Anyone who’s lived in Memphis for any period of time has seen a burger, nachos or a piece of chicken hand-painted right on the front of a small restaurant or diner of some kind-not unlike what you’d see some of the older food trucks. The Memphis urban landscape is dotted with them. Take Boss Man Pit Stop for example. It’s a small, unassuming strip-mall bbq shop with the menu painted right on the front: burgers, catfish, smoked turkey leg, nachos, sausages, hotdogs, bbq sandwiches, rib tips and hot wings. Interestingly enough, I had none of these. Instead, I had a rib sandwich.
Usually in Memphis, a rib sandwich means a four-bone section of ribs served on a bun or a couple of slices of bread, with sauce and slaw on the side. The best way to enjoy it is to eat a bone or two, then debone the rest of the meat and make a sandwich with it. Don’t forget to add the sauce and slaw. A little hot sauce or hot bbq sauce, if available, is in order too. Eating your rib sandwich this way enables you to enjoy both ribs and a bbq sandwich for much less than the cost of a slab of ribs. It’s also a good way to watch that supermodel figure that you’ve worked so diligently to achieve and still enjoy some ‘que. As much as I enjoy barbecue and as often as I eat it, it’s become necessary to learn the meaning of moderation. But don’t think for a minute that I didn’t savor every bite. The sauce was tangy-sweet and the meat, everything I like in ribs-smoky, tender and savory. At this pit stop I got my much needed barbecue fuel for the soul.
YOU BE THE BBQ JUDGE! Don’t forget my reader reviews page to let me know of your favorite bbq joint anywhere on the planet!
