Coletta’s Restaurant-BBQ Pizza

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Coletta’s has been credited with the invention of bbq pizza and it all began right here in Memphis back in the 1950’s, when the Coletta family decided to introduce Italy’s pizza to Memphis, by topping it with Memphis’ favorite food-barbecue. Now bbq pizza can be found on restaurant and bar menus all across the nation. I’ve heard and read that some years ago Jerry Coletta traded his barbecue pit for a roaster. No smoker-no smoked meat. This explains why I didn’t get any smoke flavor in the meat. It tasted like oven-baked pork, because essentially it was. It may have started as real pit bbq pizza, but now it would more accurately be called bbq inspired pizza. Still, Coletta’s is a homey, Italian eatery not to be missed. And since they created bbq pizza, we can forgive ’em for omitting the smoke. As picky as I am about real pit bbq meat flavored by smoke, I find myself ordering Coletta’s “bbq” pizza every once in awhile anyway, because the whole orchestra of flavors from the combination of meat, sauce, cheese and crust still plays together beautifully.

Check back in the future for a full review. If you’d like to read more about it sooner, comment to let me know. Until then, see my Quick-Fire Guide below, including photos of Coletta’s and their bbq pizza. Also check out full reviews and Quick-Fire Guides of other bbq restaurants from my BBQ Guide.

Quick-Fire Guide:

Here are a few notes about the ‘que:

Tenderness–

•       Shoulder-The pork shoulder has been tender every time I’ve had the bbq pizza, but usually lacks bark.

Smoke–

•       Shoulder-The roasted meat is void of smoke flavor and could more accurately be called bbq inspired pizza. Still, the whole combination of cheese, meat, sauce and crust works.

Sauce-The sauce is not as sweet or tangy as most other bbq sauces, but it works well with the bbq pizza.

Thanks for visiting my Memphis bbq blog! Tim Shirley

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