In a crowded Memphis barbecue scene, Central BBQ has earned a vaunted reputation and opened four locations in and around Bluff CIty. Without a long-term legacy other local favorites like say, Rendezvous or Cozy Corner, Central has nontheless earned legions of fans for their outstanding chicken wings, and decadent Pork BBQ Nachos, buried under a gooey blanket of cheese sauce and jalapeños. Now they have decided to join the barbecue fray in Nashville with their first location outside of Memphis, settling in to a cozy space in the new Capitol View retail center on the outskirts of downtwn, at 408 11th Ave. N.
They have scheduled a grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting for Wednesday, Nov. 20, with food specials like $9.01 for a full order of wings and $6.15 for a sandwich, fries and a drink, priced after the area codes of their home town and new home. They’ll also be contributing 15% of the day’s proceeds to St. Jude’s. So it may seem a little weird to do a “First Bite” on a place that still hasn’t held a grand opening, but they’ve actually been doing a soft open for a few weeks already.
I occasionally donate gift baskets of some of the swag I collect over the course of a year at this food-and-travel writing gig of mine to various charity auctions, and sometimes I include the opportunity to join me on an exploratory meal on my dime at a new spot. I knew I couldn’t do justice to the entire menu of smoked meats at Central BBQ, so this was the perfect chance to reward a recent auction winner with the chance to tackle an abundance of food with me.
My dining companion, let’s call him “Kevin” (because that’s his name), was excited at the chance to try out a new barbecue joint, and he's an avid and knowledgeable food fan. Right off the bat, we both appreciated the ample free parking in the garage right around the corner from Central, attached to the new Publix. Central’s relatively small dining space is decorated with guitars on the walls and casual seating with paper towels on the tables. The ordering process is like at Arnold’s, with a line stretching from the cash register and signs imploring customers not to take a seat until after they’ve ordered. They’ve actually roped off the seating to prevent table-saving, so just go along with it.
The menu is typical of Tennessee smokehouses, ribs (dry or wet), the aforementioned nachos, smoked pulled pork, chicken, brisket or turkey, and sandwiches including a portobello mushroom option and decadent smoked bologna. The chicken wings — which I already knew I would love from visits to the Memphis mothership — are novel in that they are full wings, not separated into flats and drumettes. Kevin and I ordered dry ribs and pulled pork to check out the old reliables.
Central offers a variety of sauces, but not so many as to cause paralysis by analysis like the offerings at big chains like Famous Dave’s. Their base sauce is a vinegar concoction with some nice nuanced spices that kept it from just being a tangy mop sauce. Kevin is not normally a vinegar fan, but he remarked that he really liked Central’s version. Other available condiments include mild and sweet tomato-based sauces and a tangy mustard sauce for those who prefer their 'cue yellow.
The side dishes are more of the usual subjects, and we really enjoyed the BBQ beans with their sweet and savory flavor profile. The mac-and-cheese was appropriately creamy, but needed a little extra salt. Kevin called them “nothing special.” The slaw served on the sandwich, as God intended, actually was special, crunchy and fresh, offering the extra bit of texture the sandwich needed.
At Central BBQ, they say, “Smoke is our sauce,” and the pulled pork sandwich could have used a little more smoke or sauce. It’s understandable that you shouldn’t expect to see old-school smokers parked outside this modern new retail facility, but many barbecue joints that use the large industrial indoor smokers do manage to infuse a little more flavor into their pork. I’ll happily give them another chance soon and often. The ribs were pretty special, with a peppery crust that was so crips at first bite that I worried the meat would be dry inside. I needn’t have been concerned, because the ribs benefit from an overnight marination and a slow trip through the smoker at low heat and were quite juicy beneath the crunchy exterior.
Coming from one famous barbecue town to another that seems to be gaining on them in reputation could seem like a risky move, but Central has been plugged into Nashville for years. The barbecue industry isn’t nearly as competitive as you might imagine, and the Central folks have many friends in town. I always say more good 'cue is always a good thing, and Central is welcome to join the party, IMHO. If you try them out soon, feel free to share your impressions in the comments below.
