“To understand what goes on at ASBEE in Memphis you must be aware of the Southern fascination with vinegary, peppery barbecue sauce. Start by understanding that Memphis, at the beginning of this third millennium, is the capital of barbecue, or “que” as they call it down here. In the South, lovers of charcoaled chickens, cows and “you know what” kneel by their grills and face Memphis to pray. It’s a city where the inquiry “What’s the best you ever had?” can be addressed without blush to man, woman, or child. It means only barbecue.”
In an article headlined “A Grill a Minute: Memphis Jews on ‘Que,” the Jewish Daily Forward, a national Jewish newspaper, explores the world of the Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth Kroger Kosher Barbecue Contest, “an event that has perfumed the skies over Memphis for 18 years. It’s the first and only kosher barbecue contest in America, maybe in the whole Diaspora. Maybe in the solar system.” Read it here.
