Barbecue lover's Memphis and Tennessee styles: restaurants, markets, recipes & traditions

225 Pages·2015·8.089 MB·English

by  Stewart-Howard, Stephanie

Restaurants, Markets, Recipes & Traditions
Stephanie Stewart-Howard
GUILFORD, CONNECTICUT
To my husband, Seth Howard, without whom I’d
never be able to do this, and to my dad, Joe Stewart,
without whom I’d know nothing about barbecue.
An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield
Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK
Copyright © 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield
All photography by the author unless otherwise noted.
Maps: Alena Joy Pearce © Rowman & Littlefield
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
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may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stewart-Howard, Stephanie.
Barbecue lover’s Memphis and Tennessee styles : restaurants, markets, recipes &
traditions / Stephanie Stewart-Howard.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4930-0636-6 (pbk.) — ISBN 978-1-4930-1902-1 (e-book)
1. Barbecuing—Tennessee—Memphis. 2. Restaurants—Tennessee—Memphis.
3. Barbecuing—Tennessee. 4. Restaurants—Tennessee. I. Title.
TX840.B3S75 2015
641.7'60976819—dc23
2015015986
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
All the information in this guidebook is subject to change. We recommend that
you call ahead to obtain current information before traveling.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1 Joe’s Diner Family-Style Restaurant
(Joe’s Bar-B-Que) 58
A LITTLE HISTORY 7 Little Porky’s Pit Barbecue 59
Our Traditions 7
Mackenzie’s BBQ 59
Time & Again 10
Neil’s Barbecue and Grill 60
Regions & Favorites, From Shoulders
Old Timers Restaurant 61
to Whole Hog 13
Pappy John’s Original Barbecue 61
Paul Latham’s Meat Company
MEMPHIS 21
and Barbecue 62
A&R Bar-B-Que 23
Pig House BBQ 63
The Bar-B-Q Shop 24
Pig-N-Out 63
Big Bill’s BBQ 25
R&B Barbecue and Restaurant 64
Blues City Café 26
Reggi’s Hickory Pit Barbecue
Central Barbecue 26
and Wings 67
Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous 27
Scott’s-Parker’s Barbecue 67
Cozy Corner 32
Smokin’ Hot Barbecue Drive In 68
Germantown Commissary 33
Gridley’s Bar-B-Q 34
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 71
Jim Neely’s Interstate Barbecue 34
B&C Market 72
Marlowe’s Restaurant and Ribs 37
The Bar-B-Que Place 73
Memphis Barbecue Co. 38
BB’s Bar-B-Q 74
The Original Leonard’s Pit Barbecue 40
Bell Buckle Café 74
Payne’s Original Bar-B-Que 43
Big E’s Barbecue Restaurant 76
Silky O’Sullivan’s 46
Black Dog Market 77
Three Little Pigs 46
Blue Moon Barbecue 77
Tom’s Bar-B-Q & Deli 47
Bobby Q’s 78
Bubba’s Smokehouse 80
WEST TENNESSEE 51
Carl’s Perfect Pig Bar-B-Que
Back Yard Bar-Be-Que 52
and Grill 81
Bad Bob’s Barbecue 54
Center Point 81
Bozo’s Hot Pit Barbecue 55
Christie Q Barbecue and Catering 82
Dave’s Smokehouse Grill 55
Collins River BBQ 83
Helen’s BarBQ 57
Corner Pit BBQ 85
I-40 Exit 87 Barbecue Stand 58
Edley’s Bar-B-Que 85
Edz Wingz 88 Shuford’s Smokehouse Barbecue
Excell Market and Barbecue 89 and Catering 133
Fat Boys Bar-B-Q 92 Sugar’s Ribs 133
Grandpa’s Tennessee Barbecue 92 Sweet P’s Barbecue and Soul House 135
Heavenly BarB-Que 93 Thatcher’s Barbecue & Grille 138
Hog Heaven 93
Jack’s BarBQue 94 THE OUTLIERS: NORTH ALABAMA &
Jim N’ Nick’s 95 BEYOND TENNESSEE’S BORDERS 139
John T’s BBQ Smokehouse 98 Big Bob Gibson’s 147
Judge Bean’s BBQ 99 Dreamland Barbecue 148
Larry’s Bar-B-Que 99 Full Moon BBQ 149
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint 100 Saw’s BBQ 150
Mickey Roos 102
THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT 153
O’Possum’s Pub 104
Wonderful Small Time: Chester
Peg Leg Porker 104
County 153
Prater’s 106
Family Fun: Barbecue on the River 154
Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant 107
High Style: Jack Daniel’s Invitational
Rib City 109
World Championship 157
Rock Island Market and Café 110
The Big Moment: Memphis in May 163
Slick Pig BBQ 110
Barbecue Festival Guide 166
Slow and Low BBQ Bistro 111
Smoke Et Al 112
SO YOU WANT TO BE A
Timberloft Barbecue and Catering 114
BARBECUE STAR 169
Top Hog BBQ 115
The Professionals 169
True’s Barbecue 115
Barbecue on the River 172
The Amateurs—Ordinary Guys 175
EAST TENNESSEE 119
Archer’s Barbecue 120
IN THE KITCHEN & AROUND
Bone’s Smokehouse 121
THE SMOKER 180
Dead End BBQ 121
Meat & Rub Recipes 181
Hickory Pit Bar-B-Que 124
Side Dish Recipes 193
Hillbilly Willy’s Barbecue and
Dessert Recipes 205
Catering Company 124
Drink Recipes 210
Porker’s Bar-B-Cue 127
Ridgewood Barbecue 127
INDEX 213
Riverview Grill 129
vi CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Stewart-Howard is a journalist and author whose résumé
also includes work as an artist, actor, costume designer, and
researcher. After spending several years as managing editor and
primary writer at Nashville Lifestyles magazine, she decided to leap
into the book and freelance world. She is the author of Nashville
Chef’s Table. She currently contributes regularly to 12th and Broad,
Nashville Arts Magazine, Renaissance magazine, Livability.com,
Where Nashville, and a host of other local and national publications.
She lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband and two cats.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would never have happened without the help and advice of some
amazing people.
Pat and Martha Martin, you guys are the best for so many reasons. In a lot
of ways, you started this book for me years before I came to write it, and your
food sustained me through the composition of it. I could never have done this
without you.
Carey Bringle, thanks for recipes, food when I needed it, and fantastic
interviews. You’ve inspired me in so many ways with your cool attitude and
your truly excellent ribs.
Chris Chamberlain, Thomas Williams, Nick Pihakis, Jim Myers, John T.
Edge: guys, I think I have to buy you all a beer. Thank you so much for helping
me out in the early stages of this book.
Jason Little, Daisy King, Ray DuBose, and Carl T. Atkins, for inspired
recipes.
Carson Reed, Vincent Farone, Sean Reisz, and Bill Howell, thanks for being
my daily inspirations in the world of home barbecue. I’ve learned a whole lot
from each of you over the years.
To my mom, Yvonne Stewart, for encouragement and the occasional glass
of Riesling, judiciously applied.
To the wondrous Ms. Shawn Reed, thanks for hitting the trails in the park
with me and letting me clear my head.
And to all the other girls who keep me sane and help me out: my sister
Laura Holder, my aunt, Jackie Howell, and my friends Jennifer Matthews,
Lara Olstad, Hilary Yodis, Amy Ripton, Kelley Davidson, Kathy Aslinger, Dena
Nance, Michaela Burnham, Amy-Renee King, TJ Vestal, Jenny Barnhill, Ken-
dra Greathouse, Diana Ellis, Bridget Dohaney, and all the rest of you.
viii
INTRODUCTION
Driving down the road in Tennessee, no matter where you go, there’s a
barbecue joint in the immediate vicinity. Some are big, spacious, and
pretty; others are small, set in shacks or old gas stations. The appearance gives
little away about the quality of the barbecue. Sometimes, the shack with the
smoker produces the best food you’ve ever tasted. But one thing is certain:
We’re serious about our barbecue around here, big joint or small.
As I write this, the long history of the really good, filling, moderately
priced pulled pork sandwich from so many of these joints is being called into
question by record pork prices, caused in part by issues of disease and drought
across the pig-raising parts of the nation. But whatever comes of that, rest
assured that the barbecue gods of Tennessee are going to do their best to keep
producing something tender, juicy, and rich on your palate that doesn’t break
the bank.
It says a great deal that we must now discuss the reality of our changing
foodways and the shifts being caused by the market and a new understanding
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