The story below is from our May/June 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
From brisket to bologna, ribs to tofu, these are Roanoke’s 7 must-try barbecue dishes.
Virginians can lay claim to the invention of southern barbecue. It’s a bold statement, one befitting the fierce loyalties and near-holy reverence that barbecue engenders. But as Joseph R. Haynes argues in his book Virginia Barbecue: A History, we’ve got 400 years of experience to back it up, from Powhatan tribes slow roasting meats on wooden hurdles or grills, to James Madison hosting grand barbecue parties during the colonial and federal eras. The slave trade brought West African influences, including seasoning and whole animal cooking techniques. Today, Virginia barbecue doesn’t have distinctive regional identity outside state lines, like say, Texas brisket or North Carolina pulled pork with vinegar sauce (although there is a three-way claim to the birthplace of Brunswick Stew between Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina, but that’s a story for another day).
But barbecue’s popularity among professional chefs, competitive pitmasters and home cooks alike, has contributed to a melting pot of barbecue traditions and a proliferation of barbecue eateries across the U.S. Roanoke is experiencing a barbecue restaurant boom of its own, which happily means more regional styles and imaginative creations for diners to sample. Here are seven must-try barbecue dishes, from St. Louis ribs glazed with a secret sauce to a smoked tofu biscuit sandwich.
St. Louis Ribs with Grandma’s Backyard Sauce at Wildwood Smokehouse
When Bob Schell and Steve Dill opened Wildwood Smokehouse inside the Oak Grove Plaza Shopping Center in 1998, barbecue restaurants were few and far between. They quickly earned a following for staples such as wings and ribs, homemade sides, including onion rings and baked beans, and classic desserts, such as banana pudding. Today, the family-run business still counts legions of loyalists and barbecue fans among its regulars. Opt for the St. Louis-style pork ribs, which get the dry rub treatment before getting smoked for up to four hours. Diners can order the ribs “dry,” with additional dried spice, or “wet,” slathered in sauce, in which case, go for grandma’s backyard sauce. The secret family recipe is best described as a sweet, onion-based glaze that’s brushed onto the ribs, baking into the meat as they grill to create a shellacked exterior with a crunchy, caramelized bite.
Smoked Bologna Sandwich at Mama Jean’s
If you smoke it, they will come. It could be the motto for Mama Jean’s, a vintage airstream trailer-barbecue joint slinging pulled pork, brisket and birria tacos to long lines all around town. One of owner Madison Ruckel’s signature specials is a smoked bologna sandwich, showcasing a house-made smoked pork-beef sausage seasoned with salt, garlic and warm winter spices. To achieve a country-style bologna, Ruckel grinds the pork four to five times until just smooth, so that it retains flecks of fat. To build the sandwich, Ruckel took inspiration from a memorable shaved mortadella sandwich he first sampled in a São Paolo market. He slices the bologna super thin and heats them on the grill before piling them onto a grill-toasted brioche bun and topping it with a melty cheese sauce. Pair with a side of smoked potato salad, in which boiled red potatoes are finished on the smoker, then folded with green onions, celery and a creamy dressing.
Red Neck Nachos & Smoked Meatloaf Sandwich at The Village Grill
Nathan Webster, owner of Village Grill, Scratch Biscuit and Oak Tree Catering, incorporates two tenets into his barbecue philosophy. First, it’s gotta be cooked low-and-slow. To wit, pork butts are covered in a sweet-tangy rub, then smoked over a mix of hard- and fruitwoods, such as white oak and applewood, for up to 10 hours in a Lang stick smoker. Throughout the smoking process, the meat is spritzed with a mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar every two hours to keep the meat moist. Finally, the pork butts rest for an hour before pulling. You can get the pulled pork on a sandwich or order it by the pound, but it takes a starring turn atop Red Neck Nachos, which make a fine patio snack in warmer temps. Although barbecue knows no season, come winter, the smoked meatloaf sandwich is the stuff comfort food dreams are made of. Pans of scratch-made meatloaf are smoked for a couple hours, then slabs are sliced hot, piled onto slices of Texas toast and drizzled with a signature Sweet VA BBQ sauce.
Jerry Garcia Biscuit at Scratch Biscuit Co.
Webster’s second tenet: If it fits in a smoker, you can smoke it. Past smoking successes include fish, oysters, even tofu. As with any protein hitting the smoker, the tofu gets seasoned with a signature rub. The tofu slabs are arranged on baking sheet trays, then tucked into the smoker’s warming boxes for an hour or two, just enough time to imbue it with smoky flavor without drying it out. At Scratch Biscuit, strips of smoked tofu find their way onto a biscuit sandwich called the Jerry Garcia. Smoky-tender tofu and a butter biscuit make an ace combination, but you can also turn it into a hearty breakfast sandwich by adding a fried egg and a hashbrown. If a breakfast platter is more your speed, order the Early Rise Platter and pick smoked tofu as your side. The smoked tofu shines as is, but if you’re a sauce aficionado, try dipping bites in all the different BBQ sauces to find your favorite.
Brisket Burger at Crescent City Bourbon & BBQ
Ever since Crescent City Bourbon & BBQ fired up their smoker on their downtown Roanoke patio, crowds have followed the smell of smoke to sate their barbecue cravings. Chef-owner Tyler Mason oversees the roster of barbecue dishes, including pulled pork, smoked chicken and brisket, all cooked low and slow on either the outdoor stick burner or indoor wood burning smoker. Seek out the brisket. The brisket is rubbed with a proprietary blend that’s heavy on the brown and white sugar, which caramelizes beautifully to give the meat its distinctive bark, then smoked for 14 hours over hickory and pecan woods. The brisket burger is a meat lover’s dream, featuring a grilled beef burger patty bolstered with ground brisket, that’s capped with freshly sliced brisket, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and aioli. Pair with a side of spicy, Southern-style collards, crafted after chef Tyler Mason’s grandmother’s recipe. Wash it all down with an old-fashioned muddled with fresh peaches.
Smoked Chicken Thigh Sandwich at Due South BBQ
The folks at Due South BBQ first earned a reputation for their slow-cooked, hickory-smoked pulled pork, half and whole chickens and pork ribs at their original Christiansburg location. Since opening a Roanoke location, they’ve added a local menu exclusive: a smoked chicken thigh sandwich. Thighs are seasoned with a dry mustard rub, then hickory-smoked for two-and-a-half hours before getting sandwiched on a bun with lettuce. You can take your barbecue to different regional destinations by adding various homemade sauces, including a South Carolina mustard-based number, a North Carolina vinegar-spiked sauce, or “Bama Sauce,” a white, creamy dill-based sauce that pairs particularly well with the smoked chicken. Round out your meal with a side of smoked taters and banana pudding for dessert.
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