Road trip · Nashville to Memphis
The Tennessee BBQ Trail
Whole hog where it started, then Memphis ribs and a pork sandwich. Two days, seven stops, one road west.
By Erik Peterson · Updated Oct 28, 2026 · 17 sources, all linked
- 2 days
- Go on Fri + Sat
- 7 stops
- 1 optional
- 246 mi
- Nolensville to Memphis
- 5 hr 35 min
- Driving, about
- 3
- Full meals. The rest you share
The plan
A schedule that fits the hours
Sunday and Monday don't work for Day 2: B.E. Scott's, The Bar-B-Q Shop and the Rendezvous are closed. Times and hours below are for a Saturday.
Day 1
Friday · Middle Tennessee15 mi · 2 stops- 11:30amFull meal
- 15 mi · about 30 min
- Free time in Nashville. Nap, or add Edley's or Shotgun Willie's if you're hungry again.
- 6:30pmFull meal
- Sleep in Nashville. Leave by 7:45am for Lexington.
Day 2
Saturday · The whole-hog heartland to Memphis231 mi · 5 stops- 114 mi · about 2 hr 25 min
- 10:15amStop 3 · LexingtonB.E. Scott's Bar-B-QueWhole-hog sandwich with slaw, inside or outside meatSat 9am to 4pmClosed Sunday and Monday. Saturdays it closes at 4pm, so keep this stop in the morning.One sandwich each
- 93 mi · about 1 hr 55 min
- 1:00pmSplit one
- 15 mi · about 25 min
- Free time. Midtown and The Bar-B-Q Shop are about 25 minutes west.
- 3:30pmSplit one
- 4.1 mi · about 10 min
- 4:45pmTaste + to go
- 4.7 mi · about 10 min
- Check in downtown and rest.
- 7:30pmFull meal
Hours on each chip come from the spot’s own listing for that weekday. Drive times are routed with OpenStreetMap data, plus 10%, rounded to 5 minutes. Hours change, so call ahead.
Why each one is on the trail
Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint, Nolensville
Start where Pat Martin started. Tennessee's tourism site says the day at Martin's begins at 5am with live-fire whole-hog barbecue and scratch sides, and recommends the Redneck Taco (your choice of meat on a cornbread hoecake with slaw and sauce) or the Big Momma Sampler1. Martin opened in Nolensville in 2006 after learning whole hog in Henderson, and the hogs smoke for up to 24 hours9.
Peg Leg Porker, Nashville
Carey Bringle's Gulch spot brings Memphis ribs to Nashville. Eater named Peg Leg's dry ribs one of the country's 23 essential barbecue dishes in 201611. Tennessee's tourism site points to barbecue nachos and the Yard Bird Platter1.
- Order
- Dry ribs and a pulled pork sandwich with slaw.
- Optional Day 1 add-ons
- Edley's (Nashville hot ribs) or Shotgun Willie's (Texas brisket). See our Nashville and brisket guides.
Overnight in Nashville, or drive to Jackson to set up an early morning in Lexington.
B.E. Scott's Bar-B-Que, Lexington
Get off the interstate here. Tampa Magazines' barbecue road trip notes you pass through prime barbecue country in West Tennessee, "but you have to get off the freeway to find the good stuff"4.
This is the reason for the trip. The Nashville Scene calls Scott's one of the last remaining whole-hog purveyors, about 10 minutes off I-40 at Exit 108, with a smoke shed that can cook up to 20 hogs at a time. You can order your pork chopped or pulled, and ask for moist inside meat or crispier outside bark2. Eater Nashville says B.E. Scott started it in 1962 and calls it "worth the round-trip to support a way of barbecue life that is quickly fading"3. Tampa Magazines traces the lineage: Early Scott taught Ricky Parker, who taught his son Zach, who runs it today4.
- Order
- A whole-hog sandwich topped with slaw. Choose inside or outside meat.
- Address
- 10880 US-412, Lexington3.
Leonard's Pit Barbecue
Leonard's dates itself to 192212, and the Commercial Appeal calls it the oldest barbecue spot in town, and it specialized in the pulled pork sandwich Memphis was known for before ribs6.
- Order
- A pork sandwich with slaw.
The Bar-B-Q Shop
For barbecue spaghetti, go to the source. The Commercial Appeal traces the dish to Brady Vincent at Brady & Lil's, which Frank and Hazel Vernon later renamed The Bar-B-Q Shop, keeping the recipe10. Tampa Magazines recommends pairing it with "half-and-half" ribs, one side wet and one side dry4.
- Order
- Barbecue spaghetti and half-and-half ribs.
- Address
- 1782 Madison Ave4.
A&R Bar-B-Que (Elvis Presley Blvd)
A family-run spot from Andrew and Rose Pollard. Tampa Magazines says it offers the full Memphis repertoire, cooked over charcoal, including barbecue spaghetti, barbecue bologna on white bread and homemade fried pies4.
- Address
- 1802 Elvis Presley Blvd4.
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
The birthplace of the Memphis "dry" rib. The Commercial Appeal reports the Rendezvous opened in a downtown basement in 1948, and its ribs are charbroiled over charcoal for a little over an hour, mopped with vinegar and finished with "the shake," a mix of Greek and Cajun seasoning6. Tennessee's tourism site also suggests pork shoulder sandwiches, lamb riblets and brisket1.
- Order
- A full order of ribs with slaw.
- Hours caveat
- Its site lists Tuesday through Saturday hours7.
- More Memphis options
- Central BBQ, Cozy Corner and Payne's are also recommended by Tampa Magazines4. Our Memphis BBQ guide covers eleven Memphis spots with hours and menu prices.
- A note on Helen's
- Older road-trip guides list Helen's Bar-B-Q in Brownsville. Helen Turner retired and closed it on August 21, 202413. Don't plan around it.
Road-trip tips
- Go Tuesday through Saturday. The Rendezvous lists Tuesday to Saturday hours7; call the rural stops to confirm theirs.
- Eat early in the country. Rural spots open early and close by late afternoon.
- Bring cash just in case, and a cooler if you want pork by the pound to take home.
- Split plates. Seven stops in two days is a lot of pork.
Printable version
Want this on one page for the glovebox? Get the printable Tennessee BBQ Trail map when you sign up for The Smoke Report below.
Plan B
- Memphis Central BBQ, Cozy Corner, Payne's.
- Jacks Creek Bar-B-Q Reported reopening, confirm before you go5.
FAQ
Is there an official Tennessee BBQ Trail?
Tennessee's tourism department publishes "Made in Tennessee" bucket-list barbecue spots, but there's no single official signed trail. This itinerary is our route built from published sources.
Where can I eat whole-hog barbecue in Tennessee?
B.E. Scott's in Lexington and Martin's in Nolensville both cook whole hog.
How long does the Tennessee BBQ trail take?
Two days at a comfortable pace, Nolensville to Memphis: 246 miles and about 5 hr 35 min of driving, routed.
What should I order in Memphis?
Ribs at the Rendezvous, barbecue spaghetti at The Bar-B-Q Shop and a pork sandwich with slaw.
What’s changed
Spots close and polls change. Here’s what we’ve updated, newest first.
- Oct 2026Reordered Memphis stops for an easier drive; added schedule and route map.
- Aug 21, 2024Helen's Bar-B-Q in Brownsville closed when Helen Turner retired. It's off the route; see our whole-hog guide.
Sources
- Made in Tennessee Bucket List Barbecue Spots · TNVacation (Tennessee Department of Tourist Development)
- Tips for world-class barbecue worth a road trip, from Martin's to Memphis and beyond · Nashville Scene
- 18 Restaurants Worth a Drive Out of Nashville · Eater Nashville
Show all 17 sourcesShow fewer sources
- Barbecue Road Trip: Southern Edition · Tampa Magazines
- One Man's Mission to Save Whole-Hog BBQ · Texas Monthly · published 2023
- The story behind The Rendezvous' world-famous Memphis-style ribs · The Commercial Appeal · published Oct 16, 2023
- Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous website, contact and hours · hogsfly.com
- Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint website, Nolensville location · martinsbbqjoint.com
- 2026 Sizzle Awards · FranklinIs
- Barbecue dishes started in Memphis include spaghetti, pizza, nachos · The Commercial Appeal · published May 12, 2018
- The Best Finger-Licking Barbecue in Nashville · Eater Nashville
- Leonard's Pit Barbecue website, our story and hours · leonardsbarbecue.com
- Historic Helen's Bar B Q closes! · CSE News · published Aug 28, 2024
- Peg Leg Porker website, hours and location · peglegporker.com
- The Bar-B-Q Shop website, hours · thebar-b-qshop.com
- A&R Bar-B-Que website, home (Elvis Presley Blvd hours) · aandrbbq.com
- Facebook page (hours and specials) · B.E. Scott's Bar-B-Que · published checked Oct 28, 2026
How we write guides. We don’t publish our own reviews or scores. Listings reflect where independent press and readers’ polls agree, and every claim links to its source. Paid placements never change a guide. Hours and sell-outs change, so check with the spot before you drive.