If you live here, you're bound to agree with some of this and disagree with some of it, too. But if you're visiting for the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, well, just take my word: Check out these places and you'll come away knowing that when it comes to barbecue, the Memphis way is the true way.

The Commercial Appeal files

There's a world of choices right here. Top left: Neely's is all about barbecue and side orders. Top right: The Bar-B-Q Shop offers a chopped pork sandwich on Texas Toast or a traditional bun. Above: The Rendezvous ranks high with atmosphere and its sausage plate. Middle right: The signature Cornish hen is a popular menu item at Cozy Corner. Bottom right: ribs are a favorite at Corky's.

Dave Darnell/The Commercial Appeal files

In Midtown, Central Bar-B-Q at 2249 Central Ave. also offers excellent homemade potato chips and blue cheese dip. Wet or dry style, the Memphis area is wild about barbecue -- by which we mean pig.

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First, the basics. When we talk about barbecue, we're talking pig. Cows are for steaks, burgers, and they make a fine Sunday pot roast.

You are not in Texas.

Next, we will take our ribs wet or dry, and most places in town will give you an option. I prefer mine dry, with sauce on the side. Others prefer them wet.

There is no right or wrong.

But there's more to eating barbecue than just the pig. We're proud of our beans and our slaw, too. Does it belong on a sandwich? I say yes indeed. Some disagree.

Moving from pork, Cozy Corner is famous for its Cornish hens. We like smoked turkey legs, smoked sausage and barbecued bologna. Fried pies are part of the experience (or the fudge pie, if you're at Corky's), and we also like our deviled eggs.

Last year, local barbecue connoisseur Dave Darnell, a photographer for The Commercial Appeal, and I played a game of barbecue tag. We started at Payne's, Darnell's favorite place for a sandwich, and asked the owners or pit masters at each shop to send us to another place for a sandwich about as good as theirs. Results were:

At Payne's Bar-B-Q (1762 Lamar; 272-1523) Flora Payne tells us she doesn't eat barbecue anywhere else. Some would ask why she would, as her sandwich has an almost fanatical following. The meat is deeply smoky -- I like it sliced -- and she tops it with a spicy mustard slaw that marries with her hot sauce in a union meant to be eternal. It's undoubtedly the messiest sandwich in town. Have your napkins handy.

Flora's son, Ron Payne, sends us to Tom's Bar-B-Q (4087 New Getwell; 365-6690) where the sandwich is generous, with a smokier, heavier sauce than the sweet and tangy one at Payne's. We like the rib tips -- button tips, they're called. There's not much meat, and you have to nibble around those nubby little bones, but every spice and herb pops. Dip them in the hot barbecue sauce, sit back and just let the party commence in your mouth.

Dennis Wilson, the pit master at Tom's, sends us to Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Que (2265 S. Third; 775-2304), where we manage to split a sandwich from the Neely who started the Neely dynasty in Memphis (more on that to come), and Jim sends us on our way.

Next stop, The Bar-B-Q Shop (1782 Madison; 272-1277). Aaah, I love this place. The sandwiches come on Texas toast and while I completely, utterly agree with purists that the bread should never get in the way of the meat, I do like the toast. The meat is always tender, the Dancing Pigs hot sauce is darn near perfect, the barbecue spaghetti will convert you to something you never thought you'd like, and the dry ribs are fall-off-the-bone.

Eric Vernon, son of owner Frank Vernon, sends us to Cozy Corner (745 N. Parkway; 527-9158). It's a local favorite, but I don't like the sandwich, which is served on a roll somewhere between a hoagie and French bread. But the Cornish hen never disappoints. The tiny bird holds more flavor than seems possible. It's smoky, tender and a downright delicacy.

Since then, I've found two new places I can recommend (and there are many old ones, but most of those will be covered by the bloggers):

One & Only BBQ and More (1779 Kirby Parkway; 751-3615) breaks the mold a bit by serving beef brisket (not unheard of around here, I admit, despite my earlier "this ain't Texas" posturing), and it's a fine version. It's fork tender and deeply flavored. The pork is also good, but the smoked turkey is excellent. It's so easy to dry out a turkey, but these slices are as moist as those tiny hens at Cozy Corner. The smoke is delicate. Excellent.

Ken Neely's Hickory Bar-B-Que (7444 Winchester, suite 106; 753-4116) opened about six months ago, the latest Neely restaurant to open. Ken is Jim's son and the cousin of the Food Network Neelys. He's doing an excellent job. The sandwich reminds me of the big, sloppy sandwiches I used to get at Interstate when I worked in the area, piled high with meat, dressed with slaw and a hot sauce. Ribs are tender enough but they resist a little, which is fine with me.

Now, to the experts on Whining & Dining (whiningdining.com). I'm only naming the places that aren't included in the list above:

Marsha: I'm so glad to see others have mentioned the Germantown Commissary (2290 Germantown Rd. S. in Germantown; 754-5540) -- it seems to be ignored in these kinds of debates and it's our favorite for almost everything in the barbecue world. They have barbecued/smoked turkey that rocks. Don't miss a piece of sky-high pie and get the story about the employee who was put in charge of making their pies -- when prior to this assignment, she had never made a pie in her life).

Matt: I'll still hold the dry ribs at the Rendezvous (52 S. Second; 523-2746) up as my all-time favorites.

I love the atmosphere too, though I'm not particularly fond of any of the sides.

Mark: I love Neely's (670 Jefferson; 521 9798 and 5700 Mt. Moriah; 795-4177) for the smoked turkey and coleslaw. Germantown Commissary has wonderful sauce, the world's greatest potato salad and tamales. Corky's (multiple locations) smoked chicken and dry ribs are a favorite of mine. Rendezvous' sausage plate is fantastic. Central BBQ (2249 Central; 272-9377 and 4375 Summer; 767-4672) has excellent homemade potato chips and blue cheese dip.

Allie: I love the barbecue at Three Little Pigs (5145 Quince; 685-7094). They have very sweet slaw which I think is good on a sandwich but only so-so by itself, and very meaty beans with an old fashioned flavor, not like the sugary Northern-style baked beans so many places try to pass off as barbecue beans.

--Jennifer Biggs: 529-5223