I'm in Sevierville, south and east of
Knoxville. The
wedding is Sunday morning up in the mountains somewhere near
here. The flight was uneventful. Sadly, we did not get to stop and meet Will
Campbell, as I had hoped. Maybe next time.
We rented a car to drive from Nashville through
Knoxville and down to Sevierville. I hate interstate highways with a passion.
The way to avoid them is to double the time you need to arrive and drive on the
smaller highways. We chose Highway 70 which runs east from Nashville to
Knoxville. It brought us through small towns and rural settings that were
beautiful. Why would anyone drive on the interstate unless there was no other
option?
Ah, rural Tennessee. So much to see that you've
never seen before.
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There were churches on every
corner, much like in Texas. A few of them sporting signs that were of interest
to me. One was a chilling quote from the book of Amos with no explanation
offered. It simply said, "Prepare to meet Thy God." This sign in particular
made me smile:
But enough about signs and sows.
Let's move on to something more important - BBQ. As I mentioned
Thursday, Jeanene and I wanted very badly
to sample some BBQ from east of the Mississippi. As you can see from the
comments on Thursday, opinions about BBQ are diverse and passionate. Originally
we wanted to follow directions to an interesting BBQ place in Knoxville, but we
were running late. So we kept our eyes open as we passed through small towns. We
saw no BBQ anywhere. Finally, someone in a tractor supply store in Crossville
told me theys a little place down the way. We followed her directions to
Lefty's.
Lefty's seemed promising to me. A
recommendation from someone in a tractor store, a parking lot full of pickup
trucks, a rusty sign, and about 5000 caps hanging from the ceiling. The minute I
got in the door, I knew I was gonna have me some BBQ!
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Now pardon me if I get a little
pedantic here, but I've learned a thing or two about BBQ, and I'd like to
enlighten you if you don't know no better. There is Texas BBQ, which is mainly
beef. We are into brisket, heavily seasoned and cooked until the outside is
black but the inside is tender. Sure we serve pork, but it's in sausage form.
But when you go across the Mississippi, it's all about the pig. And don't think
that the difference is a minor thing. Passions and even tempers run high
regarding this subject. When I told the people at the Crossville Tractor &
Supply that I was from Texas and wanted to try some good Tennessee BBQ, about 5
people weighed, in including one fellow from West Tennessee who shouted (Yes
shouted) "There ain't no good BBQ east of Memphis." He was ignored by everyone
in the store and treated like an outcast and a savage. The man behind the
counter gave me a look that said, "What are you gonna do?"
So when we got to Lefty's, Jeanene
and I decided to try both the pulled pork BBQ and the pork ribs. For good
measure, I ordered some cornbread and a bowl of pinto beans. There were two
bottles of sauce on the table. One of them had a piece of red tape around the
neck and was supposed to be the hot one. Being from Texas, I scoffed at their
definition of hot. I called them mild and slightly less mild, but the heat of
the sauce isn't really an issue.
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The two of us together couldn't
finish what they set before us, but we took a good run at it and ate enough to
render an opinion. The ribs were so tender they fell off the bone. The pulled
pork was delightful, and the cornbread made us both swoon.
So what's my opinion on the whole
east vs. west BBQ issue? Well, I'm wondering why anyone makes such a big deal
about it. It's all good, pilgrims. If you are from east of the Mississippi and
you like BBQ, I assure you that some fine Texas brisket will be an absolute
delight for you. And if you like Texas BBQ, I promise you'll gobble up Tennessee
pork ribs and pulled pork. The sauce is pretty much the same as far as I can
tell.
So whether you're in Texas or
Tennessee (or anyplace else that serves BBQ), sit down and eat your fill. Let it
be a cultural experience. Without downplaying the subtle nuances that are
important to all connoisseurs, it's close enough to the same stuff, if you ask
me. I mean, it's not like you're in China and someone set a plate of
duck feet down in front of you. So eat up,
enjoy, and let it all be good.
Tomorrow: We discover
Sevierville.
