Gateway BBQ Tour

I was helping a friend drive a U-Haul from Washington, DC to Santa Fe, so  we decided to have some fun and turn it into a "Gateway BBQ Tour." Since we were driving through Va, Tn, Ar, Ok and Tx, it seemed like a winner -- and it was. However, we discovered that the most important criterion for finding good BBQ is not how many stars or favorable reviews it gets on Yelp or Urbanspoon or whatever, but that it be open!

Our first target was Smoky's Hickory BBQ in Mason, Va., which got great reviews and seemed like a great BBQ shack. We held out for a late lunch, got off the Interstate and found the shack. Smokey's, it was obvious, had gone out of business some time ago. First lesson, call ahead.

So we had an early dinner at Archer's in Knoxville, Tn -- sampling both the Memphis-style baby backs and the pulled pork sandwiches (we were hungry, what can I say). They were excellent. We stopped there because a potential target in Nashville, Hog Heaven, told us when we called that they would close by 9 and we didn't think we could make it by then.

The next day was Sunday, and it turns out the most BBQ joints, at least in Tn, are closed on Sunday. Our first choice, Mac's BBQ in Jackson, Tn, was closed, and B.E. Scott in Lexington, which Andrea and I had visited in our previous trip along I-40 was also closed. We ended up at Brooksie's Barn in Jackson, which had a good pulled pork sandwich but a bizarre ambiance and a location right next to the megachurch Love & Truth. Jackson, in fact, was a depressing array of chain stores and restaurants.

We hustled to Fayetteville to make it to Sassy's Red House before they closed at 9. The rack of spareribs was good enough, but not great, though the ambiance of the festive outdoor deck made it a pleasant stop.

In Amarillo, we headed for Doug Henk's BBQ, after reading that he had won a vote as the best BBQ in the city. When we got there, we found it had become Crazy Larry's. Larry, who did seem a bit crazy, greeted us warmly and just informed us they had changed their name. The brisket was good, though I'm sure Austin has much better to offer.

When we finally got to Santa Fe, Harry's Roadhouse did have some juicy St. Louis style ribs on the menu, but I decided the BBQ tour was over and opted instead for a New Mexico blue corn turkey enchilada, which was scrumptious. The margaritas helped.

It was clear in Mason that the fast food franchises which dotted the road from the Interstate had most likely driven Smokey's out of business. In general, it seems that the shacks, at least those accessible to cross-country drivers are fast disappearing. In Oklahoma City, for instance, the front desk personnel at our Hampton Inn steered us away from Earl's Rib Palace, a Bricktown eatery that got fairly good review in Yelp, and recommended the Cajun place across the street. One of them said there were really good BBQ places in OKC, but got very vague when we asked where they were, making me think he was worried that it would not be advisable for us to go those neighborhoods. In any case, we were not going to tool around OKC in a U-Haul truck.

Memphis, itself, btw, was fully booked between the May in Memphis festival and the NBA playoffs, so we didn't even attempt a stop there. My conclusions: BBQ is alive and well enough but shrinking; Yelp can help but is not totally reliable; in the end, serendipity is your best friend.