Memphis Dry Rub Ribs: What They Are and Where to Try Them

Memphis Travel calls barbecue the official cuisine of Memphis, and ribs are a big part of it. This guide explains the style from named food writers and the spots’ own sites, then lists Memphis spots whose current menus include ribs, checked Nov 5, 2026. Spots are not ranked. It’s part of a BBQ guide starting in Tennessee.

What are Memphis dry rub ribs?

Memphis style ribs are pork ribs served dry or wet, and dry rub ribs are coated in a rub instead of sauce. Eater’s regional style guide says Tennessee barbecue is most clearly defined in Memphis, known for both “dry” and “wet” pork ribs, and describes dry ribs as covered in a rub, a mix of spices and herbs, and then smoked.

For Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous dry rub ribs, start with the spot’s own story. Its own history page says the Vergos family has served its signature dry rub ribs in a downtown basement for more than 75 years, and that Charlie Vergos worked out the rib recipe in the late 1950s. As cited in our Memphis vs. Nashville BBQ guide, The Commercial Appeal reports that the family calls the seasoning “the shake,” and that the ribs are charbroiled over charcoal for a little over an hour.

Dry vs wet ribs in Memphis

Per Eater, wet ribs are basted during cooking and served doused in a tomato-based barbecue sauce, while dry ribs carry the rub alone. Tennessee’s tourism office sums up the Memphis choice as “dry rub, wet sauce, or something in between”. On current menus, Central BBQ serves ribs wet, dry or half and half, and Cozy Corner offers ribs with no sauce or with mild to super hot sauce.

Memphis ribs vs Kansas City ribs

Eater describes Kansas City as drawing on many traditions, with pork, beef, chicken, fish and beans all in its pits, and singles out its sauce, a thick molasses and tomato sauce, similar to the Memphis style but sweeter and darker. Memphis, by Eater’s account, is defined by pork ribs, dry or wet, and pulled pork shoulder with a tomato-based sauce. Neither is better; they’re different.

Where to try dry rub ribs in Memphis

Every spot below lists ribs on its current menu or site, checked Nov 5, 2026, with the address from the spot’s own site. We only say dry or wet where the spot says so.

Spots that say how their ribs come

Spots with ribs that don’t say dry or wet

These menus list ribs without naming a style, so ask when you order.

For the whole city, see the Memphis BBQ guide, Memphis in a day and all Memphis-area spots.

Ribs beyond Memphis in Tennessee

Memphis-style ribs travel. Our Memphis vs. Nashville BBQ guide covers dry ribs in Nashville, and the Tennessee BBQ trail runs from Nashville to Memphis. For how ribs fit with whole hog and the rest, see Tennessee BBQ styles. Heading east? See Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge BBQ. Or browse every spot on the map.

FAQ

Run a Memphis spot?

Don’t see yours? Add your spot and we’ll take a look.

Get the Smoke Report

New spots and guides in your inbox: sign up for the Smoke Report.

Sources

Spot sources checked Nov 5, 2026.

1. The American Barbecue Regional Style Guide · Eater · published Jun 16, 2016
2. The story behind The Rendezvous' world-famous Memphis-style ribs (as cited in our Memphis vs. Nashville BBQ guide) · The Commercial Appeal · published Oct 16, 2023
3. BBQ Places in Memphis · TNVacation (Tennessee Department of Tourist Development) · published Nov 5, 2026

How we write guides. We don’t publish our own reviews or scores, and every claim links to its source. Menus change, so check with the spot before you drive.

More guides: all guides · Tennessee