For anyone heading to Ole Miss this weekend, if you happen to stay in Memphis, I’ve got the places you need to hit up for some great Memphis ribs.
I’ve been to Memphis a few times, but I was either there for a quick overnight business trip or passing through. I’ve never stayed an extended period there. But I’ve been fortunate to try a few BBQ places out there.
We decided to go to the Ole Miss game. I went back in 2006, but my wife and another couple we were going to travel with have never been. Seeing as this will be our last chance for a trip to Oxford for the foreseeable future, we decided to go. After not initially getting tickets, and struggling with the decision to go or not, we ultimately decided to cheer on the Dawgs in enemy territory.
Our thought was to stay in Memphis. Memphis is about an hour and a half from Oxford, but we thought rooms would be more abundant and cheaper. The plans were made before the 12:00/11:00 kickoff time announced, so that does make it a little more difficult. It just means we are going to have an early morning to get to the Grove.
So, if you’re plans are similar to mine, and you find yourself in the home of Elvis Presley and Jerry “The King” Lawler, here are a couple of places you need to visit that I’ve been to. I’ve linked to reviews from the old Grit Tree site.
If you talk to people that are in the know, they will tell you about Rendezvous. It’s an institution. It’s someplace you have to go, and if you don’t make it a habit of going to Memphis, then I recommend you eat there just to say you’ve had it.
In my experience, however, there is an even better option. That title goes to the Bar-B-Q Shop. Hands down the best ribs I’ve had.
If you are feeling a little adventurous going to a sketchier part of town, then I might suggest going to A&R Bar-B-Q off Elvis Presley Boulevard. Ribs are also fantastic, but I’d go in the daytime.
If you are staying around Oxford or in Tupelo and don’t make it all the way to Memphis, don’t worry I have got you covered. You’ll certainly go through Birmingham. I highly recommend Full Moon Bar-B-Q. There are several locations around Alabama, and you can’t go wrong. The pulled pork is fantastic, and the chow-chow is pretty spectacular also. And for dessert, you are missing out if you don’t order one of their famous Half Moon Cookies. These are homemade chocolate chip cookies half dipped in chocolate to make a half-moon shape. You have got to give it a try!
If you aren’t making the trip and stay at home to cheer on the Dawgs, I hope you eat some good ribs regardless. The picture above is of some ribs my friend Chris made last Saturday for the Missouri game. Chris and his wife had a group of us over to their house to watch the game. These ribs were fantastic and obviously better than anything you’d get in a restaurant, Memphis places included. He wouldn’t share the family recipe, but he did cook them on his Green Egg. These ribs had the perfect consistency of a little bark, and were dry. But I don’t mean that negatively. They held together well, but fell off the bone with little resistance without being too soft or mushy. Chris did a great job, and I appreciated the hospitality!
