“Bluff City BBQ opened last month — in a New York suburb.
“And there’s Memphis Style BBQ Company. Location: Seminole, Florida.
“And there’s Porky J’s Memphis Style BBQ in San Antonio.
“And there’s a restaurant chain called Memphis Barbecue Co. operating in Fayetteville, North Carolina….
“There are, of course, other regional favorites such as Texas beef barbecue, Kansas City barbecue with its thick, tomato- and molasses-based sauce, and the whole-hog North Carolina barbecue featuring a vinegary sauce.
” ‘But the Memphis style is “right up there at the top,” ‘ said [Linda] Orrison, National Barbecue [& Grilling] Association president.
” ‘As far as the consumer is concerned, that’s the one word that solidifies barbecue to them.’ ”
— From “BBQ spots across U.S. lay claim to ‘Memphis’ name” in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal (Jan. 20)