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History
Pulled pork shoulder is the heart of Memphis BBQ alongside ribs. Pitmasters smoke whole shoulders 14 to 18 hours over hickory and pull the meat by hand. The mustard-slaw topping is a Memphis-specific signature, distinguishing it from the vinegar slaw of the Carolinas. Payne's on Lamar Avenue, opened in 1972, codified the cheap-pulled-pork-sandwich form.
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Common allergens: Pork, Wheat, Mustard
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 3.5kg bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
- Memphis dry rub (see Memphis dry-rub ribs recipe)
- 8 soft white buns
- 300g mustard-based slaw
- BBQ sauce, mild
- Hickory wood chunks
Method
- Apply the dry rub all over the pork shoulder. Refrigerate uncovered 8 hours or overnight.
- Heat a smoker to 110C with hickory wood. Place the shoulder fat-side up. Smoke for 12 to 14 hours, maintaining 110C and replenishing wood every hour.
- The shoulder is done when an internal probe slides easily through the meat at the bone, around 95C internal.
- Rest the shoulder 30 minutes wrapped in foil. Pull the meat into shreds with two forks, discarding fat and bone.
- Pile the pulled pork on a soft white bun. Top with mustard slaw and a splash of sauce.
Tip from the editors. Use a probe thermometer. The probe slide test matters more than the temperature. Slaw on top, not on the side.
Where to eat memphis pulled pork sandwich
Memphis pulled pork sandwich in Memphis
Payne's Bar-B-Que ★ 4.7
Payne's chopped pork sandwich with mustard slaw on Lamar Avenue in South Memphis stays under $10, the Memphis cheap-BBQ defining order since the family.
OrderChopped pork sandwich, mustard slaw, fizzy red drink.
TipOpen Tuesday to Saturday lunch only, 11:00-17:30. Cash preferred. The line moves fast.
Central BBQ Downtown ★ 4.5
Central BBQ Downtown in Memphis runs the city's most reliable dry-rub ribs and pulled pork from a casual counter across from the National Civil Rights Museum.
OrderHalf slab of dry ribs with a smoked turkey sandwich on the side.
TipLines from noon to 14:00; order online and pick up at the express counter to skip the queue.
A&R Bar-B-Que ★ 4.4
A&R Bar-B-Que on Elvis Presley Boulevard in South Memphis has run Black-owned hickory-smoke BBQ from a converted gas station since 1983, quiet on tourist.
Why locals goTourists on the Elvis Presley Boulevard stretch head straight to Graceland gift shops; A&R is the BBQ counter that Memphis locals quietly defer to for ribs.
TipThe smoked bologna sandwich is the under-radar order; pair it with mustard slaw on the side.
The Bar-B-Q Shop ★ 4.6
Frank and Hazel Vernon's Madison Avenue Memphis BBQ room invented BBQ spaghetti and has run dry-rub and wet ribs from a wood-pit smoker since 1987.
OrderHalf slab of dry ribs with a side of BBQ spaghetti.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. The Dancing Pigs sauce ships nationally if you want to keep the meal going.
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