You should go to Lexington, Tennessee. It’s a town of about 7,700 souls, situated midway between Memphis and Nashville. John McAfee, the guy who started the computer security company of that name and could live wherever he wants, has chosen to live there, so it clearly has many charms. Maybe he likes barbecue. Some local folks claim that Lexington is the barbecue capital of the … Continue reading B.E. Scott’s Bar-B-Que, Lexington, Tennessee
What a day. Day 2 of the Great Memphis Region Barbecue Sandwich Tour started with a planned sandwich at the excellent Dixie Pig in Blytheville, Arkansas. Then I learned about the barbecue at the Kream Kastle in Blytheville, and had to try their sandwich. I headed to Helen’s to try her barbecue, but was delayed by a heavy thunderstorm that I decided to wait out over another … Continue reading Helen’s Bar B Q, Brownsville, Tennessee
I went to Chubby’s by accident. Sort of. My original plan was to visit family and eat at the Dixie Pig in Blytheville, Arkansas, and then cross the Mississippi just above Blytheville en route to Helen’s in Brownsville, Tennessee, on Day 2 of my Great Memphis Region Barbecue Sandwich Tour. The first hitch in that plan was the suggestion that I try the barbecue at … Continue reading Chubby’s B-B-Q, Hayti, Missouri
Here is another lesson why you should not limit yourself to famous barbecue places. Get out and find you own. I had a miserable meal at top-rated Central BBQ, and then a great sandwich at a place you’ve never heard of. And now another excellent sandwich. Let’s retrace out steps. I really enjoyed my visits with my Blytheville cousins, and I especially liked the pork … Continue reading Kream Kastle, Blytheville, Arkansas
After my disappointing trip to Central Bar-B-Q on my Great Memphis Region Barbecue Sandwich Tour, I got back up on the horse and set out for more barbecue. I drove across the Mississippi River into Arkansas and up to Blytheville. Odds are that you’ve never heard of Blytheville. Food reviewers certainly haven’t. Perhaps they need to get out more. An easy drive from Memphis, Blytheville is … Continue reading The Dixie Pig, Blytheville, Arkansas
Let me start by acknowledging that people generally prefer the style of barbecue that they grew up with — pork of beef, East or West North Carolina, and on and on. Let me also state that Memphis is a great and widely respected center of barbecue, that Central BBQ is one of the top-rated barbecue places in Memphis, and that Central is on many of the … Continue reading Central BBQ, Memphis, Tennessee
I flew into Memphis on a Tuesday morning, several days ahead of a stay in Oxford, Mississippi for the wedding of my nephew, David Tanner, to the lovely Taylor Montague. Upon landing, I headed straight down US 61, the Blues Highway, past miles of level cotton fields, to Clarksdale, Mississippi, and began the Great Memphis Region Barbecue Sandwich Tour. Clarksdale is the center of the … Continue reading Abe’s Bar-B-Q, Clarksdale, Mississippi
UPDATE: This is a sad, sad day. I just learned from the Barbecue Bros that Smiley’s has closed. The dread North Carolina Department of Transportation has claimed another victim. I really liked Smiley’s. It was one of he places that made Lexington, North Carolina, one of the great barbecue destinations. It is my sincere hope that Smiley’s, like Wilber’s, will rise from the ashes. Note that … Continue reading Is the North Carolina Department of Transportation Anti-Barbecue?
A while back, my good friend Jon Breul sent me a Food and Wine article about things that vegetarians can eat in barbecue restaurants. My first reaction was dismissive. First, very few of the vegetables sold in barbecue places, or meat and threes, for that matter, are actually vegetarian. That is as it should be. And why would a vegetarian want to go to a barbecue … Continue reading Vegetarian Dishes in Barbecue Restaurants
I have a very good friend whom I have met exactly twice. He’s Dan Kenney, best known to our readers as the co-Founder of the Annual Beer Snob Pig Picking held at Dan’s historic home in Lumberton, North Carolina, every April. Dan graciously invited Nancy and me to the last two Beer Snob Pig Pickings. As if founding a Beer Snob Pig Picking weren’t enough … Continue reading Special Guest Report: Shuler’s Bar-B-Que, Latta, South Carolina
John Tanner's Barbecue Blog 