Mass barbecue as an invasive species?

[MacGyver]

This article gives voice to something that's been bothering me for a while - but that I just couldn't quite put my finger on.  

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/mass-barbecue-is-the-invasive-species-of-our-culinary-times/

Basically, by trying to cater to everyone, we're losing local traditions that define us.

I grew up with the workingman's barbecue - The Flying Pig outside the front gate of the Atlanta Airport (where your sandwich was served on a paper towel), Malear's, Sprayberry's and such. If we traveled to Memphis or the Carolinas, I'd eat barbecue in a different tradition with a sense of being in that place.

I remember being served mustard sauce on a pork sandwich in South Carolina that was maybe the best I'd ever had. Or brisket in west Texas - where you couldn't find a pork sandwich if your very life depended on it. Likewise, when I was in grad school - going to Dixie Barbecue outside of Seattle and it was like being taken back home.

I'm a sucker for the increasingly rare roadside barbecue stand where your only choice may be what kind of chips you want to go along with the white bread and pickles.

It would be fun to list some of the remaining places here in Tennessee.

 

[peejman]

Roadside dive BBQ joints are usually the best ones. 

Dixie BBQ in Johnson City was my favorite when I worked there, and The Pig and Chick in Surgoinsville was great, but both closed up several years ago. Neither was really a roadside dive, but they were small and good.     

Bread of Heaven here in Murvul is really good, as is Full Service.  

Dixie BBQ in Hixson is good. 

[Sidecarist]

Mo-Mo's in Dayton...

[No_0ne]

BBQ was best when it was whole hog, cooked over homegrown charcoal, laid out on old metal racks supported on rows of concrete blocks, under an open-air awning of tin and rough-sawn wood. Surrounded by dirt worn bare by generations of folks who stopped by and bought their meat pulled directly off the hog by the pound with stacks of buns and chips on an old picnic table nearby, paid in cash only ...

Edited September 5, 2019 by No_0ne

[RED333]

36 minutes ago, No_0ne said:

BBQ was best when it was whole hog, cooked over homegrown charcoal, laid out on old metal racks supported on rows of concrete blocks, under an open-air awning of tin and rough-sawn wood. Surrounded by dirt worn bare by generations of folks who stopped by and bought their meat pulled directly off the hog by the pound with stacks of buns and chops on an old picnic table nearby, paid in cash only ...

This is what I was raised on and have many a good memory's!!

[Erik88]

I guess the I'm the odd man out. Some of the dive places I've been to are horrible. I like the places that add their own creative twist. One of the best places I've been was actually in Orlando. The old school places that just stick meat on a bun are not that great IMO.

In Knoxville, Dead End is pretty good.

This was my go to meal in Orlando.

 

 

[KahrMan]

Big Bob Gibson’s in Decatur Alabama is still one of my favorites. 

[Chucktshoes]

I’m a little conflicted. One of the better places in Memphis has multiple restaurants in town. Their most recent couldn’t be any more obviously a proof of concept design for a larger chain expansion. Very nice and slick and obviously a sanitized quick serve model. Memphis style BBQ is the best and I want to share it with folks, but at the same time, that’s ours. I don’t want to lose the specialness that makes Memphis BBQ the best there is. 

[MacGyver]

48 minutes ago, KahrMan said:

Big Bob Gibson’s in Decatur Alabama is still one of my favorites. 

I was just talking about their white sauce tonight with some folks originally from Gadsden.  

The consensus was that Pat Martin has gone and improved Alabama white sauce, though. 

[deerslayer]

I'll go ahead and speak blasphemy.  I was born and raised in Memphis and I'm not really into BBQ pork.  HOWEVER, I have a couple favorite BBQ places--Baby Jack's in Bartlett and Interstate BBQ on S Third.  The chicken w/ white sauce at Baby Jack's is the bomb and the smoked turkey at Interstate is worth the rude servers.  There is also a hole-in-the-wall place in Abilene, TX I went and had beef brisket for the first time.  I horrified a couple Texans when I said, "Man, that's good stuff.  It ain't BBQ, but I like it."  

[MacGyver]

2 hours ago, Erik88 said:

I guess the I'm the odd man out. Some of the dive places I've been to are horrible. I like the places that add their own creative twist. One of the best places I've been was actually in Orlando. The old school places that just stick meat on a bun are not that great IMO.

In Knoxville, Dead End is pretty good.

This was my go to meal in Orlando.

 

1 hour ago, Chucktshoes said:

I’m a little conflicted. One of the better places in Memphis has multiple restaurants in town. Their most recent couldn’t be any more obviously a proof of concept design for a larger chain expansion. Very nice and slick and obviously a sanitized quick serve model. Memphis style BBQ is the best and I want to share it with folks, but at the same time, that’s ours. I don’t want to lose the specialness that makes Memphis BBQ the best there is. 

 

I think I kind of coming around to it like this - and it kind of fits into how I think about restaurants in general.  I traveled 50 weeks a year for several years.  That, unfortunately did two things to me.  It made me hotel snob and a restaurant snob.  

When I go to a restaurant, I generally want one of two things - either I want to go someplace really nice or I want to go to a dive - in between, I'd generally rather just eat at home.  I think the article kind of gave voice to what I've felt about barbecue.

I love the old dive places - traditional barbecue if you will. They're workingman's food - and a pork sandwich ought not cost more than a few bucks. I also love the high end places that have taken one theme and do it really well - think Franklin Barbecue's brisket.

What I'm not particularly interested in is a bunch of the places in the middle - all the national chains that serve mediocre, Sysco-sourced stuff.  The places trying to be everything to everyone.

I can go for a place that's got multiple locations in a particular city - think Martin's or Central or the BBQ Shop.  Even Germantown Commisary has a couple now, I think.

I don't know - I'm going to continue to ponder on this...

 

[Quavodus]

Dale hollow 1 Stop in Celina, Tn. Its worth a stop if your ever through there.

[Chucktshoes]

15 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

 

I can go for a place that's got multiple locations in a particular city - think Martin's or Central or the BBQ Shop.  Even Germantown Commisary has a couple now, I think.

 

Central is the one I am referring to. Their location on Poplar in east Memphis is absolutely a proof of concept for the design if they decided to go national like Jim & Nick’s. 

It tastes like really good Memphis BBQ, but it doesn’t feel like it. 

[MacGyver]

1 minute ago, Chucktshoes said:

Central is the one I am referring to. Their location on Poplar in east Memphis is absolutely a proof of concept for the design if they decided to go national like Jim & Nick’s. 

It tastes like really good Memphis BBQ, but it doesn’t feel like it. 

I hope they'll take the cautionary tale of the Logan's Roadhouses of the world and not take the private equity money and give in to the "need" to expand.

Debt magnifies the consequences of bad decisions. One of the great things about our traditional barbecue is that it's deeply tied to the place - whether you actually realize it while you're eating it or not.  Sometimes, I think investors (and even owners) see success in a given area and think they can do it big, only to wind up disappointing everyone - and maybe ruining their brand.

A local (non-barbecue) example - take Baja Burrito.  They're wonderful.  In 20 years, I've never once been disappointed there.  Their food is great and they treat their staff well.  If they shut it down tomorrow there would be protests in the street.  But, take their franchised concept, Blue Coast Burrito.  It's the same food - but the soul isn't there.  They're run by people wanting to capitalize on the trend - and it's just not as good.  My kids want Baja every Wednesday evening before church - and have for years.  But, if you substituted Blue Coast, they'd just pack a sandwich at home.

[Ski]

I've lived in Shelby county since I was 6, and I have been sorely disappointed eating BBQ pork outside of this area.  So, I try to avoid BBQ elsewhere.  I've have 3 exceptions in mind, though.  I like mustard and would be interested in trying Carolina style pork BBQ in the Carolinas.  I would also entertain eating beef brisket in Texas or Kansas City.

My favorite places are Three Little Pigs in Memphis and George's in Collierville (though I'm afraid the latter might not survive).

I like Corky's BBQ chicken, but their pork is quite mediocre to my taste.  If I want to splurge, their dry ribs are good.  Similarly, I'm not a fan of the pork BBQ at Central but am content with their dry rub ribs.  I have not had Rendezvous' ribs in quite a while, so I am not sure if I still like them the best, or not.

 

 

[KahrMan]

3 hours ago, MacGyver said:

I was just talking about their white sauce tonight with some folks originally from Gadsden.  

The consensus was that Pat Martin has gone and improved Alabama white sauce, though. 

Big Bob may have invented the white sauce but Pat perfected it. I love his sauce. 

[A.J. Holst]

I thought the thread title was a clever play on this news article

Massive BBQ Planned Outside Home of Vegan Woman Who Sued Neighbors Over Smell of Meat

https://lawandcrime.com/crazy/huge-bbq-planned-outside-home-of-vegan-woman-who-sued-neighbors-over-smell-of-meat/

[gregintenn]

9 hours ago, A.J. Holst said:

I thought the thread title was a clever play on this news article

Massive BBQ Planned Outside Home of Vegan Woman Who Sued Neighbors Over Smell of Meat

https://lawandcrime.com/crazy/huge-bbq-planned-outside-home-of-vegan-woman-who-sued-neighbors-over-smell-of-meat/

I'd bet she's a real fun date.

[Garufa]

20 hours ago, MacGyver said:

I was just talking about their white sauce tonight with some folks originally from Gadsden.  

 

17 hours ago, KahrMan said:

Big Bob may have invented the white sauce but Pat perfected it. I love his sauce. 

Mayonnaise no place on Bar-B-Q, much less anything else, lol.

Man, I need to get back down to Memphis so I can eat right.  

[KahrMan]

21 minutes ago, Garufa said:

 

Mayonnaise no place on Bar-B-Q, much less anything else, lol.

Man, I need to get back down to Memphis so I can eat right.  

I must disagree.  Martin's white sauce is awesome on chicken, smoked turkey and their smoked wings.

 

INGREDIENTS

4 cups mayonnaise

2½ cups cider vinegar

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. kosher salt (heaping)

2 tbsp. black pepper (heaping)

1½ tsp. cayenne pepper

[FUJIMO]

[FUJIMO]

[Quavodus]

Gregintn probably knows the name of the BBQ across from the High School, just outside of Lafayette headed toward Red Boiling Springs. Its good. 

[gregintenn]

On 9/7/2019 at 12:38 PM, Quavodus said:

Gregintn probably knows the name of the BBQ across from the High School, just outside of Lafayette headed toward Red Boiling Springs. Its good. 

Big Ed's. They also have one in Red Boiling Springs unless it has closed recently.

[Quavodus]

Yeah, Big Ed's that's it. Stopped there awhile back. Highway 52 in Moss ain't bad either.