What was for supper?

[strickj]

Where was my invite!? You loosers!

[Guest tnmale46]

The wife and I had Ridgewood BBQ takeout. If you guys ever make to the Tri-Cities you gotta go to Ridgewood!

thats good stuff right there

[Guest Brian@GunDepot]

The wife and I had Ridgewood BBQ takeout. If you guys ever make to the Tri-Cities you gotta go to Ridgewood!

I live about 3 miles from this place.... doughnut isn't lying... best BBQ in the country.

I had homegrown soup beans, cornbread, mac n cheese.

[Mike.357]

best BBQ in the country.

I guess I am a sinner or something but BBQ really does not get me excited. Could seriously never eat it again. Doubt I would feel I am missing much.

tonight the wife worked her magic on some baked chicken breast, glazed carrots and garlic rice. Them carrots were outta this world, no clue what she did to them.

[Guest tnmale46]

tonight chicken wangs macaroni salad and squash

[dralarms]

Home made taco salad. Now if you like tacos and want to save soem money while making them at home I can tell you how.

[Guest Boomhower]

Tonight was (or started this morning rather), BBQ baby back ribs. Started this morning with a dry rub of various spices and a hearty helping of brown suger. Then slow cooked and basted over indirect heat on the grill for close to 3 hrs with a mixture of hickory and maple wood chips.....man were they good!!!

[BigPoppa]

I guess I am a sinner or something but BBQ really does not get me excited. Could seriously never eat it again. Doubt I would feel I am missing much.

Move over fellow sinner. If somebody told me right now...."You can NEVER, EVER have another pulled pork sandwich !"............my reply would be "Oh........okay then."

[Mike.357]

totally agreed Big Poppa. For me it is about as over rated as any food could be.

[Guest Phantom6]

The wife and I made some home made pirogues stuffed with potatoes and onions. We sauteed them in some home made butter. They were the sides to some grilled polish sausages with a little sauerkraut on the side. Accompanying the meal was a nice honey wheat beer that a friend brewed up. Yum, yum. Felt like I was back in Ustka at a little seaside cafe on the Baltic.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Had Ryan's for dinner. Second Tuesday of every month, we have a meeting of some local libertarians there.

When I got home, I put a couple flatiron steaks in marinade. Tomorrow evening there'll be steak fajitas.

[Guest Honest AK]

Tonight, I had my favorite. Two Red Bulls and a box of Hot Tamales (apparently it's "America's favorite cinnamon candy"). It's no wonder I'm in such great shape.

[Guest bkelm18]

I think I'd rather get punched in the mouth than drink RedBull. That stuff is horrendous.

[Marswolf]

My menu last night changed from Chicken Cordon Bleu to beef taco, beef enchilada, and beef tostada. Friend called an bought me dinner at El Ranchito in Blountville. Chicken Cordon Bleu rescheduled for tonight.

And don't worry Mike. The people eating at Ridgewood aren't eating barbecue either.

[Mike.357]

The people eating at Ridgewood aren't eating barbecue either.

I never heard of Ridgewood until you mentioned it in this thread.

What is it they eat there?

[Marswolf]

I never heard of Ridgewood until you mentioned it in this thread.

What is it they eat there?

Sliced (only) pork from hams (not shoulders) that doesn't allow much smoke flavor to penetrate the meat and served in a sickeningly sweet sauce to hide the lack of real barbecued meat flavor. The barely cooked fat streaks in the sliced meat gags me. I had to take apart my meal and trim out all of the fat the last time I ate there. The fat in good barbecue is properly rendered and not noticeable.

Apparently, they have beef too. Beef is a substitute for real barbecue. I like beef ribs and chicken, but they are "barbecued" - not "barbecue."

As one guy said in an online review:

After reading several reviews here and on other sites declaring Ridgewood to be a bbq mecca, I decided to include a visit on my recent fall foliage trip, going somewhat out of the way for the visit. Unfortunately, I can't concur with most of the reviews and question whether many people outside the Carolinas or Georgia know what southern bbq is, because this isn't it!

I definitely wanted pork (as is required in these parts - real bbq house should not even offer beef). Felt that $12.95 for a plate was a bit pricey (also don't particularly like fries with bbq) so I opted for pork sandwich and side of slaw. The pork on the sandwich reminded me, well, of Arby's. Sliced very thin like deli meat and completely overpowered by sweet sauce that could have come off any grocery shelf. Slaw similarly tasted like it came straight from supermarket. While service was pleasant, you could definitely tell that they wanted to turn over the tables as quickly as possible to accomodate hordes of leaf-peepers backing out the door. True sign that this is pure tourist chow should have been easy to spot - there were very few Tennessee plates on cars; vast majority were from Florida, which is generally a bad sign for any restaurant.

All in all, very disappointing. If you find yourself in Tri Cities area seeking bbq, I might suggest the Firehouse in downtown Johnson City - much better bbq.

I disagree about the Firehouse. It sucks too.

One local online restaurant review site has diners only voting Ridgewood 2 out of 5 stars. I'd say that's about right.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Maybe I've just been eating at the wrong places, but smoked beef just doesn't do anything for me. Seems to lack the sort of flavor you get out of shredded pork.

Of course, being an Eastern NC boy, from my perspective all you Tennesseans are doing it wrong with that weird tomato-based sauce as well. Don't y'all know that all you need to go with pulled pork is apple cider vinegar with red pepper floating in it?

Seriously, I actually like a lot of the tomato-based sauce. By the way, that strange sound you might be hearing is probably my family disowning me.

Anyway, the best BBQ I've tried here in Chatt so far is at Porker's downtown. I didn't know it was possible to get that intense of a smoke flavor. Rib & Loin is pretty good, and has the benefit of being a lot closer to my house.

Now I just need to find a good seafood place around here.

[Mike.357]

definitely nothing about Ridgewood mentioned in your post or in the review would want to make me eat there. Comparing it to Arbys makes me want to stay away even more, LOL

Back in the day Mom used to make ground beef BBQ. It is made with vinegar, sugar, mustard and Brooks Ketchup( not sure what else). Not even sure where to find Broooks at anymore. The wife makes it once in a while and it is not bad but not anything I ever request.

[Guest db99wj]

Maybe I've just been eating at the wrong places, but smoked beef just doesn't do anything for me. Seems to lack the sort of flavor you get out of shredded pork.

Of course, being an Eastern NC boy, from my perspective all you Tennesseans are doing it wrong with that weird tomato-based sauce as well. Don't y'all know that all you need to go with pulled pork is apple cider vinegar with red pepper floating in it?

Seriously, I actually like a lot of the tomato-based sauce. By the way, that strange sound you might be hearing is probably my family disowning me.

Anyway, the best BBQ I've tried here in Chatt so far is at Porker's downtown. I didn't know it was possible to get that intense of a smoke flavor. Rib & Loin is pretty good, and has the benefit of being a lot closer to my house.

Now I just need to find a good seafood place around here.

Memphis has it's problems, BBQ is not one of them.

[Marswolf]

Mike, sounds like your mom's dish is a lot like something I do, except I add a can of pork and beans and serve it open-faced on toasted hamburger buns.

Gutterboy, I never developed a taste for eastern NC barbecue, even when I lived in Raleigh. Of course Raleigh, as far as I know, has no barbecue places worth mentioning. I used to try the eastern NC stuff when headed up to visit my aunt above Newport News.

I like a tomatoey sauce, but not too sweet and definitely not hot.

Stamey's BBQ at the Colosseum in Greensboro is good. So are their hushpuppies. But their slaw sucks (vinegary & hot) and their Brunswick Stew is awful.

Of course I may have a bias. I had a couple of cousins in the barbecue business south of Atlanta. I still use their sauce "recipe". You know the kind..."Take a double handful of onions..."

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Gutterboy, I never developed a taste for eastern NC barbecue, even when I lived in Raleigh. Of course Raleigh, as far as I know, has no barbecue places worth mentioning. I used to try the eastern NC stuff when headed up to visit my aunt above Newport News.

There was a place over in Cary that we used to eat at from time to time, but it was really average at best. If I really wanted good stuff, I'd drive up to Youngsville and eat at Holden's, a little hole-in-the-wall place that was only open for lunch. Seems like those kinds of places are almost always the best around...

To me, the really proper way to enjoy a pig is to have a pig pickin. Split that bastard down the middle, lay him out in a smoker, and then just let everyone go pull their own meat. Seems like you don't see too many of those these days, though.

I recall one girl I dated remarking about how unsanitary pig-pickins were. Screw sanitation, I'm hungry!

[Marswolf]

There was a place over in Cary that we used to eat at from time to time, but it was really average at best.

You mean there was something in Cary besides the Cary Tavern?

To me, the really proper way to enjoy a pig is to have a pig pickin. Split that bastard down the middle, lay him out in a smoker, and then just let everyone go pull their own meat. Seems like you don't see too many of those these days, though.

I recall one girl I dated remarking about how unsanitary pig-pickins were. Screw sanitation, I'm hungry!

I did enjoy pig pickins'. Whole split pig smoked at least overnight on a 55 gallon smoker. We had one at some apartment complex. Lots of beer, of course. One guy fell into the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the pool was empty at the time. I wonder if he is out yet?

[strickj]

Maybe I've just been eating at the wrong places, but smoked beef just doesn't do anything for me. Seems to lack the sort of flavor you get out of shredded pork.

Of course, being an Eastern NC boy, from my perspective all you Tennesseans are doing it wrong with that weird tomato-based sauce as well. Don't y'all know that all you need to go with pulled pork is apple cider vinegar with red pepper floating in it?

Seriously, I actually like a lot of the tomato-based sauce. By the way, that strange sound you might be hearing is probably my family disowning me.

Anyway, the best BBQ I've tried here in Chatt so far is at Porker's downtown. I didn't know it was possible to get that intense of a smoke flavor. Rib & Loin is pretty good, and has the benefit of being a lot closer to my house.

Now I just need to find a good seafood place around here.

There is a place on the corner of Central Ave,and Rossville Blvd that has great BBQ! He smokes up the entire block while hes cooking.Cant miss him!

[Sean]

Re-heated pizza and a Coors Light tall boy. :\

[Mike.357]

multiple cans of Coor's Light, i think i will go back for sixths