Barrelhouse BBQ - Lynchburg, TN.

Barrelhouse BBQ - Lynchburg, TN. 

 

The little town of Lynchburg exists largely in part to the presence of the Jack Daniels Distillery.  People from all over the world flock to this little rural, out of the way, town to tour what I guess is one of the world's largest distilleries.  Whether you drink Tennessee sippin whiskey or not, a tour of the distillery and a stroll through town is worth the effort if you are in south central Tennessee.  There are at least 3 little diners in town who proclaim they are bbq joints.  Each of the little joints appear to have their own little sense of character.  Barrelhouse has its own uniqueness.  This is a small little joint sitting down the hill from the main part of this one square town.  Even though it was a Saturday afternoon, it was somewhat disappointing that there was no obvious "meat smoking" going on while we were there.  The place had a good crowd in it and the waitress was very polite and helpful.  She took our order while we sat on the authentic Jack Daniels bar stools.  While waiting for our food, we sampled the sauces.  The mild was certainly the best, but it still had a little bit of bite.  The other two sauces were a bit more on the hot side including the hottest being one that contained ghost chili peppers. 

The Barrelhouse doesn't offer stew, so Debbie and I both had the slaw as a side.  The slaw was actually pretty good.  The sandwich was well portioned with sort of stringy pulled pork.  On a scale of 1 to 5, I can only give this pork a 3 on this given day.  The experience was fine as we found another little bbq joint gem in the south.  Oh, yeah, I should add that all of the sauces allegedly have a Jack base to them which gives them a bit of a unique taste, and one that really is worth experiencing.

 



Central BBQ - Memphis

Central BBQ - Memphis. 

Memphis, as we well know, is famous for BBQ.  We had never been to Memphis, so on this Valentines Weekend 2015, Debbie and I struck out for a nearly 500 mile ride to check out Memphis' bbq, blues, and attractions.  A few Google searches suggested that Central may be the best bbq joint in town.  So after sort of sifting through the options, Central was the choice.  Oh my...quickly to the point!  Best ribs ever!!!  We ordered a 3 meat plate that included pulled pork, brisket, and ribs.  The two sides we got were beans and slaw. 
Central BBQ is a quaint joint with several dining rooms.  It is located south of the main part of Memphis right across from the National Civil Rights Museum.  Just as had been the case at the previous day's bbq joint, you place your order at the counter as you walk in.  If you are not early, plan on standing in line.  Many from the area as well as tourists will stop in Central on any given day.  You can check the plate of food out in the picture, but oh my, quantity was awesome.  Now beans and slaw were good, but not of the "best ever" category.  The brisket was very, very good.  The sauces going with the meat range from a "warm" mild, to a very spicy mustard, a fairly "hot" hot, and a vinegar based sauce that would make North Carolinians proud.  Now I try to shoot straight on my blogs without being critical, so I'll basically say that the pulled pork was good and in fact above average.  The winner, and I mean by far, was the ribs.  We got an order that was half dry and half wet.  Oh my.  Seriously, these were  exceptional.  The meat was "fall off the bone."  While I think I do a pretty good job on ribs, these were perhaps the best I've ever had. 
So, when you go to Memphis, be sure you check out the ducks at The Peabody, you catch a little blues down on Beale Street, and by all means, find time to dine at Central BBQ which certainly gets my vote for one of the best and most unique joints ever.

Saw's BBQ - Birmingham

Saw's BBQ.  Birmingham, AL.  February 12, 2015.   Hidden in the southern suburb of Birmingham known as Homewood, Saw's BBQ is truly one of the best little joint's I've ever eat at! 

 

 

Debbie and I were on our way to Memphis, and Birmingham was a perfect spot to stop off for lunch.  The place is somewhat off of the beaten path, but many beat the path to get lunch their daily.  We got there before 11:30 (weird Alabama time) just before the crowd.  Before we finished our lunch, the crowd was out the door with many opting to go elsewhere.  This little joint features "walk up to the counter" type of service.  We placed our order of the typical first joint visit of a sandwich and stew.  Debbie, of course, opted for slaw as her side.  The place is well adorned with lots of University of Alabama memorabilia including pictures of Bear Bryant, Nick Saban, and every coach in between.  Our lunch was out fairly quickly.  It didn't take Debbie long to proclaim that "this is the best bbq I've ever had".  I was trying out the Brunswick stew while she was savoring the bbq.  The stew was pretty good, but I wouldn't rank it the best I've ever had.  It was a good looking stew with good color and consistency.  The taste was very good as well.  We got a side of Alabama white sauce with our bbq mainly because we seldom get that option in Georgia.  The bbq, as Debbie had said, was exceptional.  I would have bbq in two more well known joints over the next two days, and frankly, as good as they were elsewhere, to date, Saw's is surely one of the best I've ever had.  It's no wonder that the Birmingham area has voted Saw's best in the area!