Memphis vs. Nashville BBQ

The Rendezvous' own family says Memphis was known for its pulled pork sandwich before ribs took over. Leonard's Pit Barbecue, which they call the oldest barbecue spot in town, specialized in it, and "no one really served ribs at restaurants back then"1. Leonard's dates itself to 19226. In Memphis, a "barbecue sandwich" still means pork on a bun topped with slaw and a tangy reddish-brown sauce4.

The Memphis dry rib started almost by accident. Charlie Vergos opened the Rendezvous in a downtown basement in 1948 as a tavern selling ham and cheese sandwiches and beer1. AmazingRibs' history says the breakthrough came in the late 1950s when his meat distributor suggested pork ribs, and an employee named "Little John" helped him cook them2.

The ribs are not cooked "low and slow." The Commercial Appeal reports the Rendezvous charbroils them over charcoal for a little over an hour, basting with vinegar1. After a family trip to New Orleans in the mid-1950s, Vergos mixed Cajun seasoning into his Greek seasoning blend1. The family still calls it "the shake," not a dry rub, and co-owner John Vergos cringes at the word "dry": "Think of it rather as 'saucy' versus 'seasoned'"1.

Locals debate whether ribs are better wet (glazed with sauce) or dry (coated in spice), and some places split the difference with a "half-and-half" rack4. Corky's, a Memphis name with a Brentwood location, offers both, with a paprika, cayenne and garlic powder rub on the dry side12.

Memphis has dishes you won't find many other places. Barbecue spaghetti traces to Brady Vincent at Brady & Lil's; Frank and Hazel Vernon later took over, renamed it The Bar-B-Q Shop and kept the recipe5. Barbecued bologna, a thick slice smoked on the pit, sauced and served on white bread, is another local specialty4.

Memphis spots often cook on pits fired with charcoal rather than wood, which gives a mild but distinctly smoky flavor4. Tops Bar-B-Q, founded in 19527, still cooks shoulders and ribs on charcoal-fired brick pits across more than a dozen locations, AmazingRibs reports2.

In 1978 Memphis in May added the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which started with 20 teams and $1,000 in prize money on a vacant lot by the Orpheum. By 1990 it had more than 250 teams, and Guinness called it the largest barbecue cooking contest in the world3.

The biggest influence came from rural West Tennessee, where whole hogs are cooked over hickory coals for about a day. Eater Nashville describes the city's pulled pork sandwiches as coming from "the whole-hog tradition of West Tennessee"10. Pat Martin learned that tradition in Henderson and brought it to Nolensville in 200613. See our Tennessee whole-hog guide for the full story.

Carey Bringle, a West Tennessee pitmaster with a long competition record, opened Peg Leg Porker in the Gulch in 201310. Eater named its dry ribs one of the country's 23 essential barbecue dishes in 201610. Central BBQ, a Memphis chain founded in 2002, has Nashville locations and uses a classic Memphis dry rub10.

Brisket is Nashville's other big import. Shotgun Willie's, in The Infatuation's Nashville barbecue guide, cooks Texas-style American wagyu brisket8. See our Nashville brisket guide.

The one style Nashville claims as its own is new. The Infatuation says Edley's was the first spot to establish Nashville-style barbecue: low-and-slow meats under a blistering dry rub with cayenne and a habanero mash8. It borrows the heat of Nashville hot chicken rather than a long barbecue history.