DAY 4 – It’s Dry Rubbin’ time in the Deep South

Going into the BBQ Tour we knew that Wednesday night was going to be a tough one. That was the one night that we had no place to stay and had decided to camp out in the Smokey Mountains. As well it was the night before our long trek across the state of Tennessee to Memphis.

Upon leaving North Carolina, we began watching the exits for campsites along the way and finally settled on Big Creek in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park right on the state border. We set up camp at about 11 p.m., tried to build a fire, went on a midnight hike and finally settled into our sleeping bags around 2 a.m. The air was crisp and cold, and the sound of rushing water played in the background all night. I’ll be honest it was a long night. The temperatures dropped way lower than what I was prepared for and I’m scared of bears and late night cougar attacks.

We awoke the next morning smelling like campfire smoke and without the aroma of warm breakfast foods waiting for. Luckily we had goody bags and snacks from Mrs. Richardson, Mrs. Moon and Mrs. Harper to tide us over until our next BBQ encounter.

We met up with our friend Ellen in Knoxville at a restaurant called Calhoun’s. Our impression of this establishment is kind of mixed. It was a very different atmosphere for us because we have become accustomed to hole-in-the-wall joints. For us, Calhoun’s came across a little on the “chain-ish” side, but we felt that this kind of establishment was needed to round out the whole tour.

Calhoun’s – Knoxville, TN

Meat – 3 – we felt it had a little bit of a weird flavor compared to other meats we have tried.
Sauce – 4 – on par with some of the big name places we visited
Sides – 5 – the baked beans and corn pudding were straight up money.
Tea – 2 – just no good at all.
Dessert – no dessert for us.
Atmosphere - 4 – located on the Tennessee River with some college town flavor

After a quick oil change, we headed out from Knoxville towards Memphis. It took us 6 hours and one time change to make the drive. Lucky for us Jonathan (with the help of Travelocity) was able to find us a great hotel in Downtown Memphis called the Benchmark. Even more, when we pulled up to the valet we saw in the alley right next to our hotel the sign for Rendezvous (that night’s destination). We took this as a sign that the hand of God was still upon our trip, and was actively ushering us along in our endeavor.

We ate dinner that night at Rendezvous amongst the hype of the Conference USA basketball tourney and even made a background cameo in a CSTV interview. It was a GREAT night. Memphis is an incredible city with lots of interesting people.

Rendezvous – Memphis, TN

Meat – (we got 3 different meats)
Ribs – 3 – comparing them with Dreamland we felt Rendezvous was having it’s own “off” night. The group was a little split, but 3 out of 4 of us felt Dreamland’s ribs were just slightly better.
Pulled Pork – 4.5 - excellent
Chicken – 3 – a little dry, but with the sauce we felt it had a great taste.
Sauce – 4.5 – Both hot and mild sauces were exceptional when poured on the ribs.
Dry Rub – 5 – this was our first encounter with Dry Rub, and it was a good one. When mixed with sauce it brought amazing flavor to the meat. Very, Very Good.
Sides – 3 - nothing memorable.
Tea – 1.5 – they need to let the customer had his/her own lemon juice to the tea
Dessert – When we asked the waiter if they served dessert he responded, “Chocolate covered ribs.”
Atmosphere – 5+ - Nothing can be said to say how amazing Rendezvous is. Located in an alley in downtown Memphis, and decorated with memorabilia not placed their by some interior decorator but by the lives of real people. Unbelievable.

Well, we're rounding the corner on the last 2 days of our tour. I think we are all tired of the riggers of the road, but I must say, the BBQ has been well worth it. We have learned so much about the process of making BBQ and the south that this trip will be something we always remember.

porkin' ain't easy,

Boys of the BBQ Tour.


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