BBQ Detox

I'm back to report. Please excuse the absence, I needed a break from bbq - it's true, one can eat too much of a good thing. After months of ribs and brisket, I felt totally meated out and have been going through a meat detox - flushing myself with fruit and veggies and starting to feel better.

But back to the end. I left Oklahoma and took the long way home to sample even more bbq of various styles. I drove from Tulsa to Little Rock, then to Memphis, Nashville and over to North Carolina before heading north and out of the bbq belt. Along the way, I visited notable, random and sometimes questionable bbq restaurants. The results:

If you're like me, then you're excited to try a special dish in an out-of-the way restaurant that was recommended as having something to it. You'd also go far to get there. It often doesn't matter if the food was good, because psychologically, you'd convince yourself of its worth, justifying your efforts and propagating the quality of your food adventure.

Unfortunately, this was not the case for me with the bbq that I tasted in the southern United States.

I ate bbq in numerous locations in the following states:

Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and the Virginias.

Frankly speaking, 9 out of 10 restaurants were pretty lousy. The food was mediocre, and in many cases, poor. I visited over a dozen restaurants that touted their BBQ competition championships and found not a single one (with the exception of Head Country), that could back up those trophies with memorable food. Though good for publicity, I believe that restaurants that focus on trophies aren't paying as much attention to consistency and quality at their home base.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, competition bbq food is awesome, but too intensive for a restaurant's daily demands. These restaurants prove that point.

Another category of bbq restaurant is the local joint - the kind that's on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (of which I visited two, both terrific). These places reach outside of their environs through word-of-mouth, the internet and a lack of competition. I believe that last point usually serves as the origin of the reputation, as locals love these places, frequent them religiously, but have little to compare them to, thus a bias stance and overblown reputation.

Having said that, there is some great food out there, I'm just saying that eaters must beware.

Here's a list of restaurants that served quality bbq:

Whole Hog, Little Rock, AR - pulled pork

Pizzitola's, Houston, TX - ribs

Rib Crib (chain with numerous locations), nothing special, but decent for a franchise shop

Smokin' Joes, Davis, OK - ribs, pork

Hard 8, Stephenville, TX - ribs, pork

Hog Heaven, Nashville, TN - pulled chicken and pork

Charles Vergos' Rendezvous, Memphis, TN - this is the best all-around restaurant that I visited - notable ribs and lamb ribs as appetizer

Hill's Lexington BBQ, Winston-Salem, NC - second best - they serve pork only, but do it justice

I was ultimately disappointed by beef brisket everywhere. The local styles see it cut thick, with a dry interior that requires sauce to finish the dish. Montreal smoked meat remains the standard for me to compare quality smoked brisket. On the other hand, Hill Country BBQ in Manhattan serves the best beef brisket in a restaurant setting that I have yet to taste.