As we continued the journey, barbecue stop number two was Central B-B-Q, in Memphis. I didn’t realize until I went out to take a picture of the sign that we were one block from the Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum. We visited this a decade or so ago, and it is powerful – highly recommended. Known for their ribs and smoked pork shoulders, but it seems that the nachos are their number one seller.

Entering from the street, the left door takes you into the line to order, at the counter. The picture above is of the front room (the counter and bar are to the left). And the mural below is one of the two on the back wall of room two. I’d love to find that painting on a t-shirt…

On to the food – my dear wife ordered the smoked portobello sandwich, with smoked Gouda and slaw, and a side of pork rinds. The portobello was easily an inch thick and she said that it was really tasty. But the pork rinds were the big winner on her plate. When we ordered and paid, they gave her a bag of pork rinds (you’ll see them in a lower photo). But when her plate arrived, it had fresh pork rinds, too. They were stellar.

Being both indecisive and a glutton (and a huge fan of barbecued bologna), I ordered a three meat combo – ribs (dry Memphis-style), pork shoulder and bologna, with sides of green beans and mac-n-cheese. By the Coke machine, they also had a self serve bar with warm bbq sauces – sweet, vinegar, mustard and hot. FWIW, I tried all three.

The ribs were dry rubbed and peeled off the bones, cleanly, with the slightest tug. They needed no sauce, but the warm hot sauce was a nice touch. The pork was lightly smoked and pulled in long thin strips. The vinegar sauce with it was a perfect combo. The bologna had been seared after smoking and worked with the sweet and hot sauces. The green beans and mac were both good, but not exceptional. I’d order meat in half pound increments next time and skip the sides.

Central is definitely worth a stop in a town full of good barbecue.