothing like a whole hog cooked right and I love mine sweet and tender. The contest has come a long way from it’s humble beginnings in a small parking lot.

When I was a kid Memphis in May hadn’t really been established but it was called I believe the Cotton Makers Jubilee or the Mid-South Cotton Carnival. Eitherway, it was Memphis’ version of Mardi Gras without all the naked women throwing beads and stuff. It was more tame but it was a very festive atmosphere as many stages were set-up and a bunch of different local bands played and it was all free. Schools and their marching bands used to march down Main Street (before they put those trollies in) and there were all kinds of food booths out selling different sorts of goodies. Right there on Main & Beale was an old broken down theater called the Orpheum Theater and man it was a wreck. When I was younger they didn’t talk about saving it as they eventually did, but they were talking about tearing it down. Well the only ones who leased it out were promoters putting on R&B and Blues shows for there was still quite a bit of local talent around then in the fields of jazz, blues, gospel, and funk. But I noticed I believe around 1978-79 right in the back of that old broken down dusty theater there were a few people with standard topless grills that they probably brought from home holding a barbecue contest. They had it fenced off with wire or a thin chain or something and there couldn’t have been any more than six or seven people competing if that many. I remember that because my mom had told us she didn’t have any money to spend on food that’s why we ate at home and to come on. Yes I had wanted some of that barbecue for real and I believe at the time it was on sale. Eitherway, that was years ago and what a difference a day makes because they’ve gone from being in the back parking lot of an old theater they were going to tear down to fencing off the whole riverfront to accommodate the participants and the spectators. That old theater was given a makeover and now is back in business with a full schedule. For once I really am glad to say something really nice about my hometown for being a lover of BBQ especially the cooking of pig (Texas likes to do beef) I have to show deference to the M-town to being the best at that.

Every region of the United States has its barbecue specialty: pulled pork sandwiches in North Carolina, racks of ribs in Memphis, “burnt ends” in Kansas City and chopped brisket in Texas. The roots of American barbecue run deep in the South, where even neighboring counties can have different approaches to barbecue, not to mention different states.

Consider North Carolina, a state with a long barbecue tradition .. In eastern North Carolina, you would probably find shredded meat from an entire pig, doused with a peppery vinegar sauce, and if you chose to drive West a few hours from the coast, and you will most likely be served meat from just the shoulder of the hog, with a tomato based sauce. Throughout Carolina, there is a clear preference for barbecue pork and thin vinegary sauces, which is a distinguishing style echoed throughout the state.

Memphis, Tennessee is another superb barbecue location, home to “Memphis in May,” which is the largest barbecue competition and festival in the world. The city boasts over 100 barbecue restaurants and several different barbecue styles. Like North Carolina and much of the South, pork is the barbecue meat of choice in Tennessee and pork ribs are the most common cut, but the city is divided between “dry-rubbed” and “wet rib” versions. Dry-rubbed ribs are generously rubbed with a mixture of spices, smoked and then served with sauce on the side. Wet ribs are lacquered with tangybarbecue sauce before, during and after cooking. Another Memphis favorite is the pulled-pork sandwich – smoked pork shoulder stuffed inside a hamburger bun and topped with coleslaw.

Kansas City is the barbecue capital of the Midwest. Like Memphis, it’s also home to over 100 barbecue restaurants and hosts an annual barbecue competition an an event called American Royal. In Kansas City, both pork and beef are barbecued and it is best known for its BBQ sauce, which is traditionally heavy on tomato and uses molasses as a distinctive sweetener. The traditional thickbarbecue sauce you buy in supermarkets is based on Kansas City style sauce. The bottled varieties are much different from the small batches of sweet zesty sauce cooked up by Kansas City pitmasters. For those that aren’t familiar with the term, “Burnt ends,” are the crunchy, charred ends of brisket slabs, are a Kansas City specialty not to be missed.

Texas is famous for its cattle, and beef brisket is the barbecue meat of choice. But chopped beef and beef ribs are also state favorites. Texas barbecue isn’t only about the beef, it is also about spicy pork sausages, called “hot links,” and pork ribs are also common barbecue fare. Almost all Texas barbecue is cooked without sauce. The meat is rubbed with spices, known as BBQ rub, smoked and, sometimes, a sauce is served on the side. Barbecue in other states is most often smoked over hickory, oak or a handful of other similar hardwoods. But Texas barbecue usually uses mesquite, which gives the meat a distinct and unique flavor.