BBQ Across the South

Southern Living ^ | April 2003 | Gary Ford

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BBQ Across the South

Barbecue is pork. No, beef. How about mutton? Chicken? Goat? North Carolina has the best barbecue. Make that Texas. Memphis is barbecue heaven. Nope. Kansas City.

Sometimes, home-cooking is best. The Gibson family's "pig-picking" begins in the early hours.

On and on goes this debate about the South's best barbecue. While y'all argued, we ate. Charles Walton, the best food photographer in America, and I sniffed out nearly 100 restaurants, joints, and dives from Washington, D.C., to Kansas City, Missouri. We found that the heart of barbecue beats in Memphis. Tar Heels and Texans cook mountains of it, and between them run rivers of sauces and islands of styles. A vast feast spreads across the South. Come savor it with us.

As long as there's been a South, we've loved barbecue, the one food that defines us most as a region. It suits our Southern sense of comfort, society, and the passage of time--friends and family gathering around glowing embers, drifting smoke scenting the air and seasoning the meats of animals that grazed the grass of our prairies and rooted the mast of our forests.

Barbecue has moved from home to restaurant. In our Readers' Choice Awards, we asked for your favorite barbecue places. You submitted more than 7,500 restaurants. A full 47 of them sported "Bubba" somewhere in the name--from Bubba's Barbeque in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to Bubba's Ribs & Q in Tifton, Georgia. All those Bubbas--and so many more--set a very long table of meat, sauces, and side dishes.

"There are four barbecue meccas," says Carolyn Wells, a Nashville native and now the executive director of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. "The Carolinas form the cradle of American barbecue. Memphis is the undisputed pork barbecue capital of the world. The entire state of Texas considers itself a capital. Kansas City is the melting pot, where all regional styles come together."

Later we'll tell you what we think is the best barbecue in the South. Travel Assistant Tanner Latham, informed of our foolhardy claim, leveled a gaze at us and said, "You do realize that readers will send death threats?"

Yes. We expect them, but when you write us, please include names of your favorite restaurants so we can cover them in the future.

[stainlessbanner]

Thanks Shuckmaster - good find

[stainlessbanner]

Springtime in Dixie....fire up the smoker, make some sweet tea, and enjoy your family and friends!

[steplock]

Can't forget the 12-hour mesquite-smoked cabrito from west Texas.

That's finger licking good goat to you yankees!

[stainlessbanner]

bump

[wardaddy]

I'm from Mississippi. I live in Nashville.

The best bar b que is generally in Texas.

[sweetliberty]

Ping!

[El Sordo]

From what I've seen of BBQ threads on FR, this should have been posted in 'Religion'.

[Tarheel]

...Charles Walton, the best food photographer in America, and I sniffed out nearly 100 restaurants, joints, and dives from Washington, D.C.,...

What a choice assignment--how much weight did they gain, 100 restaurants to sample! So many choices, so little time.

The Tarheel

[yarddog]

I agree that Bar BQ should be Pork. I once lived in Texas and loved the state but I never did think Mesquite was all that good for BBQ.

I have had really good in Norfolk, Va., Columbus Ga., and Montgomery, Al.

I don't know that I would call it the best in the world but Dobbs in Dothan Alabama can be really good.

[Pamlico]

I guess you have never traveled to North Carolina, now have you?

[stainlessbanner]

I watched the US BBQ Competition on the Food Channel last year. I would've paid money to be a judge! I got so dang hungry watching that show...man.

Two ladies took one of the awards on a modified smoker they picked up on the roadside as junk, inserted a threaded rod and spun the grill up and down as needed for the proper heat. Nows that's cookin'

[stainlessbanner]

bbq bump.

[kcordell]

this should have been posted in 'Religion'.

Amen!

[gubamyster]

I lived in Sugar Land, TX for a while & there used to be the best BBQ place across the road from the old sugar factory. They served a bake potato covered in BBQ, cheese & butter. Just thinking of that, some jalapenos & an ice cold pitcher of beer has my keyboard covered w/ drool.

Up near Champions, in North Houston, there used to be a guy (Cotton's BBQ) who pulled his smoker into a Kroger parking lot & sold brisket sandwiches.

Now, I go to Dr. Hoggly Woggly's Tyler Texas BBQ here in the valley. A long drive from HB, but well worth it.

[annyokie]

We've had our grill fired up for at least six weeks now.

Good BBQ IS a religion! ; )

[sinkspur]

I'm in Texas, and we fight all the time over pork vs. beef (though I prefer pork), but one thing I do not get is coleslaw on a sandwich. I got that in Tupelo, Mississippi once, and, since then, folks tell me that's common in the south.

Where did that come from?

[stainlessbanner]

Texas, you say? How 'bout Railhead in FW, TX?

[stainlessbanner]

We always ate slaw dawgs, but no 'samiches with coleslaw...

[nkycincinnatikid]

Well Cincinnati IS Porkopolis and there is some awesome BBQ ribs joints here. Montgomery and Walts come to mind. I recently had some of the worst BBQ in my life at County Line in Austin, supposedly a MECCA there. The wife swears by Porky's in Memphis. Carolina BBQ requires a few generations to appreciate I think.

[yarddog]

I grew up about as deep South as you can get but I never heard of a cole slaw sandwich.

It is commonly served with BBQ tho.

[wardaddy]

I dunno.

Does being born at Seymour Johnson and owning a vacation home at Hound Ears by Grandfather Mountain count?

[wardaddy]

I used to get good BBQ off SPID in Corpus back in 1982...the brisket was great.

Memphis is OK for ribs...in all fairness.

[TC Rider]

North Carolina has the best barbecue.

Could have finished that article right there.

[sinkspur]

Texas, you say? How 'bout Railhead in FW, TX?

Charlie Geren's place, rated #1 in Tarrant County for Barbecue. He's opened a second location, in Grapevine, and we're in there every ten days. Some of the best brisket around, though my favorite ribs are still Angelo's north of downtown.

Baker's Ribs in Dallas is pretty good too.

[gubamyster]

How 'bout Railhead in FW, TX?

Nope. Only been near FW to see the Cowboys and Rangers.

[wardaddy]

Cole Slaw on BBQ here in the mid South is quite common...especially with a drier vinegar based sauce....pulled pork and slaw at the Perfect Pig out past Kingston Springs west of Nashville on US70 is a great example.

[sweetliberty]

"From what I've seen of BBQ threads on FR, this should have been posted in 'Religion'."

You got that right!

[lodwick]

Someone done gone and smoke your links.

[TC Rider]

I agree that Bar BQ should be Pork. I once lived in Texas and loved the state but I never did think Mesquite was all that good for BBQ.

"Just so you know, we're ashamed beef BBQ is from Texas."

[sinkspur]

It is commonly served with BBQ tho.

Oh, I eat coleslaw with my Q too, on the side, but I ordered a brisket sandwich in Mississippi and it came with the coleslaw on the brisket.

[sweetliberty]

You trying to stir up trouble?? Hehehe...

[yarddog]

Now that you mention it, I think I have had cole slaw served on the meat.

I thought you said "cole slaw sandwich".

[yarddog]

BBQ Beef or chicken is not really bad but it is definitely something entirely different and not as good as BBQ pork.

[sweetliberty]

"folks tell me that's common in the south."

I think it depends on the region, but it is quite common. Growing up in southern Virginia, slaw was always served on barbeque (always pork), unless you ordered it without. Here in Arkansas, the really good barbeque places serve it with slaw as well. I like it both ways. Not sure about the origin of it though.

[hardhead]

Once I was at a bluegrass festival in Summersville, WV, and we took a trip to Clay (not too far) to visit some relations of our friends and at this hotel, all they served at lunch was 'boiled hotdogs topped with slaw and called slawdogs'. Nothing fancy but a beer tray laden down with slawdogs, and with the beer, they tasted mighty good. I just about lost my cookies when I was looking at all the 'celebrities' who had stopped in to have slawdogs and wouldn't you know it but there was a signed photo of that senile old cuss who brings home the pork for WV from the U.S. senate. Do I need to mention his name?

[sweetliberty]

"The wife swears by Porky's in Memphis"

Porky's or Corky's?

[wardaddy]

The best BBQ sauce I ever had came from an old fellow in Coy Alabama (near Camden/Selma). His name was Claude McKinley and he was a project super for my dad's pipeline company. He was about 75-90% old Creek Indian and red as a stop sign with really serious eyes and coal black hair but very warm.

He made it by the gallon glass container...it is was highly secret and used tomato base and some cane sugar and many others spices and he stewed it outside on an open fire.

I loved that stuff....I've never had anything close since. I'm sure ol Claude has likely passed on...a fine fellow. .

[sweetliberty]

Hi Loddy. How you doing?

[okie01]

"From what I've seen of BBQ threads on FR, this should have been posted in 'Religion'."

Damn betcha.

Pass the beer.

And Amen!

[sweetliberty]

"we're ashamed beef BBQ is from Texas"

Now you 've gone and done it. You'll draw indignant Texans from all over FR who really believe that barbeque is beef.

[wardaddy]

Neely's...Rendevoux(just for the experience)

[sweetliberty]

"it came with the coleslaw on the brisket."

Now THAT's obscene!

[okie01]

"I don't know that I would call it the best in the world but Dobbs in Dothan Alabama can be really good."

Have you ever tried the place over in Iron City, GA?

Sliced pork sandwiches best I've ever tasted -- believe they use fresh ham.

[LittleRedRooster]

I grew up in Kansas City, lived in Little Rock and now live in Texas. I have loved BBQ for over 30 years and the BBQ from the Carolinas is good, the BBQ from KC is better and the BBQ in Memphis is the best except for the stuff I make right here at home.

As for Texas BBQ I just dont get it.
Risky's sucks, The Railhead sucks and Angleo's has the worst BBQ but the best beer ever.

[yarddog]

I have driven through or nearly through Iron City many times on 84. Didn't even know there was a BBQ place there.

[noutopia]

Cant beat a South Carolina Pig Pickin!!!!

[LibKill]

There are many fine varieties of barbecue across the south.

I can't pick a favorite, but I will eat all kinds with gusto.

[sweetliberty]

Some of the best I have had is the Whole Hog Cafe in Little Rock. They have won so many awards for their barbeque they needed a new room to put them all in! They do pork AND brisket and 7 different styles of sauce. There's something for everybody and it is ALL good. We have our FReeper meetings there pretty regularly. Some other great places for barbeque are Dixie Pig in Little Rock, Smokehouse and Bubba's in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (different styles though), Gene's Barbeque in Colonial Heights, Virginia and also in Dinwiddie County, and there was a place near Brunswick, Georgia that did a fantastic barbeque too. Can't remember what it was called. It was a drive-in type place.

[tet68]

Ribs? Try Dreamland in Tuskaloosa Ala.
But only ribs! That's all they sell.

I prefer the dry ribs at the Rondesvous in Memphis.

[Non-Sequitur]

Best barbecue in the country is right here in Kansas City, partly because we have the best beer in the world to wash it down with - Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat. Draft, of course, with a slice of lemon.