All Southerners are foodies. Everybody has their favorite BBQ joint or steak house. Everybody has an opinion and everybody is absolutely certain that they have the last word on the subject. I am no exception. I don’t necessarily think that I have a lock on what’s good or interesting, but I damn sure know what I like, and this is all about that.

Since I mentioned BBQ, I guess I better deal with that first. There are some simple ground rules concerning BBQ. First, BBQ is pork. You may choose to smoke or grill some other substance, but it ain’t BBQ. Grilled and smoked meat, chicken and fish can be really tasty but they ain’t BBQ. BBQ is pork and there only two cuts of pork that matter, shoulders and ribs. The lamb riblets at The Rendezvous in Memphis are to kill for, but they are not BBQ.  BBQ sauce is superfluous and was invented to cover up the taste of bad BBQ. A dry rub on ribs is permissible and in some cases superb.  Check out my recommendations for great BBQ restaurants under Good Places To Eat.