The barbecue scene in Vancouver has certainly improved over the last few years; there is the Hogshack out in Steveston, Dixies on Hastings Street, Peckinpah in Gastown, and of course a number of locations of Memphis Blues Barbecue House.
Last week when we were hankering for some barbecue, we decided to visit the Richards Street location of Memphis Blues for lunch.
Our visit to Memphis Blues Barbecue House was perfectly timed as they were just pulling the racks of ribs and rib ends out of the pit. What an impressive sight!
Being unfamiliar with the work that the pitmasters do at Memphis Blues we chose to order the Memphis Platter – a massive platter intended to serve 3-5 people. However, it has some of each of their barbecued meats and a sample of each of the side dishes.
This is a good way to sample the entire menu and guarantee a heap of leftovers*.
The Memphis Platter more than covered our lunch needs!
My favourites on the platter were the pork ribs and the brisket. The ribs were cooked so that they were tender to the bite but not melt “fall apart” mushy. The best part of the ribs was the smoke “bark” on each rib. Deep and smoky flavour!! Lots of flavour without being too smoky.
The brisket was also wonderful; ultra tender with enough fat in it to add a great degree of tenderness. Ohhh…so good!!
When I return to Memphis Blues (guaranteed I will be returning!) the ribs and brisket are the two meats I will order again. That being said, I really enjoyed the very moist chicken meat, the slices of smoked sausage and the pulled pork. All very good.
The funniest part about the meal was that when we ordered the platter my lunch companion and I both commented that we probably would not eat the baked beans.
Once the platter arrived at our table and we tasted them, both of us couldn’t stop eating them! They were unbelievably delicious. I suppose three hours in the barbecue pit provides that perfect smoky flavor.
The potato salad was “okay” although I would not order it again. There was nothing wrong with it but it just wasn’t my thing. I did very much like the corn bread and the slaw that comes with the meal. The slaw had a strong peppery snap to it.
Overall our meal at Memphis Blues Barbecue House was excellent. Friendly service, good food and a heap of leftovers. Win-win-win.
I’ll be returning for more.
*We had TWO more full meals from the leftovers we took home from Memphis Blues.