vip in the city

Ask a local: Shuford’s Smokehouse

Despite — or maybe because of — being inundated with garish advertisements on barns and billboards all along the 100+ miles of interstate leading from Nashville into Chattanooga, we decided to forego a trip to Ruby Falls. Instead, we hit the Tennessee riverfront, Coolidge Park, and the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge — the oldest surviving truss bridge in the South, and according to our host this afternoon, the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. (Ironic, since over the course of the day, we saw very few actual pedestrians.) By 6PM, almost all the local shops were closed.

So, too, the museums and galleries in the Bluff View Art District. We drove through the historic area, and again encountered mostly empty streets. Our luck changed for the better, though, when we crossed paths with a friendly local, willing to direct us to her favorite local barbecue joint in a town full of barbecue joints: Shuford’s Smokehouse.

With assistance from the GPS — hands down, the best thing I brought on the trip — we located the small, shack-like restaurant along the side of the road. Having already been warned that the place “wouldn’t look like much,” we stepped inside, undaunted, to embrace the local color. We didn’t even bat an eye when a large, greasy-aproned man emerged from behind a rolling metal gate to slap our slabs of meat onto a cutting board by the cash register.

We splurged on the Family Pack Ribs for 4, with sides of tater logs (thin-sliced skin-on potatoes, deep fried) and baked beans (with chunks of bacon… of course.) The lemonade was delicious with bits of actual pulp; we were told by the cashier/owner’s daughter that it’s fresh-squeezed daily. Shuford’s own special barbecue sauce — in regular and hot varieties — is made from scratch, every other day. She had come over to our table in part to check on us, and in part (we suspected) to figure out just what our story was, since she had spotted us taking copious photographs outside before dinner. (We told her that we were from New York City, which seemed to explain a lot.)

Try as we might, the three of us only managed to polish off about half the family meal for 4. Amateurs all.

There's 1 comment so far ... Ask a local: Shuford’s Smokehouse

Qsoz
August 3, 2007

Whoa, three posts!

Go for it ...