On the Road: Ridgewood Barbecue, Bluff City, TN

Ridgewood Barbecue- home of the best BBQ Pork sandwich I've ever had

One of the best things about putting together Cobaya events has been meeting the various diners who attend each meal.  At a recent Cobaya dinner, I got into a discussion with a girl named Allison and her husband who I'd met at a previous event.  We were extolling the virtues of the pulled pork sandwich, an item I seem to consume on an almost daily basis when traveling throughout the South.  I've mentioned my love for the South Carolina mustard-based BBQ pulled pork sandwich from Maurice BBQ.  It's been my favorite to date and my love of mustard has a pretty heavy influence on that.  The couple told me that should I ever find myself in the Bristol, TN area, that I must check out a spot called Ridgewood Barbecue due South down in Bluff City that served their favorite BBQ pork sandwich.  It just so happens I have a customer in Bristol, TN.  It also just so happens that I was set to be there within a week of our conversation.

I was coming from Newark, NJ, visiting a few customers in the middle of Pennsylvania, then making the 7 hour trek South to Bristol.  After stopping for dinner in Roanoke, VA, I decided I'd finish off the trip that night.  This would give me ample time to fit in Ridgewood Barbecue for lunch the following day before my meeting.  Ridgewood is literally in the middle of nowhere, off a state road that leads barbecue seekers to a winding mountain road.  You work for this 'cue.

A Tennessee smokeout!

I pulled into the parking lot around noon and was greeted by two large shacks with smoke billowing out of their screened in walls.  Hot damn, did it smell good!  I headed in and took a seat at one of the few booths available, a glass partition the only thing separating me from the open air kitchen that was ripe with the smell of barbecue and french fries.  I was more than OK knowing I'd be leaving wearing that scent.

The kitchen stacked with plates pumping out some fatboy BBQ sandwiches!

I ordered some un-sweet tea and for some reason asked to see a menu even though I already knew what I was going to order.  When the tea came, I placed my order for the BBQ pork sandwich topped with slaw and asked the waitress what else she recommended.  She said the beans and fries were the way to go.  Sold!

Beans, beans, the musical fruit...

Fresh cut fries

The beans were as delicious as advertised, served warm with hunks of pork that made an occasional cameo on my spoon as I took each bite.  The fries, however, were a miss.  I think the oil wasn't hot enough because they were dry and not very crisp at all.  They also weren't seasoned.  It actually turned out to be a good thing that I only ate a few because the beans and fries were just taking up valuable stomach real estate and I came for the pork sandwich.

Sweet fancy Moses!  That's one big ass sandwich!

My sandwich came and it was as colossal as the ones I'd seen the kitchen plating up for other orders.  I sliced my sandwich in half and took a look at 'er.  What stood out immediately was that this was not "pulled" pork like many places serve.  Instead, they slice the pork ever so thin and then finish it on the flat top grill.  Thin slices mean that's all surface area...the flavor has nowhere to hide.  And hide it could not.  I have to admit that looking at a few of those sandwiches being plated I noticed BBQ sauce dripping out of the side and was concerned that my sandwich would be swimming in sauce.  Thankfully, this was not the case at all.  There was just enough to provide a nice spicy tang to the sandwich along with a little moisture. The slaw added a mild sweetness to the sandwich.  The bites where the sauce was absent were most impressive as they allowed the incredible smokiness of the pork to shine.  So here we had an oh-so-tender BBQ pork sandwich with spicy, tangy, sweet, and smokey flavor in nearly every bite.  Before I knew it, half of my sandwich was gone.  After a quick breather the other half disappeared.  I'd been at Ridgewood for lunch for twenty-four minutes and was already asking for my check.

Inside the belly of the beast!

I'm here to tell ya that if you're ever in the Bristol, TN area, a trip to Ridgewood Barbecue is an absolute must.  Big shoutout to Allison for the recommendation!  I later found out that she and her husband love this pork so much they freeze it and bring some back to Miami to enjoy when the mood strikes.  This barbecue sandwich now occupies the top spot for best BBQ pork sandwich I've ever had and that's saying more than something.

On the Road: Southern BBQ - Part II

This week I returned to the South on business, knocking off another state I'd never been to - Alabama.  I flew into Birmingham on American Airlines' inaugural MIA-BHM direct flight and they had a nice reception waiting in Birmingham which was pretty cool.  After an afternoon of meetings, my sales rep, Bobby, and I were pretty hungry.  He lives in the Birmingham area and knows I love to eat so he took me to a place called Cajun Steamer.  Apparently the owners are originally from Louisiana and had moved to Alabama, missed the flavor of N'Awlins, and opened a restaurant.  I, for one, am thankful they did.

It was a perfect day for sitting outside so we did just that.  We started out with a full order of freshly boiled crawfish.  These little buggers were meaty and nice and spicy.  Sucking the heads really gave you a blast of flavor.  I think I've got my crawfish technique down to a dominant form of art now.  After the crawfish, we split an appetizer of fried green tomatoes that came topped with crab, corn, and a remoulade sauce.  This was a great dish.  The tomatoes were lightly fried in a cornmeal batter and the combination of the crab, corn, and sauce really worked well.

I was ready to tap out and call it quits, full on beer, crawfish, and the fried tomato app but Bobby suggested we finish off with an oyster po' boy.  I didn't think I could handle it but my manhood was questioned and I knew it would be 16 hours before I ate again so I ordered one.  It was a good call.  The oysters were lightly fried and flavorful and the bread was ultra soft.  Tomatoes and lettuce and a little remoulade made for a refreshingly filling sandwich.

The following day we had a couple of really good meetings with a stop at Hamburger Heaven thrown in between.  I was pumped when I saw a giant New England Patriots flag flying over the registers!  Bobby said the burgers tasted like you cooked 'em yourself on a grill in your backyard and he was right.  I had a nice and juicy bacon cheeseburger, its flavor enhanced by a "secret sauce" that had a nice spice to it.  The fries were kind of a whiff though and were dry and not crisp.

At the end of the day we ended up by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Bobby recommended we go for some BBQ.  "Hell yeah!" was my reply.

The UAB area was a pretty cool looking college town with tons of shops, bars, and restaurants.  "See the smoke?", Bobby asked, "That's where we're eating."  Smoke billowed from the building that housed Dreamland Bar-B-Que, a small chain that originated in Tuscaloosa and had made its' way down to Birmingham.  The restaurant was filled with the charm of license plates from all over the country, some with funny vanity tags like "HI OFCR".

 Crappy iPhone pic of the barbecue pit @ Dreamland Bar-B-Que

 A large wood-fired barbecue pit manned by two dudes is where the action went down.  Above the pit was a large neon sign that read, "No Farting".  Awesome!  I bet that request has been ignored often.  We decided to split a full rack o' ribs and a basket of fries.

 Soft white bread and spicy bbq sauce "amuse bouche" lol

Rack o' Ribs @ Dreamland Bar-B-Que

While we waited we were served some soft white bread along wtih some barbecue sauce for dipping.  The sauce was similar to a vinegar based North Carolina sauce but thickened a bit with a nice spicy heat to it.  The ribs and fries arrived a few minutes later.  These were spare ribs, not baby backs, with the rib tips and cartilage intact.  The meat was a bit more toothsome than the baby backs I'd had in Charlotte and Memphis on my last trip to the South and held strong to the bone.  Nevertheless, the sauce helped enhance the flavor of the smokey meat.  I'm really particular about my fries and these fries were awesome.  They came to the table piping hot and lightly seasoned.  The fries had a nicely crisped outside and tasted like they were cut fresh.  The basket was a big mutha of a basket and sadly we left a nice pile of them behind because we were too full.  The way I've been eating lately, that was probably a good thing.

I was really happy with my first trip to Alabama.  I met with a good group of customers that have a lot of potential and I got to chow down on some Cajun crawfish and good ol' fashioned barbecue.  You can't go wrong with that.  I also learned of the Robert Trent Jones Trail, a smattering of 19 or so golf courses spread throughout Alabama, most of which are no more than an hour and a half outside of Birmingham.  That's going on the "To Do" list for next trip.

Killer Deal for Your Super Bowl Party

We all know a good deal when we see one but every once in awhile a killer deal comes around that makes the purchase decision a no brainer.  I happened to find out about a deal for a Super Bowl feast that very well may be the best food-related deal I've ever come across.  Ever.  I could go on and on about how incredible this deal is using words like sweet, rad, awesome, and other descriptive words of enjoyment I've held onto from the 80s but instead I'll just cut to the chase.

Check out this kickass menu that Chef Alan Hughes has created for you and your buds to scarf down on Super Bowl Sunday.  It feeds "10 hungry beasts" and there is enough food here to keep everyone satiated during pregame, midgame, and postgame beer drinking events.  And it's only $250.00!!  That's $25 a head!!  You will probably spend more on one case of beer that only you and one other dude will enjoy (if you're doing it right)!!  All you need to be able to do is fire up a grill and get your 'cue on.

Taken from Chef Alan Hughes' website:

Attention Football Fans

This superbowl you can shine and impress your friends! Order the Menu To-Go which includes uncooked marinated steaks and chicken for your grilling to be easier and improve your culinary profile.

Superbowl Menu To-Go

• 10 12oz Marinated Rib Eye Steaks
• 12 16oz Black Angus Burgers with complete set-up
• 10 lbs of Chipotle-barbecue Marinated Chicken Legs
• 12 Shrimp wrapped in Bacon skewers
• 3 Dips and assorted Chips
• Black Bean Salad
• Classic Caesar’s Salad
• Tequila-Lemon Bars with Maldon Salt

$ 250 Serves Ten hungry beasts!

Honestly, this is the deal of all deals for a total man feast of epic proportions.  Hit up the website to place an order!

You're welcome!

Blind Quail

Ok, by now you've read about my quail hunting experience but I still have yet to post about what was actually made with the bounty of little winged creatures.  Knowing that I had a bounty of birds to consume, I did what anyone who knows 2 kickass creative chefs would do - called them and said "let's close out the year with a quail BBQ!"  Unfortunately, I failed to take any pictures of the event but Ms. Jackie over at Kitchen Interviews managed to document the whole darn thing and did a great job of it (though she was off by 2 quail - we took down 32 on the hunt :)  ), so please venture on over to check out the highlights of the barbeque that we had featuring "Blind Quail", traditional Nawlins gumbo, green bean & laughing bird shrimp salad, potato salad, a bacon wrapped short rib, and some killer grilled onion dip for chips. 

It was a great night with great people that I'm proud to have met and developed friendships with over the past year.  We slugged down many a beer, sipped some Woodford Reserve bourbon, and raised our champagne glasses in a toast to a tough year that was made a little less tough thanks to some great meals and company to eat them with.