Barbecue Brackets: Meet the Contestants!
Barbecue Brackets: Meet the Contestants!
I've been a little hesitant to start a bracketing system to find the best barbecue in Memphis.
There are at least 75 places around town to get barbecue. A Google search for Memphis Barbecue turns up 1.1 million results. Also, if you thought Memphians took breakfast seriously, you have no idea how fiercely loyal they are to their barbecue joints of choice.
There's only one fair way to do this. I've taken reader suggestions and created three brackets (sandwiches, ribs and wild card) with eight contestants each.
Sandwich:
(click the image for a better view and a list of the contestants).
Here's how the judging shakes out:
Round 1: Sandwich (no slaw), sauce, service, atmosphere, price.
Round 2: Sandwich (with slaw), one side item, service, atmosphere, price
Round 3: Meet and Eat - anyone is welcome to come eat and contribute to the judging for the championship. We'll judge sandwich, a side item, service, atmosphere and price. Scores from other rounds will also figure in to the final score.
Ribs:
(Click the image to see the contestants)
Here's how the ribs will be judged:
Round 1: Wet ribs, one side item, service, atmosphere, price.
Round 2: Dry ribs, one side item, service, atmosphere, price
Round 3: Meet and Eat - anyone is welcome to come eat and contribute to the judging for the championship. We'll judge ribs, a side item, service, atmosphere and price. Scores from other rounds will also figure in to the final score.
Wild Card:
(The wild card category is for entree items served at barbecue restaurants that aren't traditional barbecue.)
(Click the image to see the contestants)
Here's how the judging will work out:
Round 1: Wild card item, service, atmosphere, price.
Round 2: Wild card item, one side, service, atmosphere, price.
Round 3: Meet and Eat - anyone is welcome to come eat and contribute to the judging for the championship. The wild card item plus service, atmosphere and price will be judged. Scores from other rounds will also figure in to the final score.
So, there you have it. I'll announce the dates of the Meet & Eats as they get closer.
Do you have any initial predictions?
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