Q Tour

Longest day of travel is today. Roan Mountain to Johnson City to Chuky to Knoxville to Nashville .

We stopped off in Chuky to visit with Bill and Nori Morgan- good friends of the ‘rents. They have property on an airstrip and are in the process of building a condo in the hangar so that they’ll have somewhere to live while they build the house- this is what retired people do- build things to live in while they are building other things. Can you people just retire- sit on the front porch and do nothing. geese.
The drive through this part of the Tennessee gave us peaks at Mennonite children playing hopscotch on the playground, hundred year old farmhouses (that mom wants to buy and turn into the B&B), barns with dried tobacco hanging within, and the strangest little wooden contraptions on the mailboxes that housed advertisements for God. One of the marquis at a church on the way out of Chuky said:

Pray for the

Troops Rain
Unconcerned

Hmmm.

We didn’t plan on stopping into Knoxville for Q, but Anne Refalovich (sorry if I botched the spelling A), is from ‘round these parts, and she suggested we may want to stop at Scruggs. Now this is the kind of joint you ain’t gonna find online with a fancy website, bottled bbq sauce and tshirts. This is the real McCoy. Mr John mans the house, while we found other business partner sitting in a booth reading the paper- that’d be Jim. Apparently they were tired of not having anything to eat- being in the business of educating and all- so they decided to open a BBQ joint about 33 years ago. I’m pretty sure most of the things in there are about this old as well, except for the video games which are probably only 27 years old- classic Pac Man. Oh yeah, the food (BTW, Terry is writing about food and such- just having a time posting it- coming soon). So, first of all we get settled in with some sweet tea. Mr. John says “it’s the best sweet tea in the ghetto”- that’s saying a lot- and it is some damn fine sweet tea. I think we consumed almost a gallon. At Scruggs we ordered the pulled pork, the beef sandwich, the chicken wings and the ribs. Ribs are sold by the bone- makes sense to me. My opinion, best pulled pork we’ve had since being on the road- good flavor, just fatty and salty enough. I also liked the ribs quite a bit. Just one ravenous look at the thing and the meat falls off the bone. The meat was sweet, smoky and pink- hey, that sounds like somebody I know.
The chicken wing is something that I feel is birthing into it’s own spotlight. We’ve had them ever since we left GA, and they seem to be a pretty decent staple. But these ain’t those little things you poke in your hole on Superbowl Sunday- these are some serious jumbo birds we’re talking about. Well Mr. John insisted that we tried his wings as well. We were surprised because they weren’t smoked or dredged in sauce and cooked- these were simply fried jumbo chicken wings. [Jimmy, this could have been part of the Fried Chicken Tour- oh yeah, we are also adding an addendum of Red Velvet Cake side tour]. These mother of fried chicken wings were juicy and delicious. Mr. John, try smoking some of them things and then doing your magic- that’d be something to try.
My cousin Neal took a reprieve out of building his own house to come over and hug our necks. Always good to see family if only for a hug.

On the road to Nashville ….

Arrived. Dialed in. Called the two nearest Q stands for a possible rendevous for dinner. One is only open until 3. The other is open until 8. It’s 7:25. We are on the other side of town. Hurry hurry get in the car, get get. In true Marshall fashion, and with the help of the turbo on the beetle and trusting the inner compass- we arrived at Jack’s BBQ at 7:48. Situated on Broadway among a few honky tonk bars- kind of like Lodo, but with more doo-rags and wranglers. Dad had been standing in line, so when we arrived we rushed to the front. This did not make weary hungry fat people happy. So we quickly ordered a combo plate- Pulled pork, ribs, beef, mac-n-cheese and green beans. I’m starting to realize that the secret to pulled pork is that it has to be part of something, it just can’t stand alone- it needs the buttery bun and the tangy sauce AND the slaw- that equals happiness. So once this epiphany occurred, I have been much more forgiving on the pork- I can’t say the same for T who’s idealistic view of the pulled piggy is rather lofty. The beef was outstanding- I’m pretty sure it got an eyebrow raise from T. Wines in Piedmont get a Tre Bichierre- BBQ in the south get an eyebrow raised- same same. And the ribs were delish. We can see that we’re geographically gravitating to the style in which I love- Dry rubbed and sweetly succulent. I’m pretty certain there was some cherry wood in the smoker and not just that pedestrian hickory. The green beans were ‘home’ for sure- flat, wide and loved by a ham hock. Terry says “Where do they get these?”, “Uh, right out of a can”. I think we all agreed this has been the best food overall, too bad we had to rush the experience.

We did manage to hit a souvenir stand tucked in between The Stage and The Orchid Blossom and we did manage to buy a belt buckle with mud flap girls on them- oh yeah. I had to forego the “Whiskey makes you frisky” wife beater- you can’t have everything.

After dinner, Tand I were standing outside discussing the nature of our burps.
“I haven’t belched once in the past 48 hours that didn’t have a smoky quality to it”

“Yeah, me neither”

And we’re only on day 3.

There were two rules for the trip. No religion. No politics.

Dad broke rank with a joke:

What’s the difference between a Methodist and a Baptist?

A: The Methodists will speak to each other in the liquor store

I think baby jesus would find that funny, don’t you?

9/29: Pig Pickin’s: Before we go any further lets add a bit of history to our tour of gluttony. Southern style barbeque as we know it consists mainly of pork for a few simple reasons. In the 19^th century pigs were low maintenance, inexpensive and could be released in the forest to graze on their own. Later, when food supplies were low the pigs were easily captured. These efforts of capture and slaughter were reason enough for celebration and gathering, also known as “pig pickin’s.”

The pulled pork technique, famous throughout the south, originated from rural slaves who were often given the less desirable parts of the pigs to consume. Southern slaves would cook these parts in a pit for hours at a time until tender. When the meat was finally done the slaves were so hungry they would pull the meat off the pit. (Thank you Wicapedia, I welcome any alternative and colorful theories you may have.)

N. Carolina style BBQ- There are many different kinds of “Q”, smoked,dry, pulled, dry rubbed just to name a few. What stands out however is the tenderness and flavor of the meat, the tangy sweet and spicyness of the sauce. BBQ in N. Carolina is characteristically dry- meaning the meat is cooked in absence of any sauce waiting suculantly to be dressed just moments before consumption. The challenge here is to create a tender and moist vehicle for sauce and slaw. The sauce is light consisting usually of cider vinegar, spices, sugar or honey. As a character builder hickory is used when cooking the meat which can add a distinctive blush color to the meat.

That said, the past two days have yielded some interesting results. The most surprising were the chicken wings. Full sized wings that were lightly smoked, deep fried and then seasoned. These were divine. While not traditional BBQ fare these wings had a delightful flavor and texture and a distinctive mouth feel that only comes from something fried.

Ed Boudreaux’s Bayou BBQ “ Gimmie some sauce”: The selection of sauces was well…staggering, 14 different selections to choose from. It almost seemed as though the proprietor was inspired by the daquiri bars in Louisiana . I figured Louisiana because of the prominently displayed mural of the owner in a jester costume ridding a bucking pig adorned with Mardi Grass beads. But I digress…We set out to taste all of these sauces while waiting for our succulent vehicles to arrive. Placeholders on notebook paper were used to keep the names straight and the sauces organized. Spicy along the top, next worcestershire and mustard based sauces, next the eclectically spicy and finally something sweet. At this point there were definite favorites, Texas 2-step a more tomato based selection, Memphis , a nicely integrated sauce spicy and sweet, Mole Poblano- notes of chocolate and cinnamon with some kick and Rebel uprising a mustard and Worshtershire combo. Then the meat arrived, racks of ribs mounds of pulled pork, chopped brisket and stacks of fried wings. Let the tasting begin. It was surprising how the sauces changed when paired with different meats. Also surprising, the more simple sauces were more distinctive.

Favorite pairings:

Ribs w/ Rebel Uprising: the smokiness of the pork ribs is a natural compliment for the tangy mustard flavors in this sauce.

Brisket w/ Rebel Uprising: This was also a good pairing but for different reasons. From what we could identify it seemed the brisket was cooked with a light wortershire mop which was enhanced by the sauce bring out a more robust flavor.

Pulled Pork w/ Memphis : I like a sweet tangy spice with my pork.

Fried wings w/ Ragin Cajun: The Cajun spicy punch from the sauce nicely complimented this crispy texture.

To sum it up the saucy gimmick was a fun way to explore their BBQ though the meats were not as succulent as I would have liked. The wings and brisket were clear winners but the ribs were a bit dry and the pulled pork was lacking.

The Woodlands Barbeque & Pickin Parlor: Sweet tea and fried sides abound at this little roadside destination in Blowing Rock N. Carolina. The short pork ribs were succulent little morsels that fell off the bone. There were three different sauces to choose from here, one sweet and caramel in appearance, the other was a heavily spiced vinegar and the third, the equivalent of Tabasco sauce. A nice balance was achieved by combining the sweet with the spicy which went well with the ribs. The other tasty morsels were the chicken wings and the brisket. Unfortunately the sides here were a perfect example of trying to be all things to all people. Many of the sides were lacking….and nothing really stood out as exceptional. Still in search of a pulled pork favorite.

Scrubbs Barbeque; Knoxville Tennessee : The setting of this barbeque destination is exceptionally colorful, enhanced only by the adjacent package store. The atmosphere of Scrubs is one where time stood still but the plants kept growing. Pickled pigs feet adorn the front counter and ribs are sold by the number of bones you can consume. Even though many things (bathrooms and video games) carried hand written “out of order” labels what was in order was the pulled pork and ribs. Finally some pulled pork that was indeed tasty even though it was smashed between a bun that looked like it had a former life as a butt cushion. The ribs were just smoky enough and very tender. While they weren’t my personal favorite they were pretty good and brought out some definite baking spice qualities in the BBQ sauce. The sauces came in three different levels of heat although they all seemed to taste the same. The BBQ sauce was very similar to those generic sauces right out of the bottle very different from the vinegar based sauces we have been experiencing lately. One of my very favorite sides to date we had here…the fried green tomatoes. They were in a cornbread batter and cooked to just right…very crispy and golden brown. I think this is the closest I will get to a vegetable for the next four days…..

After we get everything back in its place this morning, mom turns to me and says “so, you wanna drive?” Hey, it’s no race car driving school, but hell yeah I wanna take that beast on. Let’s Roll! So it looks way more intimidating than it really is­-until, dad picks a short cut that takes us on itty bitty curvy country road, now that was a challenge. But we made it here,and I’m writing this, yes?
I must mention that we are in God’s country. And I don’t mean that as in the hundred plus churches we’ve passed- screw counting Waffle Houses, we should be counting churches. Towns that don’t even have anything but a 35 mph sign, still have at least 2 churches- one, of course, being Baptist. We threatened to take Terry to revival tonight. Anyway, I digress, ‘God’s Country’, it is absofrickinlutely beautiful out here. These hills, smoky hazy lazy mountains, are SO alluring, you want to slither into them and never come out. The trees are so densely packed together that for a moment you think you have a macro view at Brocciflower- that hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower.
We are staying in a state park tonight- Roan Mountain State Park . It is quiet here, with its streams and deer and endless Rhodendrons- A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We considered bagging the rest of the Q and just staying here. I’m sure mom and dad will be back in June to witness the serious bloomage that will be occurring.
So we parked the RV, jumped in the Beetle and off to Blowing Rock and Boone….
There was a slight problem with today’s itinerary- did I mention that this is God’s country? Two out of the three places I chose were closed on Sunday-God’s day. I failed to call ahead- new rule. But we didn’t care, so we ended up at Woodland ’s BBQ & Pickin Parlor in Blowing Rock. Harleys and Yukons filled the parking lot- regulars and leaf watchers alike. Sweet tea served in mason jars. We ordered the “Pig Out” platter. This consisted of Baby back ribs, regular ribs, pork and beef brisket, chicken wings and SIX sides: fried okra, baked beans, cole slaw, fries, corn on the cob, hushpuppies and corn bread. Overall, the beef brisket and the chicken wings rated the highest- oh yeah, the baby back ribs were pretty damn succulent tas well. The sauces were rather average- if somehow they could combine the balance of the sweet sauce with the character of the spiced vinegar sauce, there may be hope for that ther sauce.

We drove up to Boone for a spell. A town I’ve been interested in visiting for some time, considering I considered going to graduate school there for printmaking. A cozy little mountain town that also serves as home to the ASU Mountaineers (that’d be the lil’ ol’ school that kicked Michigan ’s ass this year)- Rock on ‘Neers’! A nice little mix of artists and tree hugging hippie Buddhist minds. We were in a artist co-op store buying a piece of local pottery, chatting it up with artist turned cashier turned artist. We shared with him where we were from and why we had come this far. We also indicated that we were a tad disappointed that we had not been overly impressed with the pulled pork- I mean this is PORK mecca.

He says “Oh, I know where you need to go for pulled pork”
“ Where, where?”
“This little place in Lenoir, it’s called…”
“Hannahs?”

“Yeah, it’s the best”

“Well, you see, Hannah’s was on the list (I pull out the itinerary), but NO, it’s Sunday- she’s closed”
The best pulled pork will have to wait…

Tonight, Terry and I went for a little trail run. Yes, I said run- I know I know. But I have no other alternative out here. But we chose to go out at about 6:30. Hmmmm, does anyone know anything about bears? Well, it’s not the best idea to go tromping through the woods at dusk. No, we didn’t see any. But the few deer that were proinking through the forest scared the shit out of us enough to head on back to campground land. When we arrived, mom was prepping the shrimp for the grill- ahhhh, grilled shrimp and salad and the nicest little bottle of white wine that the girlzzzz bought us from the Biltmore estate (BTW, W&L, we really enjoyed it, really)….then came the marshmallows.
Mom insisted we stop for marshmallows in Boone. I knew she liked them, but I didn’t know how much. Dad, like a good boy scout, got us a nice fiar goin’. After dinner we gathered around the perfect coals with untangled coat hangers and a bag of ‘mallows. Before Terry could get the bag open, mom was clammering over me to reach for the bag. Girl needs her ‘mallows- get it, got it. Between mom and dad, they consumed half of the bag. Toasting award goes to dad- smooth, slow and low- melted through and through- crispy on the outside- what a pro. I stood there trying to remember the last time I had been around a campfire with my parents- it had been a lifetime- but it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Tomorrow morning, T and I will get up and drive a few miles to where the App trail passes through- and get a morning run in. We will bless all of those that have ventured ‘Into the Woods’ for a moment or the season- there are truly stories to be told there. We then head towards Nashville , stopping along the way to visit old friends and possibly relatives.

Grasshoppa may have jumped too soon. Now who do you think they are going to expect to drive everyday- wonder kid Marshall.
Great.