I'll have a few hours in Memphis to spend and wanted to grab some BBQ. Any suggestions on where I should I go?
Memphis, TN - BBQ
- Thread starter 12Nole
- Start date
What part of town will you be in?
Downtown - Central BBQ...unless you want ribs, then Rendezvous.
Midtown - BBQ Shop
South - Interstate
I was just there about a month ago and usually like to hit up Memphis at least once a year to hang out on Beale Street, listen to some music and grab some ribs.
The first thing is that Memphis really has two different styles. One is Rendezvous and the others that copy it which use direct heat on the ribs with a Greek-origin dry rub and then utilizes a slightly sweeter and more spiced Western NC/Lexington style red sauce. The other style which is far more prevalent is where Mississippi Delta slow super sweet indirect smoking collided with the tangier and Greek spiced Rendezvous style to create a more balanced, indirect cooked sweet but not ridiculously so BBQ.
So if you've only got time for one you can only try one of those two styles.
My personal preference is the absolute Memphis original, Rendevzous. The Greek origin dry rub works well on pork and the pork ribs are fatty enough to hold up to direct heat...but the lamb ribs were what it was originally created for and they still hold up best. The Rendezvous lamb ribs with just the dry rub and maybe a drop or two at most of the sauce are easily in my top ten bbq meals anywhere. The pork ribs are quite nice, but I've had some Kansas City style and maybe even a couple of "Memphis" style that hold up well and probably surpass the Rendezvous pork ribs. The good news is that you can always get a lamb rib appetizer and a pork rib dinner and make up your own mind.
So that's my real suggestion for a one off visit, the Rendezvous dry rub lamb ribs. But if you want the sweeter style and indirect smoked pork ribs that are more prevalent in Memphis and what most people think of as "Memphis style", I'd probably go with A&R for the ribs, Cozy Corner for the chicken/Cornish game hen or Payne's for the pork sandwich. For the ubiquitous bbq spaghetti I'd go with Interstate or Corkys and for the Delta tamales...I'll be honest I'm not a fan and my wife hates them but the best I've had was Corkys.
Head downtown and go to Central BBQ or Rendevzous then walk around Beale Street for a bit.
We were up there for a baseball tournament in South Haven, Mississippi last summer and stayed in Memphis. The most outstanding pork ribs I've ever tasted were at "The Commissary" in Germantown, TN just outside of Memphis. BEST RIBS EVER!
I go to Germantown once per month for work. My preference is Los Tortugas for tacos or Hog and Hominy for southern Italian. The pepperoni pizza topped with honey is one of my favorite meals. On the rare occasion our team wants to eat BBQ we go to Germantown Commissary for ribs and chocolate pie. Rendezvous is a tourist trap with horrible service and the driest ribs. We only go out for ribs when new teammates want to experience Memphis flare.
Too many to choose from. Some of the best are out in the sticks and only take orders placed ahead of time.
Central, commissary, rendezvous,
Central, commissary, rendezvous,
A trip to Memphis isn't complete without a stop at the Rendezvous restaurant. Best ribs in all Tennessee.
I went to Rendezvous and central, they are OK. Good ribs are good ribs and it comes down to the sauce to me. My favorite BBQ sauce ever is CobNoles spicy mustard, I could put that stuff on my pancakes. Im doing 4 slabs on my smoker right now for a party I'm having tomorrow, mine are awesome.
Kinda like a trip to Florida isn't complete without a stop at Gatorland.
Rendezvous is meh.
First I much prefer dry rubbed ribs to sauced ribs any day and comparing a dining experience at the Memphis landmark Rendevouz restaurant to this Gatorland attraction thing is like comparing a pilot experience in a F22 to the Cessna 150 - Not even close.
Yeah I agree with you completely. I either don't use sauce at all or the barest drops. I will say that the lamb works even better than the pork under the direct heat as it's even fattier, but they are all great. My wife "makes" us go to Rendezvous every time we're in Memphis and I have zero complaints.
When Rendevouing, I get brisket and ribs. Have enjoyed music and que outside at Central, one stop at Interstate that was prolly not their best day...and several stops at Corky's at on the east side.
Rendezvous ribs are spot on. Their the original.
Their sausage and cheese plate with spicy sauce is good.
On Fridays when they open for lunch, the stew is amazing
Their sausage and cheese plate with spicy sauce is good.
On Fridays when they open for lunch, the stew is amazing
Don't you dare disparage Gatorland!!!
Yes, I'm partly white trash, but this is one of my favorite "touristy" things to do! The hot dogs you can buy to throw at the gators...the boiled peanuts that they sell... I love that place!!
Gotta say I'm surprised by all the Rendezvous recs. Rendezvous has a cool atmosphere, kinda reminds me if McGuires in Pensacola, but way too touristy, and their ribs are NOT THAT GOOD, particularly if you like the "falls right off the bone" ribs.
I say Interstate is #1, and Central is #2. Now, if you are just going for a kick ass pulled pork sammich, Tops is the way to go. Make sure you get the slaw ON the sandwich, not on the side.
I say Interstate is #1, and Central is #2. Now, if you are just going for a kick ass pulled pork sammich, Tops is the way to go. Make sure you get the slaw ON the sandwich, not on the side.
And to clarify another poster's comment (I think) about Rendezvous ribs being the "driest", I don't think he's referring to "dry rub". I also like dry rub, and think that good ribs, if prepared properly, really don't need sauce at all! Rendezvous ribs are DRY, as in not juicy AT ALL. Comparable to a well done steak. I have a bunch of friends in Memphis and visit 2-3 times a year. I don't know ANY locals who eat there.
