Two Stops on the BBQ Trail and an Education

I had to run to Nashville this week so I took the opportunity to sample some barbecue along the way.

The first place I stopped was Jack's BBQ in Nashville. A colleague described the ribs as "fall off the bone" tender so I had to try it out. This place is located right in the middle of everything in downtown Nashville and had a great atmosphere. The rather rude guy who served my food even added to the atmosphere of the place. The pork sandwich was very good, but I came here for ribs. I have only one comment... these are not "fall off the bone" tender.

First off, you don't really want your ribs to fall off the bone. They should hold on just well enough for you to get the meat in your mouth. Then the meat should release cleanly from the bone leaving a bone that, as Kenny says, if you threw it at the dog he would look up at you and say, "What's this?" If there is meat left on the bone, the ribs need more time on the smoker.

This brings me to Sugar's Ribs in Chattanooga. This restaurant is very easy to see from I-24, but is nearly impossible to get to. It was definitely worth stopping. I ordered a half slab and a "mini-que" which is essentially a barbecue sandwich that is the size of a Krystal. These guys do ribs the right way. I can't say that spare ribs are my favorite, but at least these were cooked well. The spicy slaw was a great complement to the pork sandwich and the grilled cornbread was very tasty. I'll definitely give this place another try.

That's it for this installment. I wish I had some really inspiring words, but not so much right now. All this talk about food has made me hungry.