Memphis: 1 day, 3 meals, 3 RACKS OF RIBS!!!

Here's the report from Memphis: This barbecue capital hosts an eternal "dry" versus "wet" barbecue controversy. In the post from Nashville we indicated our appreciation that "dry" preparation requires more skill. But once cooked dry, a good rack or brisket can be enhanced by a carefully chosen sauce as a condiment. That's the approach we took here, trying three "wet" racks over three meals in one day around the city. Included in the slide show above are racks from Central BBQ, Payne's BBQ, and Blues City Cafe.

All three came recommended from various sources, but the standout winner was... PAYNE'S!!! Just take a look at the photos of that rack. That is what is intended by the phrase "falling off the bone": it should just become a big mess. The meat was smoked with a dry rub and served fresh off the pit. The bare bones restaurant is filled with hickory smoke, as it should be. You are asked whether you wanted your sauce "spicy" or "mild." Flora Payne takes that little bit of instruction to work up a magical plate of pork ribs complemented by a mustard cole slaw. Perfection.

Funny: we were hanging out with the folks at Sun Studio later in the day and told them we went to Payne's on Lamar Ave. "You went WHERE??!!" Apparently Lamar is not a typical tourist destination, and not somewhere to be lost after dark. But it's worth it, we're telling you.

The others---Central, Blues City---not so impressive. Central was way over-priced, had the "sauce bar", the ribs were cold and rather dry (i.e. they had been sitting around), yada yada. Not sure if this was an off day for this newcomer on the Memphis scene, which many around the internet claim as their favorite. Blues City's rack tasted like "fast cook" barbecue (boiled then cooked quickly over grill), which means little smokiness and a contrived "fall off the bone" quality. (Don't get us wrong, "fast cook," which involves parboiling prior and then grilling for an hour or less is perfectly legitimate at home. But it's not the same as real barbecue, and it's definitely inexcusable in a place like Memphis.)