Let the ODYESSY begin .......
Twenty-three (yes 23) BBQ joints 🥩
2400 km on the road 🚌
14 Days 🕑
36 hours in economy 🤯😫
Can it be done❓
Every great road trip has an origin story. Ours begins with a man from the King Valley in north-east Victoria, Australia, who has spent an embarrassing number of years believing that American BBQ is the pinnacle of human achievement. That man is me. I'm Alan, and this journey is my fault.
As an occasional barbecuer and self-proclaimed BBQ expert, I’m the kind of person who would drive two hours out of his way for a good brisket. I've been plotting this trip for longer than anyone cares to admit.
Rowena, a woman of great taste and beauty, with excellent happy hour instincts and a quiet but firm preference for food that doesn't moo, bleat, or oink, has agreed to join me. She is, diplomatically speaking, the reluctant carnivore of the group. She will eat the meat and probably pretend to enjoy it. But she will also locate the best bar in every city we visit, and no one will stop her.
Joining us are Liddy and Mikey. They are one Australian and one Brit who traded the King Valley for the snowfields near Lake Tahoe, California, and they haven't looked back. Liddy is the group's de facto logistics commander. She is organised, decisive, and unafraid to tell three grown adults which lane they should be in. We are grateful for her guidance. (That ok Lid? Didn't overstep did I?)
Every group has one smart guy, ours is Mikey — a lover of darts, chess, and well-timed one-liners. During the trip, he will calculate the optimal meat-to-stomach-capacity ratio and will lose at absolutley nothing and keep the score to rub it in.
Together, the four of us are about to embark on a 14-day road trip through the heart of American BBQ country—from Dallas, Texas, all the way to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. We will dine at legendary smokehouses, hole-in-the-wall eateries, and places with names that have no business being as good as they are. We will drive through Oklahoma, Kansas City, Fayetteville, Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. We will visit the legendary Jack Danailes distillary. We will listen to live blues on Beale Street, do the honky tonk in Nashville and enjoy rides at Dollywood. Meander through tornado alley, during tornado season! So much to do, so little time.
We will almost certainly eat too much.
Probably drink too much.
And the salad will NOT be joining us.
Chasing the Meat Sweat
If it isn't slow-smoked or slathered in sauce, it isn't getting in the car. We are trading kale for brisket and dignity for burnt ends as we navigate a high-octane trail of hickory and spice. From the heart of Texas to the hills of Tennessee, we’re documenting every rack of ribs on this legendary American carnivore quest.
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JACK DANIELS • SMOKY RIBS • TEXAS BRISKET • TENNESSEE PORK • TURKEY LEGS • SALAD FREE ZONE • MAC & CHEESE • DOLLYWOOD •