MY BBQ BLOG

Burger King’s New Ribs

There are a few shows on television that feature men (always men, women aren’t stupid enough to do childish things like this) that travel around the world and eat local gross and interesting weird cuisine shit.   It never surprises me that these conquistadors of cuisine always take a bite and say how surprisingly delicious a partially developed chicken egg or  a drink made from chewed and spit back out Kava root is.

It wouldn’t be good television if they put something in their mouth and spit it out in disgust, so, instead, they smile and praise the indigenous people for their delicacy.  I, however, am going to eat one of the most unheard of dishes know to man, just for you mybbqblog.com readers and give you truth.  I am going to give you a review of a dish that sounds so strange that it almost sounds made up; a dish that while easily found seems as though it should be as elusive as the Northeastern Sasquatch…dear readers, I’m talking about Burger King Fire Grilled Ribs.

When I first heard that Burger King was starting to sell bone-in ribs, my first reaction was that it was a joke, but when I realized that my friend was telling the truth, my feelings quickly changed to that of sheer and utter disgust.  I can’t believe

that some marketing genius had the guts to bring that up in a meeting and all of the other people thought that it was a great idea.  If that was the best idea that they had, I would’ve loved to have been in that meeting just to see the stuff that got voted down, because eating ribs from Burger Kings seems to be just as appetizing to me as going down on my own grandmother.

I started to feel bad because of all the assumptions I was making and decided that in the spirit of BBQ that I would be the blog pioneer and venture into fast food BBQ, so I drove to Burger King on Sunday to grab some lunch. Being in Memphis, I felt like someone that flew to Italy and ate at Olive Garden, but  I did it on Sunday because I felt that if I needed to go to church and ask for forgiveness then I could drive straight there and receive my penance.

I walked up to the counter and ordered the 8 piece rib meal which included a small fry and small drink for the shocking price of $9.99 (before tax and tip) which isn’t a bad price for a half slab of ribs.  The tax rate in Memphis is 9% and the tip was, “walk out of the door and never come back in here”, so the total damage was $10.91 and a little self esteem.

I ordered it to go, not because I was in a hurry, but because

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 Fat Larry’s 

Walking into Fat Larry’s and trying to decide if it’s a Meat and 3 that serves BBQ or a BBQ joint that offers a wide variety of veggies is like trying to figure out if your intelligent girlfriend is smokin’ hot or if your gorgeous beau is brilliant…it really doesn’t matter, just enjoy the fact that you’re part of the equation.

The smell of hickory brightened my day as waitress who was cleaning a table looked up for a short second to tell me to sit wherever I liked.  I looked around and decided to grab a seat at a four top next to the window and another waitress arrived from the back and asked if I wanted the BBQ menu or order off of the veggie menu which was modestly written in dry erase marker and hanging on the wall.  While the choice of BBQ Bologna, Country Fried Steak and gravy, and Chicken and Dressing looked really appetizing, I opted for the BBQ menu and a sweet tea.

The BBQ menu offered the normal menu items that average places have, pulled pork, ribs, sandwiches, plates, but did offer a Memphis rarity…brisket; there was also rib-eyes, filets, and catfish.

The appetizer section advertised

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Review: PM BBQ – Chesterfield, MO

I often venture into the Chesterfield Valley for lunch when I’m working out of St. Charles County office.  I’ve been watching and waiting for this place to open.  I noticed that their sign was up some time ago and they were opening soon.  So today, I finally had the chance to try it out PM BBQ in Chesterfield, MO.

Like any good BBQ joint, I could smell the smoke in the parking lot.  The place was done up like most BBQ joints these days with some corrugated tin on the front counter, benches cut from tree stumps, and so on.

The menu was a simple billboard behind the counter and they seemed to have all the bases covered.  I was intrigued by the side dish described as “Sweet Corn Spoonbread” and my lunch partner was interested in the Hillbilly Nachos.  So that’s what he ordered, and I went for the brisket sandwich with a side of beans and the aforementioned spoonbread.

With a fresh glass of sweet tea in hand (the hallmark of any good BBQ joint), I perused the various sauces at the table.  There was a spicy, sweet, mustard, and a carolina vinegar.  They all appeared to be home made.  I had the spicey sauce and it was good…not great, but good.

The food came out quickly and I really enjoyed everything I ordered.  The sweet corn spoonbread reminded me of the corn pudding that you sometimes see at Mexican restaurants and it was very tasty.  My lunch partner seemed to

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Sticky Fingers

2031 Hamilton Place Blvd.

Chattanooga, TN  37421

The last time I reviewed a chain (Texas Roadhouse), I was sorely disappointed. While in Chattanooga the other day, I decided to try another one and this time had a great meal. I ate at Sticky Fingers in Chattanooga, and everything about the food was good. As you can see from the picture, the portions were nice. I would rather the sides be on the plate and not measured out in a small dish, but no biggie. They even took awhile to serve me, but were so cool about it, I didn’t care. No restaurant is perfect all the time. So onto the food.

I got baked beans and collards on the side and they were both great. I’m grading on a small curve since this is a chain, but even still, the sides tasted good. The chicken was evenly cooked and slightly crispy on the outside. The best part of the meal to me was the sauce. They have several on the table, and I tried them all. Their sauce really is special. It has a special taste and kick to it that I hadn’t had before. Before long, I was pouring a little sauce on every bite. If you go, try them all, you might surprise yourself and like something you are normally not into.

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Natural Born Grillers

Southaven, MS

Walking in to Natural Born Grillers was a little exciting.  As you open the double doors from a Northern Miss strip mall you enter a dining room adorned with giant award checks, dozens and dozens of 6 feet tall championship trophies, a neon juke box filled with great classic rock and shiny booths that look like they belong in a 1950’s diner.

 As you walk to the counter to order, your eyes are drawn to a large sign that reads, “Our goal is to serve you the best BBQ you ever had!  Let us know if we did!”  If your décor is nothing but awards, your location is 15 miles from BBQ Mecca, and you have this quote under your counter…you better bring it.

I will admit that I have tasted NBG championship BBQ as I have competed against them a few times on the circuit and I admit that they have a great team and the BBQ that they DON’T turn in because they don’t feel it is championship worthy is still better than 90% of any stuff that you have ever tasted in your life.  However, cooking a great shoulder or butt and trying to mass produce it consistently is two totally different things.

 Knowing what NBG was capable of, I was a little harder on them then some other places, as I had very high expectations.

I must explain some things before I get to the Q review.  I never can decide what to get at a BBQ joint so I have devised a pretty good philosophy that always seems to work.

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