Great American Bites: Best BBQ in Memphis?

The scene: With a big bustling outdoor deck along namesake Central Avenue, smoke everywhere, and a constant flow of people in and out of the main part of the restaurant, Central BBQ looks more like a Florida beach bar at spring break than your typical southern barbecue joint. On busy days this is exacerbated by outdoor coolers filled with ice and beer, and maybe a whole hog in the portable smoker alongside the restaurant (the main industrial smoker, half in, half out of the building, is going around the clock). The staff, dressed in tie-dyed T-shirts, are more evocative of Ben & Jerry's than other venerable Memphis smoke palaces. Central has a youthful vibe about it, and because it is a place to linger over beers and enjoy the good weather, it is popular with college students. There is a newer second branch, also with outdoor seating, on Summer Avenue.

But none of this hip backyard party atmosphere detracts from the mission at Central, which is world-class barbecue. The menu is broad compared to most barbecue eateries, but not so out of the ordinary for Memphis, where the choices, including local specialties like barbecue bologna, tend to be wider. A menu board over the counter lists all the tempting options, and to the right is a beer and wine station selling craft beers from around the country, including Memphis' own Ghost River. The kitchen is wide open behind the counter, and if you are lucky, you can see them opening the iron door of the giant smoker, filled with rotating racks jammed with ribs and pork shoulder and sausage. The one unusual touch is the busy set of deep fryers in the back, since specialties at Central BBQ include homemade pork rinds and potato chips, the latter also sold in brown paper bags to go at a rack by the register. You should buy a bag.

Reason to visit: Ribs, potato chips, pork rinds, wings, BBQ nachos

The food: Central BBQ is the real deal, a standout Memphis barbecue eatery. Just about everything on the extensive menu, from the pulled pork to the chicken, is very good. But there are several dishes here that are better than very good. Among the main course meats, the winner is easily the excellent ribs. Central uses loin back ribs, essentially baby backs except the terminology usually refers to larger than normal racks from the same cut. Co-owner Craig Blondis calls them, "The Cadillac of ribs," which makes sense given that the old expression "living high on the hog" refers to the fact that the more luxurious and expensive cuts of pork, such as loin back ribs, are located on the upper part of the pig.

The ribs at Central are short like typical baby backs, but quite meaty, and this keeps them from drying out. The racks look like they might be overcooked, with a lot of char, but that is just delicious flavor. They have a great crunchy exterior bark, thanks to the liberal use of brown sugar to caramelize and seal the ribs, while still being meaty and juicy inside. They are also cooked perfectly, not falling off the bone, which while advertised by some restaurants as admirable is in fact considered a failing in competition barbecue and a result of overcooking. These ribs are tender yet still firm, and you can take individual bites rather than stripping the bone clean each time. They are served dry with an array of excellent house-made sauces on the side, and are right up there with the best ribs in Memphis, which is really saying something. "The ribs I serve here are the same ones I cook in competitions, and you get the quality the judges get," said Blondis.

The other areas in which the restaurant excels are its more offbeat sides and appetizers. While Central is famed among 'cue aficionados for its ribs, the bestselling item is the BBQ Nachos -- a student favorite -- and the main dish served from the restaurant's tie-dyed truck, which frequents local festivals and events. The dish might raise eyebrows of BBQ purists, but it is highly addictive: a big platter of crisp, substantial tortilla chips topped with pulled pork, grated cheddar cheese, and jalapenos, doused with Central's excellent BBQ sauce and a healthy shake of its spicy dry rub. The BBQ nachos are delicious and also offered with pulled chicken instead. The house-made pork rinds, essentially fried pig skin chips, and potato chips are both excellent. The pork rinds, like many things here, rely on Central's proprietary spice rub for flavor, and, even my wife, who thought she did not like pork rinds based on previous experiences, was wowed. The potato chips are served as an appetizer with a bleu-cheese dip, and both the chips and pork rinds are offered as sides to the barbecue platters. Either makes a welcome change from typical side dishes like coleslaw or barbecued beans.

The final specialty of note here are the smoked wings, a barbecue joint rarity but really, really tasty. Like many good things, they take time: marinated overnight, smoked for two hours, allowed to cool overnight, then flash-fried and rolled in the house spicy dry rub -- a three-day process. It's worth it. Because of the menacing dry rub, applied thickly, the wings look much spicier than they are. Instead of hot, they are deeply layered with flavors, and each bite is better and more astonishing than the last one.

Central BBQ just took first place in the city for "Best BBQ" in the readers' poll of the Memphis Flyer (again), and the Gold Medal for "Best BBQ" from Memphis Magazine (again) -- no easy feats for a relative newcomer to the city's traditional and long established scene. I can see why it is so beloved: I have been all over the country in search of great barbecue, and Central BBQ in Memphis joins my inner circle of the very best America has to offer.

Pilgrimage-worthy?: Yes -- an all-around standout in one of the world's greatest barbecue cities, with ribs that will make you want to come back -- soon.

Rating: OMG! (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)

Price: $-$$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)

Details: Original, 2249 Central Avenue, Memphis; 901-272-9377; cbqmemphis.com/