Gather Round the Table: Memphis BBQ

Gather ‘Round the Table
Chef Kurt Michael Friese
16 March 2007
Memphis BBQ




It can be indeed fascinating, in fact all-consuming, to delve into the myriad forms of BBQ across the United States.  From the hickory-smoked “picnic” pork shoulders of the shores of North Carolina to the oak or mesquite kissed beef brisket of Texas and Oklahoma, the age-old method of cooking meat low-and-slow with real hardwood is one of America’s greatest gifts to world cuisine.

Like tracing the changes in languages from one part of the world to the next, one can find in barbecue styles and methods a connective thread that weaves its way across the country, changing just enough to make it distinctive as it crosses another river or ridgeline, grassland or desert.  The peppery-vinegar sauce that they douse pork shoulder with in eastern North Carolina gives way to a vinegary-tomato sauce by the time you get west of Raleigh.  Cross the Smoky Mountains and settle into the Mississippi delta around Memphis, and the sauce changes yet again.  This time it’s a sweet tomato base, hot or mild, and they include another cut of the pig – the ribs.

Of course this transition continues through the smoky flavors of St. Louis over to Kansas City, where beef shows up.  In fact they’ll smoke anything that once had a pulse in KC.  Today though I want to concentrate on the rubs and sweet sauces that make Memphis ‘Q so distinctive, and make the people of Memphis rightly proud of their traditions.

The fundamental differences I found in my recent trip to the capitol of delta blues that separates it from BBQ west of the Mississippi are the type of rubs (seasonings), and the timing of the sauce.  Unlike the folks in Kansas City and westward, who baste or “mop” the meat with sauces and marinades while cooking, the sauce does not go on Memphis ‘Q until service.  The rub is laid on heavy and stays on throughout the process.

Now rubs are used as flavor enhancers and as tenderizers, but they probably originated as preservatives.  Remember that refrigerating meat is a relatively recent advancement in preservation technology.  Up until about a hundred years ago or so, humans had only three methods for preserving meat in the hot climates, and two of them are key aspects of BBQ: curing and smoking.

Cures have a wide range of ingredients, and stave of spoilage in meat by making it inhospitable to microorganisms.  The most common ingredient is salt, but sugars and chiles have their important places as well.

So below are recipes for a Memphis rub and a Memphis-style sauce.  Smoke your ribs or shoulder low and slow over hickory wood, rubbed liberally with this spice mix.  Pull the shoulder apart with a fork, and for the ribs, cut them almost al the way through at time of service.  Then serve with the sauce on the side, accompanied with coleslaw and white bread.  Don’t forget your favorite lager.

Memphis Rub

1/4 cup fine minced garlic
1/4 cup fine minced yellow onion
2 tablespoons fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons paprika (I used sweet Spanish pimenton – it’s smoky)
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Yields about enough for 1 shoulder or 2 racks

Memphis BBQ Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups ketchup
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
dash cayenne pepper, or to taste

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Slowly sauté the minced onion and garlic in butter until soft.  It’s OK if the onion browns a little, but don’t let the garlic get brown. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Delicious on chopped pork sandwiches.

Next Time: Lambing Season



Gather ‘Round the Table is a regular feature of Food.Gather.com.  Chef Kurt Michael Friese is a freelance food and wine writer & photographer. He is also the co-owner - with his wife Kim - of Devotay, a restaurant in Iowa City, serves on the Slow Food USA Board of Governors, and is Editor-in-Chief of the local food magazine Edible Iowa River Valley.  He lives in rural Johnson County, Iowa.