BBQ TAG: Want Memphis' best ribs? Go where experts tell you

Richard Robbins/The Commercial Appeal

Who knows good barbecue? Well, Memphians do, of course -- that goes without saying. But among locals, who knows the most?

The restaurant owners themselves, that's who. If a Vergos isn't eating ribs at the Rendezvous, where's he eating? If a Neely heads out for ribs some other place, where is it?

Desiree Robinson (left) makes her way to the kitchen as Calvin Richmond delivers ribs to customers at Cozy Corner, 745 North Parkway.

Amber Westerfield serves up a tender order of ribs with onion rings and slaw at the Belmont Grill in East Memphis.

Brian Bradford serves up a tray full of famous ribs at the Rendezvous in Downtown. The atmosphere is as lively as the ribs are tasty.

The ribs are meaty and tender at Neelys on Jefferson, where Melvin Anderson shows off a plate of wet ones.

Photo by Dave Darnell

Rocky Kasaftes serves his exceptional backyard ribs during the weekends at Alex's Tavern. The bar is also known for its burgers and wings.

Enough questions for you? How about some answers instead?

It has been three years since The Commercial Appeal photographer and barbecue guru Dave Darnell and I played a game of barbecue tag. We took a couple of days and drove around town, eating barbecue sandwiches in restaurants that we'd been sent to by other restaurateurs (see the link at the end of this story to read about it).

It was hard work, so taxing that this year we decided we needed someone else to help, so we enlisted Peter Calandruccio, the administrator for our barbecue website, State of Q (stateofq.com).

And we took on ribs instead of pulled pork.

Everybody knows the Neelys, and the restaurant is just a few blocks from our office, so we started the day at Neely's Bar-B-Que (670 Jefferson; 521-9798). We decide, despite an initial incredulous look from Dave, that we'll order a half-slab between the three of us at each restaurant, and unless there's a reason to deviate, we'll try the beans and slaw.

I've been down this all-day eating road a time or two, and I know a bite or two is all it takes. And water only to drink. Peter and Dave are loading up on lemonade and Sprite, respectively, but I know my limits. And I know Dave has none when it comes to the pig. Peter is the unknown at this point.

We're the first customers of the day, and we like the ribs. (We like the ribs everywhere, by the way. Come on. It's Memphis.) They're meaty, tender but not falling off the bone, which is the way Dave prefers them.

We get Tony Neely on the phone, and he sends us to Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Que. But it's owned by his uncle, so after telling him we'll end up there eventually, we compromise ("I'm actually scared to go there, anyway. He taught us by yelling and cussing," Tony Neely says, but it's said with good humor), and he sends us to the Bar-B-Q Shop (1782 Madison; 272-1277) instead.

We're lucky enough that owner Frank Vernon and his son, Eric, are both working. They insist we try the wet, the dry and the glazed ribs. They are excellent, and while we didn't rate the ribs, we agree that these take the No. 1 spot. Everything is right. All the ribs are meaty and exceptionally tender. The dry rub is savory and makes a delicate crust, the glazed ribs both sweet and savory, and the wet ribs are brushed with Dancin' Pigs sauce -- possibly the best in town. In one writer's humble opinion.

Next, it's on to Cozy Corner (745 N. Parkway; 527-9158), where owner Desiree Robinson warmly welcomes us when we tell her what we're doing. I ask for hot sauce on the side when we order our ribs. This is the barbecue sauce for fools who want to prove they can take the heat. Robinson isn't sure what goes in it, but she doesn't eat it, either.

The ribs are tasty, smoky, but not as tender as the other ribs we've tried. I can't get anyone else to try the hot sauce, but I can't help but think how nice it would be on the Cornish hens (in modest amounts). Robinson doesn't hesitate when we ask her where to go:

Central BBQ (2249 Central, 272-9377; and 4375 Summer, 767-4672). We decide to go to the Summer Avenue location, and arrive while a big batch of ribs is being smoked for a Memphis in May volunteer dinner that night. Our ribs are good, but we can't help but long for the ones being cooked. Of course they'd be better -- they'd be right off the smoker. Still, no complaints, and we vary it up a little by sampling the tamales at Central. They're made in-house, Delta style, and they are excellent. Possibly better than any in town. Very, very good tamales. We're sent to the Germantown Commissary or Interstate -- there's a tug-of-war going on -- but we settle it by deciding to go to both.

Lucky for us -- you'll see why -- we start the next day at Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Q (2265 S. Third; 775-1045), where we sample a solid example of good pork ribs. Meat is good, sauce is good -- what more is there to say? They tell us to head on down to the Rendezvous (52 S. Second; 523-2746), and we gladly go.

When the Rendezvous is on, the ribs are hard to beat. This batch was flavorful, but a little tough. The spicy mustard slaw is as good as ever (I love that stuff), you can't beat the atmosphere, and we have a good time despite the ribs being on the tough side. Darnell went back for dinner the following weekend, and said he had perfect ribs. As anyone who competes can tell you there are many uncontrollable variables in barbecue, and this comes in play at restaurants, too. Nick Vergos, by phone, sends us over to Payne's.

Darnell could probably eat a sandwich at Payne's BBQ (1762 Lamar; 272-1523) every day. It is extraordinary, but we're in for ribs, not the sandwich. It's hit or miss here, as the flavor is excellent, but there are both fatty and tough pieces of meat mixed in with truly good, tender pieces. We can't help but comment on the excellent baked beans, though.

From Payne's, we head out to the Germantown Commissary (2290 Germantown Road S.; 754-5540). Like the Rendezvous, this is a place with a great atmosphere; if you can't have fun at one of those places, you're just no fun, period. These ribs are very good, smoky, with bits of bark here are there. We're full, but we manage to eat and to somehow make room for pie when owner Walker Taylor reminds us about the restaurant's signature pies. He recommends the coconut. Dave wants the chocolate, so we compromise. Both it is.

That coconut cream pie is worth the trip. The custard is thick, with coconut flecked throughout, and toasted coconut on top. Treat yourself. But if we had started the day here, it would've been a short day.

Taylor sends us to Alex's Tavern (1445 Jackson; 278-9086). Here's the deal about Alex's. Owner Rocky Kasaftes just cooks ribs on his smoker out back on weekends. They're backyard ribs, and they're exceptional. This batch isn't the best I've had, because we're there during the week and they're left over from the weekend. The burger, which Michael Donahue and I named the best in town last year, and hot wings are menu standards, but Kasaftes cooks what he feels like cooking. On the day we're there, he's got a fresh pot of gumbo, and it's good stuff.

When it's time for a recommendation, we ask him to dig deep, to send us to a place no one knows about. Well, he comes up with a popular spot, but we've never eaten the ribs at the Belmont Grill (4970 Poplar, 767-0305; 9102 Poplar Pike in Germantown, 624-6001).

We're done for the day, but eventually we make our way to the Belmont on Poplar. First off, we like the slaw and the onion rings, so kudos on both. And the ribs surprise us. They're not smoky, but they are tender (there are a few tough bits here and there). The secret to the tenderness is that they're cooked in an Alto-Shaam, a commercial oven that tenderizes meat. The server gives us a tip:

"On Tuesdays, we have pot roast cooked in it, and it's the best thing you've ever tasted."

We'll save that for another time. It's May, and in May in Memphis, you eat barbecue.

-- Jennifer Biggs: 529-5223

Want to read about our 2008 barbecue sandwich tour? Go to commercialappeal.com/news/ 2008/may/16/cover-story-in-hot-pursuit-of-barbecue

State of Q

Check out StateofQ.com, our barbecue website with information and insider tips about barbecue joints and menus, festivals competitions and recipes. Also, see reports from this year's MIM competition.

StateofQ.com spotlights people and places, has maps for locating barbecue restaurants, and reviews and ratings.

Make it a daily part of your diet.

In pictures:

See a photo gallery from our BBQ tag tour at commercialappeal.com and StateofQ.com.

A photo gallery from past MIM barbecue competitions is at commercialappeal.com and StatofQ.com.

And check out our Memphis Memories feature in the paper on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for photos from barbecue competitions in years past.

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