To sample some “So-good-you’ll-slap-yo’-mama” Memphis BBQ, the
Germantown-branch of Commissary is the spot. Since 1981, it’s been
slowly smoking melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder (order it chopped or
pulled), beef brisket, and pork ribs over a hickory fire. There’s succulent
and moist smoked chicken and turkey here, too, as well as fried catfish
for a change of pace. And when you get back home and crave some of
their Memphis BBQ, just visit the website. The restaurant ship ribs and
pulled pork right to your door.
Another local favorite is Central BBQ. Using a dry rub and hickory and
pecan woods, owners Craig Blondis and Roger Sapp bring years of
barbecue competition experience to every batch of meat they smoke.
Their marinade lasts for 24 hours, and they are Memphis purists, with no
sauce in their pit. Just that secret dry rub concoction and all those hours
of quiet cooking make their pulled pork some of the world’s best. The
meat on their pork ribs drops right off, and their beef brisket is trimmed
of fat and sliced thin. Try the pork BBQ nachos for a groaningly good
pile of decadent flavors. Also order at least one helping of Central BBQ’s
homemade banana pudding dessert — it is legendary.
the “belly bacon on a stick” — smoked then fried pork belly, served
with a honey sesame sauce. The places does pit-smoked sliced beef
and beef burnt ends, too.
Visit St. Louis in late September and discover the annual Q in the Lou
BBQ Festival, where top chefs from all over (sometimes including
Memphis and Charlotte) meet for a huge cook off. Buy a pit pass and
get two hours of all-you-can-eat BBQ and booze, which just might end
up being your most memorable BBQ indulgence ever.
United Airlines offers nonstop flights from Dulles International Airport
(IAD) to St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), while American
and Southwest Airlines fly nonstop from Reagan National Airport (DCA).
Corky’s BBQ, Memphis
Credit: Craig Thompson
No BBQ crawl of Memphis is complete without visiting Corky’s.
Founded in Memphis in 1984, it has expanded to locations all across
the South, mostly because of their unique combo of slow cooking
over charcoal and hickory wood. That taste translates to a piled-high
pulled pork sandwich topped with tangy coleslaw. Charlie Vergos
Rendezvous should also be on the BBQ bucket list, especially for the
dry-rub pork ribs, cooked the same slow way in a basement in the heart
of downtown Memphis since 1948.
American Airlines offers nonstop flights from Reagan National Airport
(DCA) to Memphis international Airport (MEM).
St. Louis
Residents of St. Louis have been eating BBQ for generations, ever since
musicians have been playing the blues in this heartland city. And while
grilled St. Louis ribs are in a category of their own (literally, they are
often a separate element of BBQ competitions), there are plenty of
other delicious types of slow-cooked meats to sample as well.
Right next door to the National Blues Museum is one of the city’s
terrific BBQ spots, Sugarfire Smokehouse, which not only does the
classics like ribs and pulled pork, but also throws things like Andouille
sausage and Portobello mushrooms into the smoker. Add in chocolate
peanut butter bourbon shake or a local microbrew beer, and you won’t
be singin’ the blues here.
Pappy’s Smokehouse has been one of St. Louis’ go-to BBQ joints since
2008, mostly because of its melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork and dry rub
smoked and glazed ribs. Ironically, Pappy’s prides itself on its Memphis-
Style BBQ, so expect meats cooked over apple or cherry wood for 24
hours, then served with Pappy’s secret sauces — Original, Sweet Baby
Jane, or HooDoo. It’s always crowded here, and when the meat runs
out for the day, they close early.
Q in the Lou BBQ Festival
Credit: Explore St. Louis
Noble Smoke Barbeque, Charlotte
Credit: The Plaid Penguin
BBQ fans love Bootleggin’ BBQ Tavern as much for its convivial
atmosphere as its excellent BBQ. It’s a sports bar, too, not far from
Saint Louis University, so there’s usually a lively crowd on hand. Taste
the smoked, sauced chicken wings for something different or dig into
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