Q Tour

So we had to spend the night in the parking lot at the A&L RV center 10 miles outside of Murfreesboro, so we had to take short showers and eat at the Huddle House (don’t call me a Waffle House traitor, there was none in the vicinity). So what. So what the RV place pawned us off on the mechanic de grange next door. So what if that mechanic showed up whenever the hell he wanted. So what we won’t get to sample the finer Q of northern Alabama . We, for some reason, were as complacent as pigs in mud- couldn’t be all the pig coursing through our veins, hmmm. Mechanic shows up and we immediately jump in the beetle and b-line to Lynchburg- Hell Fire fuzzy if were gonna miss this grand opportunity to get educated on whiskey. Education and a tour is THE only thing you will get at the Jack Daniels Distellery- no booze- you heard me- you get to smell it see it touch it, but you can’t consume it-Moore County is a dry one. Oh, the irony leaves me thirsty.
On our way out of the gift shop, mom picks up a brochure for the Caboose BBQ in Lynchburg . Oh, what the hell.

So we stop into the caboose. Colorful little joint fully decorated with checkered tablecloths, toy train that circles above your head, posters and famous people adorn the walls. The only actual bbq they have on the menu is for the pulled pork sandwich. The rest was anything from Jumbalaya to Pizza. I went to the ladies room fully assuming that upon my return there would be decisions of red beans and rice and chicken salad- surely not the big. But no, the troops stood strong- “3 pulled pork sandwiches please and one red beans and rice”. Something to note- Pola does not like pulled pork. I know, I know, and she can’t really define why- BUT she did taste the pulled pork everywhere we have been thus far. I inquired with the crew if they ordered the sandwich out of guilt or fear. Neither, they replied. We didn’t hold high expectations for the poor little sandwiches. I mean we were in whiskey tourist town and they only had a measily lil’ ol’ sandwich- and no beer- how good could it be. Well that lil’ ol’ sandwich was in the top two of the pulled pork thus far, and get this, Pola even liked it. That says something.

OK, I’m sitting in a Starbucks trying to complete this and load the last 3 posts before we get on the road to B’ham. So I guess you realize by now that the RV is fixed and we are back on the road, not on plan, but on the road nonetheless. On the road to see two dear friends that I spent all of my dear days in high school with (sans Kara who is headed to Charlotte for some Nascar)- Nicole and Beth. Break out the banners and the red carpet, we are on our way kids……

OK, so it was a lofty itinerary and the booze got dissed. Que Shamo!
We began our day with a lovely run through the humidity in Music Valley . I hate running- as if most of you didn’t know that. But I figured that if I was going to put endless amounts of white flour and butter in my gob then I’d at least better run for a spell. We had quite the agenda today- most of which was out of the way to anywhere. As suggested, and aforementioned, we started the day at the Loveless Café. Upon entry I scanned the joint for the promised “catheads”- aghast, they were not catheads, but more like fluffy little bunny butts. I slowed my breathing and said “give ‘em a chance Marshall ”. We were seated and immediately brought the plate of biscuits with the homemade jams of blackberry, peach and strawberry.
OH MY GOD! I won’t say who had how many biscuits, but we consumed at least 12 of the little suckers. Then came pancakes and eggs and country ham. I prefer the 2 eggs over easy with country ham and red eye gravy with a side of grits (which are then poured over the eggs and devoured immediately), oh yeah, I also got a side of sorghum syrup for my last biscuit. Filled up and rolling out, we were greeted by Mizz Fay (see photo)- she IS the maker of the magic bisucuts and the jams and has been at loveless for a coons age. She even taught Martha how to make the magic biscuits- on TV and everythin’.
I know this sounds ludicrous to b-line for a BBQ stand right after that kind of breakfast-but we had to. So off to Carl’s Perfect Pig, which was even more out of the way. This roadside joint was situated across the street from a cemetery that dated to 1850. I guess they figured if anyone killed over from too much Q they could just drag ‘em across the street. We opted for take out- the logical choice considering we were all still in biscuit comas. But there was a line out the door by the time we gathered our bags and koozies and headed back to the coach.

I should mention at this point- that today, we are starting to feel the ramifications for being confined to 150 square feet- together. Not to mention all of the blackberry jam that got consumed at breakfast- too much sugar no makey the marshalls nicey. Dad was on the brink, mom was on the brink, I was-of course- being the resident smarty britches, and T got to play nicey nice. I asked T to take co-pilot so that I wouldn’t have to be told what to do- where she promptly fell asleep on me- thanks co- snoozer. Amazingly, I think we all realized what we were doing to make the situation uncomfortable, adjusted our ‘tudes and pressed on. On to Murfreesboro , home of the slick pig.

Dun dun dun…..
All of a sudden the little coach that could didn’t wanna play anymore. Seemed like something in the fuel line. I was at the wheel, losing power, at the corner of Broad and Church, can I make it through the busy intersection without puttering out, can I turn this corner, can I make it somewhere safe. Gotta love God- we pulled into this empty parking lot, in front of a building that used to be the former Al-Anon and AA headquarters for town, and behind that was AC Automotive. Two young mechanics strolled out to see if they could be of service. T and I realized that it was going to be awhile before anything was resolved, so we thought, “what the heck, we should just go pick up the Slick Pig Q”. Back the beetle off and away we went.

So we were temporarily stranded, we had BBQ and a nice bottle of Italian Bardonlino Rose- we broke out tables and chairs beside the rv- while the grease monkeys slaved over hot engines and enjoyed our first Q for the day.

I will have to say, Carl’s Perfect Pig, is THE BEST Q we have had to date. Pulled pork, moist and inviting- needs no sauce, no bun, no slaw. Ribs, best character in flavor and texture. We were all clammering for the last bits of Carls, and when it was gone, we mourned. I’m sorry we had to put The Slick Pig up against Carl’s, it just wasn’t fair. But had we not stopped in Murfreesboro (who can even say that name outloud a few times without wanting to throw something- who the hell named this town), we would have broken down on the highway and been on some other completely different journey.
BTW, as I’m typing this, we are broken down on the side of the highway- waiting for the wrecker man to rescue us. We thought we were all fixed up, ready to go. Confidently we put Pola behind the wheel and pushed off towards Huntsville . Oh shit, putter putter. So here we are…waiting to see what’s next.

I should also mention that the ‘Booze’ part of the itinerary was to tour the Jack Daniel’s distillery- which is in the middle of nowhere TN, but happened to be on our way out of Murfreesboro . We were titterpated with the thought of a ‘whiskey’ tour. But that will have to wait for another day, maybe tomorrow perhaps, since we’ll be here anyway, and it still lies between us and Alabama .

Good night.

Jack’s BBQ: Located right in the heart of Nashville this BBQ establishment has a wealth of followers, proof of which adorns the walls throughout. The line up is cafeteria style, brisket, pulled pork, ribs, whatever your pleasure. It is here in downtown Nashville where I have tasted the most succulent beef brisket of our entire trip. The barbeque here is served dry, and even without the sauce this brisket reveals itself a star. Screw the sides this brisket is it! It has just the right amount of smokiness; the flesh has a tinge of pink. The meat is juicy, hearty and flavorful. Any of the six sauces nicely accompany this Nashville treat.

Like all great food genres BBQ is an evolution in progress, and we are here on the front lines bringing you the latest and greatest developments. One of those developments being the “white sauce”. We saw the first glimpse of this sauce at Ed Boudreaux’s Bayou BBQ and again here at Jack’s. The sauce is mayo based with BBQ spices and flavors. After some discussion we speculated this sauce is a natural offspring of the ranch dressing phenomenon that has plagued the culinary scene for some years now. While not my personal favorite we will keep you posted on the different applications we encounter.

Heavenly Pig: A referral from the owners of a very charming wine shop located in a newly emerging part of Nashville, this roadside stand is conveniently located to the diviest bar in Nashville …Springwater and across from a full size replica of the Parthenon. We chose to sample Heavenly Pig’s delicacies within viewing distance of the Parthenon and along side the resident shaved ice vendor. Why is there a full scale replica of the Parthenon you ask? Well it was originally built in the late 1800’s for the centennial celebration and the people of Nashville petitioned it to stay.

Today’s samples included pulled pork sandwich, rib sandwich, pulled turkey sandwich topped with “white sauce” and blackberry cobbler. I hate to report this but the pulled pork was again dry, as was the pulled turkey in a not so special white sauce, but the ribs were ok. This barbeque was again in the dry style and the sauces were nothing special. In retrospect we would have fared better to have feasted on our tidbits in the smoky dive bar of Springwater where colorful characters abound and the smoking ban in Tennessee seems to have escaped these premises.

Carl’s Perfect Pig: WoooHoooo Eurika we have found it ! Carl’s Perfect Pig is hands down the best BBQ. The pulled pork is succulent and tasty, the ribs are moist and delicious and the sauce has just the right amount of spice. The meat is the perfect combination of smoke and tenderness. Some of their sauce is already combined into the pulled pork which aids in retaining that fatty moisture that I love so. I have discovered that it is the pig fat that keeps the meat moist but for some reason there seems to be lack of fat on the portions of the pig we have consumed thus far, which accounts for the dry product we have found running rampant on our trip. Another potential culprit, not letting the pork rest long enough, pulling the pork off too early lets all the juices run out of the meat.

Another BBQ front line development, the corn cake. The corn cake has taken the place of corn bread which is probably an improvement since we have had some of the lamest cornbread ever. The corn cake looks like a pancake but tastes like cornbread. It’s kinda nice actually since it is simply a tasty corn treat that is less filling. Like anything can be ‘less’ filling in the south.

Slick Pig: What I enjoyed the most about the Slick Pig is how we ate this meal more than what we ate. In the spirit of the delightful setting we found ourselves in, the graveled space in front of the former AA Al-Anon gathering center, simply the perfect spot for our alfresco BBQ sampling. So up goes the table and camping chairs, a bottle of rose is opened and many styrofoam containers are brought out. Let the feasting begin. Local entertainment was provided by the two local mechanics repairing our RV, various auto part delivery men, and my personal favorite, an Al-Anon or AA member that forgot where the new gathering center had moved to and had to stop by repeatedly to evaluate the map posted on the front door. Only in America could this type of crazy circumstance occur, our unyielding dedication to this barbeque tour a shining beacon that cannot be broken.