Tennessee > Memphis: Neely's BBQ

The missus and I were travelling to SW Arkansas to see her mom. We just happened to hit Mempphis at dinner time,so we set the Garmin and had dinner.
We started with smoked sausage and cheese as an appetizer. Wow,that was good. A bit pricey for the amount we got,but very yummy.
Then,dinner. Pammi got a small order of brisket,while I had the rib tips. Holy smokes,that was good! And very reasonable! The sides were good too. We both had BBQ beans. Spicy and yummy. The fries she had and the potato salad I had were nothing special,but not the worst we had had either! The sauce that came with the appetizer was a little then,but very tangy! We bought a bottle of sauce and some rub. Can't wait to get it home and try it out. I've got a small flat from TJ in the freezer that I will cook when I get back. I'll let you know how it turns out. PS- we can't stand to watch the Neely's on TV. Too sweet. But their food makes up for it!

Glad you enjoyed Neely's. I ate lunch there a couple of years ago. The pulled pork was fantastic but the ribs tasted as though they had been warmed over from the day before.

I like Patrick Neely on the Food Network, but I could do without the Missus, and I suspect that Patrick really does know when and when not to use "y'all" but overdoes it for the show.

I wish Food Network would let Patrick actually do a show (alone) about BBQ. There really isn't a BBQ show on Food Network - although many of the celebs play at it from time to time.

Let us know how the rub and sauce turn out!

Pat

Hey Pat, I'm gonna be coming through on I 20 this Thursday going to Atlanta. Where do you recommed a good q joint in Tuscaloosa/B'ham area other than Dream Land?

In Birmingham (Homewood, actually, just off I-65, about 4 miles south of the I-20, I-65 interchange), is Saw's BBQ. A hole in the wall run by a young guy who used to be a chef in the Southern Living test kitchens and has been running this place for about a year now. It is as good commercial BBQ as you can get. The owner cooks fresh every day and when it's gone, its gone!

There are a couple other consistently good places - Jim n Nicks at I-65S and West Oxmoor Road (not too far from Saw's) is also very good and is the only place in town that has consistently good brisket.

In Bessemer, Alabama, just off I-20, and before you get to Birmingham, is Bob Sykes BBQ. They cook only picnic shoulders over open pits and have done it that way for decades. It's run by the son of the founder and the pork is consistently good.

Sadly, Dreamland's glory days are past. The ribs are grilled, not smoked, and the quality is inconsistent and more often now than not, are (in my opinion) not up to par. I was lucky enough to be in school in Tuscaloosa when Big John Bishop still ran the pit and am glad I had the pleasure of eating there when it was what it once was.

If you need addresses or directions to any of the places, let me know. There are some other good joints in the area, but these are the ones I recommend and they aren't too far out of your path.

Pat

Thanks Pat, now that you mention it I ate at Jim n Nicks a couple years ago and it was great!

Think I may go for Saw's, I like the hole n wall kinda places! They are usually good!

I lived in Chalkville Trussville area in the mid to late 80's.

Phil, which Neely's did you stop at? The one on Jefferson or one of the Neely's Interstate joints?

I've only eaten at the one on Jefferson and was not impressed.

Pat/Glenn: We're got a Jim n Nicks here and I gotta tell ya, it's one of our favorite places. Kind of sacrilege for living in such a BBQ town as Memphis, but JnN has fantastic food!

I'm not sure,but Pammi said it was the original location. The "east" one. Like I said,good eats.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pat Smith:
In Birmingham </div></BLOCKQUOTE>You'd be helping out other members if you posted these recommendations as new listings in this forum...no one will find them as a reply in this thread.

Thanks!
Chris

I had Neely's a few times while I lived in Memphis... It was always pretty average. I wanted to love it. I liked the building and friendly service, but the food wasn't that great. Low on my list for Memphis places. I agree with Pat, it seemed like they served yesterdays ribs. I love leftover ribs, but only when they are leftover.

Stopped at McNeely's Interstate BBQ last week, and was not impressed at all.

Been there once...not impressed. Too much soupy bbq sauce poured over the whole plate of food! When we make it back to Mempis, and we WILL...we will try them one more time to see if it was just a bad day...

Ate at Neely's on Jefferson in early November and thought it was good but not great. Really liked the chicken wings - my 1st trip to Memphis and didn't realize how big wings are down there. Think the best barbecue that I missed in Memphis was a guy by the side of Elvis Presley Blvd, about a mile from Graceland, with an old 55 gallon drum pit with ribs and shoulder on pecan wood that looked and smelled awesome - unfortunately we had just had lunch but think I should have tried some anyway. Next trip to Memphis this is the place that I'm going to go looking for first.