by Chef Bob
1. August 2010 22:56
Wow, I cannot believe I have entered the modern media world. Yesterday, my partner and I left for the official biggest and best trip of the summer. We hit the road for the Barbecue Trail. We flew via Charlotte to Memphis last night. It is sweltering hot here, well above 95 degrees. We settled into our room and then armed with Jane and Michael Stern's "Two for the Road" as well as their "BBQ" magazine and a recent issue of "Cook's Illustrated" we began to plan our first night out for great BBQ fare. We hit a Memphis favorite, Charles Vergos Rendezvous Charcoal Ribs; the place is in a back alley near the new FedEx Forum and in the heart of downtown Memphis. Now the place is not a study in health code training, but the BBQ was pretty damn good. I had a half slab and pulled pork; all dinners come with slaw and beans. Charles Vergos is know for their dry rubbed and charcoal grilled BBQ and that is exactly what we got. The "other half" had a half slab and brisket; both very good, but we agreed that the dry rub was a bit TOO dry for our northern palettes. The liberal spicy rub was covering the ribs, but sort of sat on the surface and did not really melt into the meat. The rubs were actually quite dry, though they separated from the bone quite easily.
Everything was tasty: the ribs, mustardy slaw, pulled pork and brisket. Their style of BBQ does not include much sauce, however a couple of bottles of sauce were on the table and were a fine condiment. We agreed that the beans were the best part of the entire meal.
Charles Vergos was hopping. Their normal hours are until 10 PM, however we discovered a Justin Beiber concert had just let out and a slew of 'tweens in their sparkly finest invaded the place around 9:50, much to the chagrin of many of the bus staff that were milling about, counting their side tips and planning to escape after the last rib bone fell. The place really filled up and these girls looked hungry.
Charles Vergos was the first stop on the BBQ trail, so I have decided to wait to weigh in and compare until we have a few more joints under our already expanding belts. I will also posts some pics of the stops along the trail and the great food along the way.
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