The Memphis pulled pork sandwich is hickory-smoked pork shoulder pulled, piled on a soft white bun, topped with mustard slaw and a splash of BBQ sauce.
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.
4 editor picks for Memphis pulled pork sandwich in Memphis, ranked by editorial score. All Memphis signature dishes · Memphis pulled pork sandwich across every city.
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.
The Bar-B-Q Shop ★ 4.6
midtown · 1782 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
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.
Central BBQ Downtown ★ 4.5
downtown · 147 E Butler Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
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.
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.