Memphis enjoys great golf weather for much of the year and has several golf courses, including one that is featured on the PGA tour. But it is better known for its barbecue. Barbecue is a regional specialty throughout the South. No two areas do barbecue quite alike, and a true barbecue connoisseur can even tell the difference between barbecue made in Texas, Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis and South Carolina.
Memphis is known for barbecue ribs and pulled pork shoulder that has been tenderized with a vinegar solution and dry-rubbed with cayenne pepper before being slow roasted in a smoker. They are served dry with liquid sauce on the side that combines vinegar, tomatoes and spices for a thin, tangy and sweet sauce. And thanks to Fed Ex's location in Memphis, many of these restaurants ship all over the world.
Charles Vergos' Rendezvous
According to the website for Charles Vergos' Rendezvous, the restaurant started serving barbecue in 1948, when diner owner Vergos was cleaning out the basement of his restaurant and found a coal chute. That coal chute became a barbecue oven, and the Rendezvous has attracted attention from Esquire magazine, NPR and Southern Living Magazine, The Travel Channel and The Food Network as well as famous diners from former President Bill Clinton to Prince Albert of Monaco. The Rendezvous also ships slabs of ribs and pork shoulders worldwide.
Charles Vergos' Rendezvous
52 Second St.
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 523-2746 for restaurant information
(888) Hogs Fly (464-7359) for order questions
hogsfly.com
Corky's Rib's & BBQ
Although Corky's has grown into a regional chain that serves barbecue throughout the South, the original Corky's barbecue is located in Memphis. According to the Corky's website, the restaurant was started in 1984 by Don Pelts. Pelts had already spent a decade operating a different Memphis barbecue restaurant and applied that know-how to Corky's. The atmosphere is 1950s and fun, with barn wall veneers, aged brick and polished brass on many surfaces, neon on the walls and speakers playing music from the '50s and '60s.
Corky's Rib's & BBQ Memphis
5259 Poplar Ave.
Memphis, TN 38119
(901) 685-9744
corkysmemphis.com
Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Cue
If it's chopped pork that you want, Jim Neely's Interstate Barbecue is the Memphis establishment to turn to. Owner Jim Neely started the restaurant in 1979 out of a grocery store. According to Interstate Bar-B-Cue's website, Neely, a successful insurance agent, was looking for a retirement project, as well as a way to rehabilitate the neighborhood that the grocery store was in, and return good barbecue to Memphis. The Neely Bar-B-Cue recipe was developed over two years of talking to area residents and trying out different sauces. Eventually, Neely phased out the grocery store to make room for the flourishing restaurant. In 1989, People Magazine rated Interstate Bar-B-Cue the second best barbecue restaurant in the nation.
Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Cue
2265 S. Third St.
Memphis, TN 38109
(901) 775-2304 - Restaurant
(901) 775-3149 - Fax and Order by Fax
http://www.interstatebarbecue.com/
About The Author
Tracy S. Morris has been a freelance writer since 2000. She has published two novels and numerous online articles. Her work has appeared in national magazines and newspapers, including "Ferrets," "CatFancy," "Lexington Herald Leader" and "The Tulsa World."
