Day 2 of our trip brought us to Memphis as we needed to see Graceland and the King. And of course, since we were in Memphis, we needed some more BBQ so I looked up some locations for classic Memphis BBQ and that brought us to Central BBQ – a more recent player in the scene but one that has been getting great reviews from locals and that has expanded to multiple locations around Memphis.
Similar to Martin’s BBQ in Nashville, you order at the counter and then go find a seat. The servers bring out your order and find you with a number marker. This particular location – located in East Memphis – from a decor point of view really feels like a fast food location which fits the strip mall setting where it is located. It is nice enough but doesn’t have the cool vibe of Martin’s we saw. However, this is all about the BBQ so if the food is great, who cares about the decor, right?
Like our previous experience, we grabbed three different meats with a choice of two sides each to cover as much of the menu as possible. First up, a full slab of ribs served wet (with sauce) – we went with half mustard sauce and half sweet BBQ sauce – served with onion rings and BBQ beans. The ribs were excellent – super tender and rich. The sauces were great as well. I enjoyed the tang of the mustard sauce which is something we don’t see much back home. The sides were okay but not great. The onion rings had too much batter relative to the onion itself. The beans had good flavour but compared to the ones we had in Nashville, these were more liquid in consistency and less smoky.
Our second plate was sliced smoked beef brisket with fries and slaw. The brisket was different than in Nashville – served more thinly in longer ribbons. The texture was different – more closely to cold cuts but the flavour was equally as good as in Nashville – great smoke and meatiness. We paired it with some of the BBQ sauce which worked very well. The fries were fine but nothing more. I liked the slaw though – a little creamier which I enjoyed.
Our final plate was some pulled pork served with some home-cooked pork rinds and mac n’ cheese. The pulled pork was excellent – the texture was more pulled than in Nashville and had some more ‘bark’ to it which was a nice texture contrast. Great smokiness and tenderness to it. This was the hit of the table. The mac n’cheese was creamy and rich which I enjoyed. The pork rinds were very crunchy and light but honestly didn’t really feel like a side I wanted with BBQ. It was interesting to try but not a big hit.
Central BBQ also had dessert so we shared two slices of cake: coconut cake and 5 layer chocolate cake. Both cakes were moist and very rich. This was pure gluttony but frankly at this point why not, right?
Central BBQ was a very worthy stop on your way to Graceland. We got more Southern BBQ which made us very happy. Definitely worth it for the meats and the different sauces. The sides were more hit or miss but again, the meat is the key in BBQ. You won’t be disappointed there if you spot by.
Cheers!
Central BBQ
Various Locations
Memphis, TN
Ramblings from the Complex Mind of a 30 Something 