Probably the most famous bbq restaurant on our trip is Corky’s BBQ – www.corkysbbq.com – in Memphis, TN. We pulled into Memphis on New Year’s Eve at 4pm and we were off to Corky’s by 5pm. It’s about 10 minutes east of where we’re staying in downtown Memphis and it’s worth the drive. We couldn’t have picked a better place to spend our New Year’s Eve dinner. It was lively, upbeat, the staff was friendly and there were tons of fans there for New Year’s and the Liberty Bowl. Before the food even came we were having fun. Plus, our waiter Tony made it a great experience with his wonderful hospitality, enthusiasm and knowledge of Corky’s operation (his Tennessee accent was fun too). Oh yeah, they had the highest rated ribs yet.
Mama D. out front of the famous Corky's BBQ in Memphis, TN.
Corky's in Memphis was packed on New Year's Eve
After looking over the menu we were excited to try Corky's famous ribs and pulled pork
Footage of our Corky's BBQ feast, includes a cameo by our waiter Tony
Sauce – 4 – Corky’s original sauce screamed “BBQ Sauce.” It tasted like the sauce you’ve been eating since you were a kid. It was on the sweeter side with a hickory smoke undertone, no spice at all. They also had a unique apple BBQ sauce that was sweet and tasted like apple butter and bbq sauce – tasty, but be sure you’re a fan of SWEET.
Corky's had two sauces - Original and a special Apple BBQ sauce
Sides – 3 – Best potato salad so far. It tasted like a loaded up baked potato, but in potato salad form. The coleslaw was good, but nothing special – crispy shredded lettuce with a light mayo, but no seasonings or creaminess. Unfortunately, the bbq beans were a disappointment – they had an unusual after taste. The 3 rating is because of the outstanding potato salad.
Corky's potato salad was the best we've had - it was a potato salad form of a baked potato with all the fixings
Slabs – 4.5 – Corky’s ribs were the first we had with only a dry rub. Earl’s Rib Palace in Oklahoma City had a rub AND sauce and they were delicious (best we had at the time). Corky’s are on the same level. Along with the fantastic taste the ribs were perfectly cooked – the meat was moist, almost soft, and fell off the bone with a slight tug. They were meaty, not fatty and the skin was crusty with the dry rub.
Corky's BBQ ribs with a dry rub
Corky's had pork ribs with bbq sauce as well
Steaks – 3.5 – Although not their specialty, the brisket was decent. It was served in lean slices, not shredded, and it went great with sauce. It was a tad dry and not quite to the level of Hog Wild’s smoky flavored brisket.
Sandwiches – 4 – The pulled pork was one of the best we’ve had. It was served different than anything we’ve seen. It wasn’t shredded and it wasn’t in chunks. It was thick strings of pork. It was super moist and required little sauce. Because it was in long strings there wasn’t any crispy skin on it, but that was okay, the meat was flavorful enough.
Corky's delicious pulled pork was served in long thick pork strings; not shredded or chunky
Honorable mentions - Hush puppies is a side you don't see often; it's the first time we've seen them on our trip. They look like doughnut holes and taste like corn dog batter, but more well-done. Crunchy outside and sweet moist breaded inside. Delicious! We also wanted to call out the delicious dinner rolls. Perhaps we liked them so much because we were really hungry when they came to the table, but I think it was because they had a fresh crispy crust and a warm soft doughy inside. The butter melted nicely.
Me out front of Corky's BBQ in Memphis, TN.
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