East Tennessee – Knoxville
Always on the search for the best barbecue when in East Tennessee, I’m directed to two local favorites in the Knoxville area – Dead End Barbecue not far from downtown and Sweet P’s on the water on nearby Maryville Pike.
Dead End Barbecue
During a two-day onsite meeting, our client whisked us away to a neighborhood spot where many barbecue competitions have been won. Our business attire didn’t even raise eyebrows among the boots and jeans. Considering how busy it was, it’s clear that most everyone slips away to Dead End Barbecue at lunch. Named for its location at the end of the street, Dead End Barbecue (3625 Sutherland Ave., Knoxville, Tennessee 37929, tel. (865) 212-5655), serves up half-size portions that are larger than most normal meals. Tender, juicy and meaty, the chicken, pork and brisket were distinguished by their sauces and dry rubs. Each table has a maple-syrup-style carafe of different barbecue sauces; the dry rubs are applied in the cooking. I bought a shaker of dry rub for chicken and a shaker of dry rub for pork, since I couldn’t take bottles of sauces home in my carry-on luggage. I shake ’em up regularly at home, savoring that hot summer lunch.
Sweet P’s Barbecue and Soul House
The 15-minute drive through the gently rolling East Tennessee countryside is reminiscent of other favorite places where the landscape is carved from rivers and finger creeks and where many homes and small farms are lucky to have a fresh pond and perhaps a dock. Places that bring me joy, lyrical in the sounds they produce as I drive at a comfortable pace, windows rolled down – Northern Neck, Virginia, or central Ohio, the South Coast of Massachusetts or Tidewater Maryland.
The scenery is draped in lush spring green, a singular color that occurs each year in the six-week window before summer fully takes over. The fresh air is filled with aromas of freshly mowed lawns, which have been carefully sculpted by sit-down tractors the size of small pickup trucks.
What’s familiar, too, is how the best food is tucked out of the way, preserved for the locals who drop in nightly for pulled pork, beef brisket and smoked ribs – in the same way that city folks eat in or take home from the neighborhood sushi bar or burrito joint. We travelers find these gems usually because someone who is local gives us a tip. That’s how I came to experience The original Sweet P’s Barbecue and Soul House (at 3725 Maryville Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee, (865) 247-7748). The subject came up because Sweet P’s has now opened a second location in barbecue-starved downtown Knoxville (410 W. Jackson Avenue). Owner Chris Ford has made a big reputation here (and beyond) in the last decade with his Southern-style smoke foods, a fresh take on soul food classics prepared daily. As one who loves barbecue, but not heavy foods, this will be my go-to place whenever I’m in the area. The light vinegar-led barbecue sauce (among several choices) was a slam-dunk. But more below on the food…
Following the twisting back roads, I arrived at the low-slung clapboard restaurant bordered by a deck and a tent cover (for those wishing to eat outdoors in view of the quiet Little River – one of the many waterways in the region carved up by the Tennessee Valley Authority). As I walk in, at the open “kitchen” on my left a greeter takes my order – selected from the enticing pickin’s on a chalkboard menu. I pay, grab some plastic utensils and choose a small picnic table outside with a view of tranquil Little Creek.
A local band with a guest artist from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was entertaining inside and, having been inside myself all day, the fresh air was welcoming – a small marina in one direction, a modest permit-only dock in the other. In the distance some fish make a splash and I wish I could seize one of those bass boats and head out to the sheltered coves as the sun begins to set.
Before me lay a large portion of hand-pulled, lean “smoke-and-soul chicken” and two sides – pinto beans slow cooked with onion, garlic and spices and “sautéed greens and things” – a soul-food staple with a country twist. Those collard greens sauteed with carrots, black eyed peas, celery and bacon were the best ever. It would be ludicrous to think that wine would be served with barbecue, but we Californians always ask. Instead a selection from a long list of beers became the right idea. All for under $15.
My brother, who’s spent his career as a chef, once regaled us with tales of entering a major barbecue content in Tennessee where he and his partners roasted the pig overnight, lovingly nursing their choice selection along to perfection. I always remember that story because of the care that goes into Southern cooking. In the “farm to table” movement that has taken over our culinary critique, the simplicity and focus of Sweet P’s on creative ingredients, a cooking style that honors generations of traditions and results that keep the legacy alive for both distant and local diners is a “coming home” experience. We who have left these regions and those who have stayed local and expect their traditions to be respectfully preserved yet evolving have combined into an expanded audience always genuinely looking for the real thing.
West Tennessee – Memphis
Ever since my Tennessee client pointed me to the BBQ selections in this article, I’ve been fortunate to return over and over to Central BBQ in Memphis. Central’s story isn’t all that unusual in southern BBQ lore (two guys comes up with a good thing and become famous), but it is impressive.
Emerging to notoriety from the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest held each May in Memphis, Central’s founders transformed their smokin’ success story from the parking-lot competitions to now four locations in downtown, Central and East Memphis since 2002. Their secret is the smoky sauce, slow-cooked over native hickory and pecan wood – and nursed along by a combination of dry rub spices. Although we inevitably stop in directly from a client meeting, we don’t mind hanging out our wood-smoke-saturated suits overnight before the morning flight out. Central BBQ is that irresistible. I keep a jar of its signature dry rub spice blend in my home pantry.
We always choose the combo plate with two sides to get the most flavors from the experience – and always ask for lean brisket. The shredded turkey and chicken simply melt in your mouth. If the brisket isn’t lean enough, out comes a fresh plate. Central’s original location in Midtown (2249 Central Ave., tel. (901) 272-9377) is the most casual; downtown near the National Civil Rights Museum (147 E. Butler Ave., tel. (901) 672-7760) is situated in a reclaimed historical building and pub-like; the new location in East Memphis (6201 Poplar Ave., tel. (901-417-7962) is a modern chrome, glass and wood space along a suburban retail stretch. But, although we’ve not been to the fourth location at 4375 Summer Ave., tel. (901) 767-4672, we’ve not detected any variance in the food quality and are delighted for the convenient options.
Then I read in Southern Living about several other Memphis “bucket list” go-to spots for city region’s widely recognized barbecue style – including for dishes like “barbecue spaghetti” and smoked bologna. Put these on your bucket list too. Yum – it’s mouth-watering to be writing this!
