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Published: February 7th 2021
The Memphis BBQ Food Scene is very much a large part of The River City. A BBQ joint is seemingly on every corner and fills every nook and cranny of Memphis. Although larger cities probably have more BBQ places, Memphis certainly has the largest rib joint to per capita percentage in the nation. With just under one million residents in Memphis and surrounding suburbs, that is a bold statement, just like some of the sauces we tasted!
Just thinking about it can make your mouth water….superbly slow-cooked meat with a sauce that is just this side of heaven. Meat that literally falls off the bone, having been subjected to several hours of magical heat made possible utilizing the finest wood available. Such is the artistry of preparing barbequed ribs.
With great pride many states claim to have the best barbeque in the United States. And there is no shortage of debate on this topic. The top contenders in no particular order are Tennessee, Texas, Kansas, Georgia and North Carolina. We will hear about this as there are other states that make the claim as well, but hey…..this is our blog! And we would enjoy hearing about it as we
will undoubtedly endeavor to try your suggestions if we are able to through our travels.
You’ll have to do your own U.S. road trip to determine which of these is your favorite. As we find ourselves with an extended time in Memphis, we decided to do weeks of intensive research to assist our readers when they visit Memphis. Honest…It is rough work and we are doing this for you! In some cases we went back multiple times to provide well informed opinions! Careful research yields great results…..
Barbeque places are casual, family-friendly affairs. Some are located in the most humble of surroundings. Picnic tables and a roll of paper towels are not uncommon and will create a perfect setting to grab a cold beer and become glutenous in a very good way. There are many decisions to make which make this process extremely complex. The restaurants do not offer just barbequed ribs but also offer chicken, pulled pork, brisket, turkey, smoked turkey, smoked sausage, barbequed bologna (serioiusly), smoked hot wings, barbequed nachos, brisket chili, bbq spaghetti, bbq cornished hens and the list goes on depending on the restaurant.
The guys in the kitchen will fight to the
death to make the best ribs in town. Slow cooking is the key… 8 hours, 10 hours and more….. some cooking on the open grill, some brag about cooking in the smoker. Some chefs cook on gas, some on charcoal and some use only wood. At times different woods as oak or hickory are added to the charcoal. Secrets are kept as to whether they par-boil or steam the meat before slow cooking. Many mysteries of the BBQ will never be revealed. Dry rub, wet sauce and or a combination of both, the grill masters bring the flavor!
Let’s face it, the sauce is important to us. In general, Memphis BBQ sauce is tomato based and generally a bit thin, tangy and somewhat sweet. Balance is important. You’ll see our sauce comments below.
Once you’ve decided on your entrée then comes the impossible decision of narrowing down how many sides you can safely devour and which ones. So many choices! You can get dizzy from deciding among corn bread, hush puppies, turnip greens, slaw, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice, fried green tomatoes, fried okra, fries, onion rings, corn on the cob, bbq
spaghetti, home cooked potato chips with blue cheese , pickles or fried pickles, stone ground grits and don’t forget the catfish nuggets and filets.
When you are comparing a long list of restaurants, movies or anything it is easy to identify your top three favorites and probably your least three favorites. The ones in the middle are fuzzier and could move up or down a space or … three on any given day. We want to state we didn’t have any that we disliked. Well, maybe, the Commissary had really dry overcooked ribs so, yes, I guess we didn’t like those. We did have some we would not visit a second time.
Please keep in mind we are tasting during the time of COVID so we’ve done carry out on all of these. We can’t say how the drive home and reheating has impacted our views. We have completely missed being influenced by the ambiance of some of these bbq shacks and having it served piping hot from their stoves. This may or may not have changed our outlook and comments.
In our opinion the top 11 countdown is on:
#11 Germantown Commissary – (1981) Maybe
The Cozy Corner is #3
Don't be deceived by this store front. They have deliciousness inside. we caught them on a bad day, but we found these ribs dry and overcooked, very overcooked and felt they used a low-end quality meat. The sauce was thicker than some but lacked flavor. They did have one of the best coleslaw’s we’ve had but would not go back. Generally, we find coleslaw either too vinegary or in too much sauce as if they are teaching the cabbage to swim. This one was rich in flavor and texture with a good balance. They have served numerous celebrities, including Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Buffett, Robert Duvall, Kathy Bates, Senator Bill Frist, The Eagles, Aerosmith, and Jack Nicklaus, among others. https://www.commissarybbq.com
#10 Tom’s Bar-be-que – Seen on Guy Fieria’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives has been around since 1995 when the newer owners bought it from Tom. We sampled catfish, bbq turkey leg, three different types of ribs, greens, baked beans, potato salad, and finally mac and cheese. We didn’t like Tom’s sauce as well as others. This was not a bad meal, but it didn’t stand out among the group. The ambiance is gleefully quaint. We would have enjoyed eating on the premises.
https://tomsbarbeque.com #9 Marlow’s BBQ –(1974) the
Elswood's Shack Ranks #4 for us
It is very shack like... but tasty. restaurant in located on Elvis Presley Blvd and has the walls covered in Elvis memorabilia and a gift shop with all things Elvis. They have a Pink Cadillac limo and will pick you up if you are close by. The meal was good but didn’t stand out. Tender ribs but we had to ask for additional sauce as they were a bit skimpy on sauce out of the kitchen. The cole slaw and the burgundy mushrooms were very good. The baked beans and mac and cheese were fine. The corn fritters and fried pickles were worth a try but lacking in flavor. We took home the apple pie and Mississippi Mud Cake….
https://marlowesmemphis.com #8 Pollard’s BBQ has been open since 1995. This one was hard to rank as the ribs were a bit fattier than we usually like, but the meat was tender and we really liked their sauce. In addition to the ribs, we sampled the potato salad, baked beans, cole slaw and the fried okra. The okra was better than most, but still not one our favorites. One of the family members is a professional football player for the Dallas Cowboys. http://www.pollardsbbq.com
#7. Corky’s BBQ –
Juicy Ribs and lots of sauce
That's the way we enjoy them! Corky’s started in Memphis in 1982 and has expanded to a small chain of franchise restaurants. You can find their pre-cooked ribs in packages in many grocery stores. They are good ribs but not the high-end quality of meats used in many of the BBQ places. We do like these ribs, but we prefer to support the tiny family run operations. https://corkysbbq.com
#6. Charlie Vergos Rendevous BBQ is in downtown near the ballpark and the Peabody Hotel. As you go downstairs it has a dark wood ambiance enhanced by being in a basement. If you read the details of the history on the website you’ll understand the basement location came from a dispute with his brother. It is a nice ambiance. https://www.hogsfly.com/history-traditions/
#5 The Bar-B-Q Shop (1987) tasty tender ribs. We love a place that used lean meats and it falls off the bone. We'd like to go back to this one when the world opens because they have a cute ambiance. The side were standard and enjoyable. https://thebar-b-qshop.com/about/
#4. Elwood’s Shack opened in 2013 and is named appropriately. We understand it was named after the Blues Brothers. A bit of a hole in the wall with
The Bar-B-Q Shop
#5 Rating with us. Great ambiance...hope to go back. 3 small tables inside and a couple of picnic tables outside but don’t let that stop you from giving them a try. This little shack offers a little bit of heaven. The ribs are some of the moistest we found. http://elwoodsshack.com
#3. Cozy Corner BBQ – we loved this glass and metal store front that looked like a hole in the wall and appreciate it still being family owned and run . Great music inside that adds to the atmosphere and has been doing so since 1977.The ribs and sides are tasty. As tender and fall off the bone. They are also known for their bbq Cornish hens which we enjoyed.
Mentioned on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and well deserved.https://cozycornerbbq.com
#2. Memphis BBQ Company (in Mississippi) 2011 – A great contender in the rib race. Not quite as tender as the ribs at Central but beautifully done ribs. The best macaroni and cheese we’ve had. It was tasty and creamy. Chef Melissa Cookston has appeared on The American Barbecue Showdown and won may BBQ competitions. Again, top quality meat is used. https://www.memphisbbqco.com
#1. Central BBQ – Opened in 2002 and boast the use of both hickory
Onion rings
Never enough and pecan woods. Fall off the bone moist and tender ribs. A sensual experience for the taste buds. When we dream of ribs, we dream of these. They use a top notch quality of meat. We tried the wet ribs and the dry ribs and prefer the wet. We ordered s few side dishes to include baked beans, green beans, collard greens, slaw and onion rings. They offer indoor and outdoor seating. https://eatcbq.com
In closing, we had a great time sampling all these ribs. There is a fine line between some of these rankings as previously described. You’ll have a good meal at all the places we tried, but some were more to our liking than others. We’ve become rib snobs! Honestly, we began to tire of eating ribs, so we did not go to all the places we planned to visit, which included Leonard’s as they were closed for repairs the day we went….still hoping to get there. Others we considered but never made it to taste were Payne’s BBQ, Top’s, Ballhoggerz and Interstate BBQ.
You really can’t go wrong eating BBQ in Memphis….what about your town?
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John Poulton
non-member comment
That's made me hungry.
I made hot n spicy ribs last week though. A Jamie Oliver recipe using chilli, garlic, honey, orange and lime zest, smoked paprika, olive oil, salt, black pepper. Marinade overnight, cook sealed for two hours then add the honey, orange and lime zest for an additional half hour on high. Can't go outside till summer!