Follow the smoke.

How do you know the really good barbecue joints? Well, it’s like counting rings on a tree. If a place shows its age, has been around and looks like hell, chances are it’s pretty good. And then there’s the scent of smoke in the air, of course. Maybe there’s a corollary between good barbecue and bad architecture. Who knows?

Traci, my traveling companion of the day, was taking me across a portion of western Tennessee to hound out some story ideas. We were on our way to Humboldt and scouting out a good place to have lunch once we were done with our business there. We’d already passed through Belz and the pickings had looked slim. A scattering of closed businesses and convenience stores had been the only signs of consumables on the road since, and we were chatting about how good barbecue restaurants usually look pretty ragged.

We rounded a curve and spotted an old boarded up white two story building with a lean-to on the side and a big pile of firewood out front. I commented “wow, that’d be one of those great little barbecue joints to try. Looks closed, though.”

“It does,” Traci agreed. But then - “hey, there’s smoke coming out.”

And sure enough there was, a plume of smoke from a chimney on the back side of the lean-to, a little building pressed up against that boarded building with a sign out front that said Sam‘s Bar-B-Q. “That might be some of the best barbecue we’ve ever tried,” I told her.

“You want to go back?”

“Maybe. Let’s see what else there is.”

Since we were running early, we rolled around town a bit. Saw a place right up the road called Armour BBQ, and there was a little ribs-and-catfish place downtown. We took Highway 79 on to the north past downtown and saw a place called Sip of Suds, which we both instantly thought must be a Laundromat but which turned out to be a bar. There were a lot of grills -- Humboldt Grill, T-Baby’s Bar and Grill, the East End Grill. But nothing really caught our fancy.

We ended up asking folks at the West Tennessee Regional Arts Center about their selections for restaurants in the area. Outright, I asked Bill Hickerson with the Center what he thought about Sam’s. “It’s barbecue. It’s good,” was his response. Not much more. Apparently the only real way to get the real story on Sam’s was to stop in.

So back down Highway 79 we went, a little apprehensive but very hungry. The sign in the window had been turned around to “OPEN” and there was a screen door on the other side of the main entrance open and fragrant with smoke. Inside a single wall unit air conditioner was fighting for its life against the heat of the day, a sole ceiling fan giving it just enough oomph to spread a little bit of coolness around the room.

And what a tiny room it was. The entire space wasn’t much larger than my bedroom at home. A counter and register divided the area in two; on the road side, two tables and five chairs shared space with a bun rack and a refrigerated drink and pie cooler. On the other, a refrigerator hunched under a big fan. There were two commercial sinks improbably shoved in the back and a single white home-style oven crowded in, its top laden with pies of several sorts. There was a large woman behind the register who welcomed us when we came in and asked us what we wanted.

There was no printed menu, just a wipeboard that had been wiped and reused over and over again. Traci and I counted up the cash we had; this was obviously a place that didn’t accept plastic. She had eight bucks; I had about $15 of quarters in a pouch, a practical joke from my husband who decided he’d more than literally follow directions.

The board was full of items that were tasty. As we looked through, the lady behind the counter told us “now, our pork sandwich, that’s the best.”

Traci looked back at her and told her “well, we can’t do pork, but what else is good?”

“It’s all good, all good,” she told us.

I looked over the board, mindful of what we had left to spend. I wasn’t all that concerned about sides like “potatoe” salad or slaw or beans that were $1.69 a “surving.” I just wanted to try some meat and sauce and see if it was any good. The chicken sandwich at $3 seemed like a no-brainer, and Traci and I decided to split one along with a BBQ beef sandwich. Other items caught my eye, but I held back -- on things like Homemade Rolls for $3.50 a pan and the BBQ Krey Bologna (Krey is apparently the West Tennessee answer to Petit Jean Meats).

We had a seat at one of the two little tables while the lady went into the back and got our stuff together. She did pull out a plastic container from the refrigerator before she walked back there, telling us she’d have to reheat the beef. That was fine with us.

A blue collar guy came in and stood at the counter, waiting for our hostess to come back. He told us he’d been coming there as long as he could remember, but he couldn’t pin a date on the origin of the place. Another guy, an older man, also came in and started telling us that this was Sam’s but it wasn’t -- that the original Sam was in an assisted living facility, and that even the original Sam wasn’t the original guy on the sign. I had to go back later and do research, and I found a few things out.

See, Sam’s Bar-B-Q started off as something else back in time lost. Sam Donald -- that’s the Sam the business is named for -- retired from the local arsenal in 1965 and went to work for his brother-in-law’s barbecue joint downtown. And over that time he learned how to make the sauce and such. He worked the concrete pits there at the old place. The old place closed down, and people pressured Sam to get his own place going. So he started Sam’s Bar-B-Q in 1988. And for years it was just him and his wife, making not much more than smoked pulled pork shoulders, smoking them over hickory and oak. He was a big proponent of wood smoke for barbecue.

In 2007 Sam finally retired at the ripe old age of 87. He handed down the business to his son-in-law John, who also goes by the name “Sam.” John (we’ll refer to him this way just to eliminate the confusion) has added a few menu items like those homemade rolls and sides and pies that he makes himself. We didn’t get to meet John while we weren’t there, but we did have a pretty good idea of what sort of history went into this place.

Our hostess came back through the door with two paper sacks. “This one,” she told us, “this is the beef brisket and th’other’n’s the chicken. Y’all sure you don’t want anything else?”

“Kat, I saw you eyeballing that pie,” Traci goaded me.

“It looks good.”

“What sorts do you have?” Traci asked.

“We have chess pie, chocolate chess pie, pecan, sweet potato, and I think we have some in the case.”

I was digging out quarters to shore up our $8.31 ticket for our two sandwiches. “How much is the pie?”

“It’s a dollar 65 -- it’d be a dollar 89 with the tax.”

“Fair enough.” I dug around for more change and handed it to Traci, who handed it over to our cashier.

“What do you want?”

“Chocolate chess.”

“It’s real good,” our hostess told us as she turned to the stovetop and cut out a slice. “He comes in and makes it every day.”

“Who does?” I asked.

“Sam. He makes all the food.”

“All right then.”

Traci came and sat down and we negotiated the bags between us. The tiny tabletop wasn’t much for holding what we had, but we pulled out the aluminum foil wrapped sandwiches and sauce cups and sat our bags on the floor.

I’ve been surprised by many things in this job, but I can honestly say I’d never seen the sight that greeted me. I opened the aluminum foil wrapped pouch and was greeted with the sight of a naked smoked chicken leg quarter sandwiched between two slices of white bread. For a moment, I just looked. Then I pointed it out to Traci, and we both laughed at it.

Well, that wasn’t going to do. I lifted the bread off the top and tugged a little at the leg bone -- and all three of the bones in the quarter just came out. It was as if I had pulled a loose seam and all the stuffing had come out. I was left with a messy pile of pink smoked chicken inside a little skin on that slice of bread. I managed to get it up under the bread and dab a little sauce on it before I cut it off and slid half over to Traci.

The barbecue beef she’d opened was a big wet pile of thick cut and sliced brisket, with plenty of visible marbling. It was served up on a big yellow bun and looked like a cardiologist’s nightmare. Or, as I’d put it, damn good barbecue.

I started out on that chicken sandwich, having to grasp it back deep into my palm and hold it together with my fingers to keep the sandwich integrity going. And let me tell you what -- that has to be the most tender chicken I have ever sampled. It was smoky and pink and slightly salty, it held its own against the sauce and it dampened the white bread considerably. It was the sort of sandwich best eaten over the sink, but it was mighty fine. I can see how someone might pick up one of these sandwiches and take it for lunch on a jobsite, how they could flick out those bones with one pull and a flick of the wrist and wrap that sandwich up tight in the foil for less messy eating. It may be the best barbecue chicken I ever had.

Part of that was the sauce, which was a vinegar based sauce heavy on the black pepper and clouded with a whole lot of other spices. There wasn’t any sweetness to it, just the tang and the bit of heat from that pepper and not much else. But it was the perfect sauce for that hickory wood smoker. It made the white bread taste sweet and the chicken taste meatier.

And of course, there was that beef sandwich. We had swapped halves and once I finally made it through the chicken sandwich I had my side of the brisket, moist and smoky and it just fell apart in my mouth. None of this dry Texas style beef brisket or the coarsely veined slices you get from Corky’s or the other Memphis barbecue places. This is how I have brisket when I make it -- smoked so long on such a well-marbled cut of meat that it literally dissolves on the tongue. It was very wet, though, but that bun did what it needed to do to keep the barbecue together.

Our hostess handed over that slice of Chocolate Chess Pie in a Styrofoam container. We took our little plastic forks and dug into it -- after photos, of course. I like my Chess Pie, and I even like it when it’s adulterated a little with something else. This was good. It was the consistency I expected from Chess Pie but with a brownie-type crust that had formed on top, the center ooey soft, all poured into an apparently storebought crust. I could forgive that -- I mean, if one man’s in charge of barbecue, rolls, sides and pie, I can give him a little slack.

We had places to go and things to do -- our next stop was the Alex Haley home in Henning, a good bit of a drive from Humboldt. So we had to go. But that’s fine. I think I will be making a special trip back at some point to get me some more of that. I want to try one of those whole smoked chickens for $7. I want to see if the chicken falls off the carcass like it did off that leg quarter.

You too can find Sam’s Bar-B-Que. Take Highway 79 up from the interstate at Brownsville -- it’s on the right as you enter Humboldt. The restaurant is open from ten to six every day except Sunday, when it’s open from noon until four. I bet they’d take a phone order, too -- (731) 784-9850. And chances are this is as close as you’re going to get to a business website.

Where the Barbecue Began.

Everyone seems to know about the Neely’s. Pat and Gina Neely have Neely’s BBQ in Memphis, they have their show Down Home with the Neely’s on Food Network, they have a famous catering business and even cookbooks and cookware and all the trappings of Food Network Stars. But the Neely barbecue dynasty doesn’t begin with Pat and Gina. It begins with Pat’s uncle, Jim. And it didn’t start with barbecue… it started with a grocery store.

Back in 1979, Jim Neely bought a grocery store in the 22nd block of South Third Street in Memphis. Some might have looked at the failing neighborhood and the local street element and thought better of the idea. But Jim Neely had an idea. He’d done pretty well for years with an insurance business; now with a son discharged from the military after a spleen removal and Neely’s own impending retirement from insurance sales, it seemed like a good idea. It took a lot though… and you can read all about it on the restaurant’s website. No need to rehash it all.

To summarize, though, he got the grocery store started and he kept trying to figure out what would draw in the customers. And he decided to pursue that Memphis barbecue taste he’d grown up with. A friend from California taught him how to keep the fire going under his smoker and how to get his business underway, and there you go -- barbecue in the grocery store. By 1989, the barbecue business had become so successful Neely didn’t need the grocery store so the barbecue joint took over the building. There have been expansions since then, and today 275 people can fit inside for lunch or dinner (there’s also a drive-thru).

One Sunday in March around noontime, a group of us showed up on the doorstep. The legend of Neely’s juicy barbecue had brought us together for a meal. We looked over the menu, placed our orders, and relaxed with beverages and talk about what we were about to receive.

The walls of Interstate BBQ are covered with photographs of celebrities offering their endorsements, with certificates of thanks and recognition and banners and this and that, like any long-established neighborhood joint should have. We’d taken over one of the large tables in the middle of the larger dining room. Others filled in the booths and tables around us as we waited. While there were just a few there when we arrived, by the time the food came out the place was packed with hungry patrons.

The orders varied at our table. My husband went for a large order of California Beef Links ($8.25), sliced hunks of sausage that had been smoked and then dumped into the sauce. The sausage bits had soaked up a good deal of the barbecue spices and were very yummy, a good match for the pasty yellow potato salad and the white bread that comes with most any order.

And this is where I diverge from my normal descriptions of the food. Because this was the point where my daughter reached a milestone. I’d ordered up a large order of Beef Ribs ($9.75, $8.75 for a small order) with the intention of sharing the meal with my child. With a butter knife and fork I pried meat off half of one of the bones, stripped it down a little, and then held it out for Hunter to try. At first she looked at me like I was crazy. She stuck her tongue out and touched it to the rib. She laughed a little and did it again.

I was hungry. I wanted to eat. So I held that rib out to her in my left hand while I picked up one with my right and gnawed down. The beef rib was soft with a nice pink interior that a good smoking will give you. Notes of the peppery dry rub beneath were evident under the generously soaked wet rub above, full of pepper and tangy goodness. The sauce was sticky, and it got everywhere, but without a free hand I threw caution to the wind and let a little sauce dribble down my chin.

And then I felt this very sharp pain in the meaty part of my left hand. I turned to look. Hunter had chawed her way down the bone and when she’d run out of meat she’d latched onto my sauce-covered palm. A row of her little teeth marks were scratched onto the rib. I alerted the rest of the table about what had happened and there was a good laugh. I put down my rib, turned the bone she’d been working on and handed it to her. She took it hesitantly, started to bite back into it and then went after it with gusto, even ignoring my attempts to share a little potato salad with her.

I noticed a few moments later that one of my five ribs had disappeared. The hubster couldn’t wait for a taste and had decided to dig in on my order as well. I couldn’t fault him.

Our friend Leif (who took those great photos of Hunter) ordered up a Combination Dinner ($14.50 with choice of two of the restaurant’s barbecued meats) of pulled pork and pork ribs. The ribs were nice and meaty and the sliced pork had that nice hickory flavor a good smoking will give a pork butt.

And then there was the meal that our friends Jerry and Terri decided to share… the Sampler Platter ($18.75). Billed as “A Trip To Hog Heaven,” the meal consisted of pork ribs, beef ribs, links, a bit of beef brisket and a bit of pulled pork shoulder, some BBQ spaghetti and cole slaw and beans and bread. It was… well, decadent.

There was no way to make an elegant meal of it. This sort of creation is meant for rolling up your sleeves. The sort of dinner Wet Wipes were made for. The sort… well, you get the picture.

Eventually, most everyone was done. But I wanted to try some pie. I mean, Hunter ate part of my meal and Paul ate another part of it, and even though I’d had a decent portion of beef ribs and some of Paul’s hot links and some side items, I wanted to try the pie. It’s part of what makes me me, dontchaknow. Though the Sock It To Me cake ($2.50) cried out to me, I had to go with the pie that best goes with barbecue, Sweet Potato Pie ($1.90). I could have gone with pecan as well, but I passed.

I was surprised when it came out in its own individual shell. It was creamy for that sort of pie, with a good dose of pumpkin pie spice. And it was small enough that I didn’t have to share it with anyone. Bonus!

When we were done, we took our turns standing in line at the register and checking out. It took both the hubster and I to get Hunter cleaned up enough to get her to the car, where we tackled her with baby wipes and a fresh outfit.

The barbecue at Interstate BBQ is really good. And that’s the problem, because it’s nowhere near a secret. That means unless you go at an off hour you should expect a bit of a wait. But that’s okay. Just budget a little extra time for your visit and you’ll be okay.

You’ll find Interstate BBQ at 2265 South Third Street in Memphis, not that far north of I-55. For more information, check out the restaurant’s website.

A Day and a Night in Memphis

As seen in Today's Man magazine

Our new monthly travel column takes us to the Birthplace of the Blues, to share great ideas for your next trip across the Mississippi. Here are some of the great places to eat, stay, and be entertained during your downtown visit.


The Blue Plate Café on Poplar is a long-time Memphis staple. Now another location has been opened downtown at 113 South Court, just off the Main Street Trolley Line. You’ll still enjoy oversized portions of omelets, pancakes, flat waffles, biscuits, and more for undersized prices. Try the Huervos Rancheros ($7.59) for a new take on the classic -- eggs, cheese, and salsa on a crispy tortilla with black beans and cheese on the side. Comes with biscuits and your choice of pancakes, grits, or hash browns. Opens at 8am every day. Call (901) 523-2050.

Alcenia’s is home to incredible Southern home cooking, with hand-battered fried chicken, excellent pork chops, and tasty fried or baked catfish ($7.25-8.50). The side items are full of spices and flavor -- and you get two with your order. Be sure to get the cornbread rolls -- they’re sweet and hearty. This home cookin’ shop with soul also shares some of the richest desserts you’ll find downtown -- and everything‘s served on colorful plastic ware that matches the bright kitchy décor. Find it at the north end of the Trolley line, at 317 North Main (just north of I-40). Open 11am-5pm Tuesday-Friday and 8am-5pm Saturday. Try the Saturday brunch, with excellent salmon croquettes! (901) 523-0200.

Big Foot Lodge is a new entry to the Memphis eatery scene… but it’s sure to become a big hit. The restaurant’s unusual Canada-meets-Memphis fare is full of savory goodness. Hits include deep fried Cornish game hen, BBQ Egg Rolls, and Corn Brats (a different take on corndogs) -- but it’s best known for the Sasquatch Burger, a mammoth four pounds of meat and three and a half pounds of bread and veggies that you get for free if you eat it in under an hour. Only one person has succeeded… so far. Open 11am to 2:30am, seven days a week. It’s across the block from the Peabody Place Retain and Entertainment Complex at 97 South 2nd Street. (901) 578-9808.

And if you’re searching out martinis and sushi late night, try Swig’sThe eclectic modern addition at 100 Peabody Place boasts of a martini list more than 70 martinis strong, as well as an additional mixed drink and cognac list. The sushi bar’s menu is also extensive, with over 40 offerings. Try the Surf and Turf roll for a delicious late night repast. Live music offered most nights. Open 3pm to late, (901) 522-8515.


Lodging - The Secret
One of the best kept secrets in Memphis, the Talbot Heirs Guesthouse is literally in the middle of everything. This eight suite boutique hotel is across the street from the Peabody, on the same block as the Big Foot Lodge, and two blocks to Beale Street.

Rooms are large and spacious, with living areas and full kitchens and baths. One suite features a grand piano once owned by Bobby Whitlock of Derek and the Dominoes. Gracious hosts Tom and Sandy Franck greet guests at the door and help with luggage.

Kitchens are stocked with water, juice, and breakfast items like yogurt and biscotti. With advance notice, your kitchen can be stocked the way you like (for an additional charge). There’s a loaning library of DVDs and CDs, with stereos and DVD players in each suite.

You can even request a piece of exercise equipment. Free local calls and internet access (both Ethernet and WiFi available). Rooms run $130 to 275 a night. 99 South Second Street, (800) 955-3956.

Lodging - The Traditional
You can still watch the ducks at the Peabody Hotel. The Memphis landmark still offers comfortable accommodations for those traveling through -- along with a selection of fine dining opportunities. Originally opened in 1925, Belz Enterprises renovated the hotel in 1981 and reopened it.
Today, the hotel boasts of 468 guest rooms, lots of places to shop, and two restaurants -- Capriccio’s Grill and the world class Chez Philipe. Rates start at $200 a night. 149 Union Avenue, (901) 529-4000.

Lodging - The Bargain
If you’re more concerned with location than frills, check out the Sleep Inn at Court Square. This budget minded option is located right on the Main Street Trolley Line, just six blocks from the Beale Street Entertainment District, four blocks from Autozone Park, and steps away from the Blue Plate Café. Though the rooms are small, they come well equipped for business travelers, and the staff is courteous and generous. Rates run around $110 a night, but are sometimes cheaper during low-traffic days. 40 North Front Street, (901) 522-9700 or www.sleepinn.com.

Entertainment:
There’s no such thing as being too old to have fun. Jillian’s at Peabody Place caters to those folks who don’t want to grow up. Three stories are packed with every sort of game you might want to play -- whether it’s Skee-Ball and video games, pool, virtual racing, basketball, or bowling.

The ultra-hip bowling alley in the basement features oodles of video screens, a rainbow-hued martini bar, and neon colored bowling balls -- a cool scene for hep cats any night of the week. You'll find this playground for
adults inside the Peabody Place Retail and Entertainment Complex.

Speaking of the Peabody Place Retail and Entertainment Complex, it’s also home to lots of shops, Dan McGuinness Pub (which was built in Ireland and shipped over to be reassembled in Memphis), and the Muvico Theater, a 14 theater complex that features a 550 seat, 60 foot tall large-screen theater. 150 Peabody Place.

The Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum celebrates the music born in Memphis and the South, tracing its roots from cotton fields and rural farmhouses into the city and through the years. Here you will find costumes, musical instruments, and personal effects of such stars as Minnie Pearl, Carl Perkins, and Isaac Hayes. Be sure to check out the large selection of jukeboxes through the years. The address for the museum is 191 Beale Street -- but the facility is actually located right by the FedEx Forum, about a half block off. $12 admission. (901) 205-2533 or www.memphisrocknsoul.org.


The best souvenirs:

Need something? Whether it’s soap or underwear, unusual souvenirs or incense, washtubs or flip-flops, you’ll find it at A. Schwab’s Dry Goods Store on Beale Street. This throwback has been in business since 1876. The family has been running it all this time. In the back, on the landing
between the first and
second floors, you’ll find a virtual museum of antique cash registers, clothing, and newspaper articles from more than 130 years of business. Whether it’s a hat for Sunday meetin’, an Elvis necktie or a novelty hat, you’ll find that perfect gift for the one you love here. 163 Beale Street. (901) 523-9782.

Looking for something a little more unique? You can’t go wrong at the Center for Southern Folklore. The gift shop on the Main Street Mall features works from local and regional artists in all sorts of fashion, from hand-thrown pottery to original paintings to quilts and pillows made from Crown Royal
bottles. Local musicians often come play on the small stage in the shop. Further back in the building, there’s a separate café and performance stage, colorful and bright and rentable for your next business conference or gathering. And it’s the one place in Memphis where you can enjoy
great music, a cyber café, and a Moon Pie Sundae, all in the same place. (901)525-3655.

Things you should know
Trolley fare is $1 a trip, but you can purchase an all-day pass for $3.50. The Main Street Trolley runs within three blocks of most of the major hotels in downtown Memphis. Trolleys run every 11 minutes between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and every 25 minutes between 6 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.

There is an active campaign underway to curtail panhandling downtown. Old parking meters have been set up in various locations for change donation that is distributed to area charities.

There are few places to park for free downtown. However, the restaurants and attractions mentioned in A Day And A Night In Memphis are all located within easy walking distance of most hotels. Parking ranges from 20 cents for 25 minutes to $10 for some parking decks.

Signs that read “Be Nice Or Leave” can be found all over downtown Memphis. They are the brainchild of New Orleans resident Dr. Bob, who was relocated to Memphis after Hurricane Katrina. His artwork and signs are available for sale at the Center for Southern Folklore.

For downtown visitors who need quick groceries or toiletry items, a Walgreens store is located on the Main Street Trolley Line at #2 North Main Street.