The Super Bowl of Swine:
Introduction & Festival
Eatin' Our Way Through Memphis
Beale Street
Wrapping It Up
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Eatin' our Way Through Memphis
 The main reason we headed south in the first place was to stuff our faces with true American BBQ... not back yard hamburgers and hot dogs- but the real-deal, slow-cooked, smokey barbecued meat. We ate our fill- and more. Although teams can't just offer passers-by a taste of their bounty (the teams are not allowed to share food with the public because of Memphis Health Department restrictions) we managed to get our fair share of samples. For all visitors, there is also a designated area when you can purchase meals from previous winners of the championship as well as your typical carnival-type crapola like corn-dogs, funnel cakes, churros and perhaps the greatest thing ever invented... a scoop of ice cream in-between two hot waffles.
Outside of the festival, Memphis has it's share of barbecue restaurants. A favorite of the locals is a humble establishment called The Bar B Q Shop Restaurant (1782 Madison Avenue). This is a down-home restaurant that has been using the same recipe for more than 50 years. We tried the cheese plate appetizer with peppers and barbecued bologna and the sampler platter that gave us a taste of everything they had to offer. One thing that we just had to try was the oddly named Barbecue Spaghetti. Turns out, it was a large bowl of noodles smothered not in the traditional tomato sauce, but instead covered with a smooth and smoky barbecue sauce. As he wolfed down a large forkful Dave remarked, "I'm never eating spaghetti the old way again!" We walked out of there amply full (to say the least), but still carrying pretty large doggie-bags. The portions were huge.
We were also recommended to try The Rendezvous, located in an alley across the street from The Peabody near Beale Street. The Rendezvous has dry-rub que that's usually pretty good, and the atmosphere is terrific. Surly waiters grumble at you and you must be prepared to order on their terms, and their time schedule. It is part of the charm in this old Memphis standby. The ribs were much better than any we could hope to find in NYC, but we both felt that Memphis could do better (we were right... see the Bar B Q Shop). The best part of The Rendezvous was their sublime baked beans. Awesome.
 As good as the local restaurants were, the food could not hold a candle to the grub we grubbed from the competitors at the festival. Dry-rubbed ribs, slow smoked pork shoulder and the simple kilbasa grilled with seasoned salt (not to mention the steady stream of cold beer) kept a satiated smile on our faces for three days. Truth be told, we honestly feel that our own Belly Rub, which can be found on this site, stands up pretty well to a lot of what we tasted down in Memphis. Not bad for a couple of fat New Yorkers, huh?
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