Barbecue Pr0n!

[fancycwabs]

Last Saturday, acting on an anonymous tip, I investigated the whereabouts of one Morris Grocery, which is out in the middle of nowhere (although it probably won't be for long), to sample their barbecue sandwich. Morris Grocery is a gray cinder block building that was formerly a country gas station, and is pretty bare except for a counter, a deli cooler, a rack of potato chips, and two drink coolers full of 40s. Which is a really good start.

This is the sandwich I received for four dollars:


You'll observe the charred bit of pork shoulder sticking out of the sandwich at 8 o'clock. That's a good sign.

Today being pi day, I thought I'd stop by my favorite place for fried pie, A&R Barbecue, and pick one up. When I got there, I wasn't really in the mood for one of their sandwiches (which are fine, but I just wasn't feelin' it), so I picked up a pie and drove "around the corner" to Payne's which is known (among those for whom this is important) for having the best barbecue sandwich in Memphis.

Paynes isn't in a former gas station, it's in a former garage, with the service bays cinder-blocked in. Unlike Morris Grocery, it does not serve 40s, but you can't have everything.

This is the sandwich you receive for three-fifty:


You'll observe unnatural green nasty-looking goop oozing out the sides of the sandwich. That's the slaw (a staple on Memphis barbecue sandwiches) and it is great. The sandwich itself is a thing of great complexity: smoky, sweet, sour, hot, salty, umami, with crunchy bits of slaw and charred pork, toasted bun, and a satisfying heft in the ol' stomach. Is it the best in Memphis? I have a lot more sandwiches to eat before I can tell you that (it's not the best that Memphis formerly had--that honor belonged to the late J.C. Hardaway, who could make a damn sandwich at the Big S Grill. AND you could drink 40s.), but it's pretty close if it's not the pinnacle of Barbecue Sandwichcraft.

Comments

[magicninja.livejournal.com]

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