Washington , DC to Knoxville, Tennessee - December 16th 2008

I leave Virginia for Tennesee and it’s nice driving, if a bit foggy. I stop at a winery in southwest VA, they have some tasty stuff. They do decent whites, a couple reds. The whites are on the sweet side, the more south you get the sweeter the drinks are, I wonder why that is. There’s an indigenous grape called Chambordin or something, it’s interesting, medium sweet, grapey and fruity, with a sweet almond note I’ve never found in a whitewine before, it’s interesting. Not really suiting my palate, but I’m happy to have met it.

Roadfood: Three Little Pigs BBQ in Dale, Virginia. It’s in a strip mall in southwest Virginia, there’s a picture of George H.W. Bush with the owner, signed with thanks for the ‘cue. I get the pulled pork sandwich, it’s decent, but not overwhelming good; the meat has a few less-than-moist portions, and there’s not much smoke in there. There are two choices of sauce, a vinegar base with big apple overtones, more sweet and not quite enough bite as I like in my vinegar sauces. The tomato base is ok, a little smoky spicyness. There’s high-fructose corn syrup in it,I gotta admit my prejudice against the corn syrup. There’s really no reason to use it ‘cept if you’re trying to save money from using real sugar, and trying to save money or time is not the way to achieve greatness. I see corn syrup on the label, and it’s like going to a restaurant and the bathrooms are dirty. Sure the food might still taste good but… ehh.

I get to Knoxville,Tennessee, not much to see, my motel is next door to a combination restaurant and oil change establishment, a big neon sign says “Quaker Steak & Lube” I am so not kidding about this. I’m quite tempted to get a steak and a lube, but I’m in the South which means I’m gonna eat barbecue every chance I get.


Roadfood: Calhoun’s Barbecue is a chain with 8 locations in Tennessee, they advertise winning “Best Ribs In America” in the National Rib Cookoff. The Calhoun’s near my hotel is also a brewpub, no way am I gonna pass this up. And I’m glad I didn’t. These ribs are as good as any I’ve ever had*, the charred bits on every rib have the chewiness and depth of moist beef jerky, the meat has the perfect stringy moist meaty texture, real good smoke in there, not too much, just enough to balance the beautiful porky flavor. I think it’s better than Blue Ribbon, it’s certainly better than Redbones any day of the week. Their weakness is their sauce, they only offer one kind, a tomato base that’s quite good, nicely balanced (even tho it has -arg!- corn syrup) but the way I like ribs is to have an array of sauces, like Blue Ribbon does it – a hot, a sweet tangy, a vinegar – tho with meat this good, it’s forgivable. Man. I’m still glowing. If I ever get back to Tennessee I am so going back for Calhoun’s Ribs.

*I’ve always believe this statement is the highest honor you can bestow a great barbecue. There’s no such thing as “The Best BBQ”, just like there is no “best” hamburger, pizza, fried chicken, wine, or scotch. These things are concepts, the expressions of which are widely varied and should be appreciated for their merits, understood and enjoyed in light of personal preference of what you’re looking for at the time. There is a common language of barbecue, facets like smoke, moistness, texture, and flavor, by which you orient your judgment, but ultimately you keep in your heart a half dozen or more barbecue establishments that are all The Best. For me, Calhoun’s in Tennessee has strode mightily into that revered company.