Memphis hot tamales are corn-husk-tied beef cylinders simmered in spicy broth, a Delta tradition that crossed the river with Mississippi labourers.
Hot tamales arrived in Memphis from the Mississippi Delta in the early 20th century, brought by Black field workers exposed to the dish during seasonal migration to Texas and Mexico in the early 1900s. By the 1940s, tamale carts rolled through Memphis neighbourhoods. Cozy Corner sells them today and a few BBQ shops carry them as a side; the tradition is documented by Garden and Gun and Southern Foodways Alliance.
3 editor picks for Memphis hot tamales in Memphis, ranked by editorial score. All Memphis signature dishes · Memphis hot tamales across every city.
Cozy Corner BBQ ★ 4.7
pinch-district · 735 N Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38105
Raymond Robinson's North Parkway Memphis BBQ joint has smoked Cornish hens, bologna and ribs over hickory in a one-room shack since 1977. Idiosyncratic, brilliant.
Payne's Bar-B-Que ★ 4.7
south-memphis · 1762 Lamar Ave, Memphis, TN 38114
Payne's Lamar Avenue Memphis BBQ counter has run chopped pork sandwiches and mustard slaw out of a converted gas station since 1972. Locals' top chopped pork.
A&R Bar-B-Que ★ 4.4
south-memphis · 1802 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38106
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: pulled pork, ribs, bologna.