When I was around 11, my family took a trip to Charlotte, NC, where we had our first taste of hickory smoked ribs at a place called Sonny’s. From that moment on, Sonny’s and “hickory smoked” became a minor obsession for my father; without fail, we could count on the same situation occurring every time we tried a new barbecue restaurant: We’d look over the menu and the server would explain the different types of ribs, followed by dad asking:
“But are they hickory smoked?”
Nowadays, hickory smoked ribs are like Jennifer Aniston on a magazine cover; they’re everywhere. I think dad would enjoy Memphis Mae’s in Croton, a restaurant that employs “low and slow” with a variety of hickory, oak and pecan woods. I did what any BBQ grazer would do when faced with an overwhelming number of menu choices — I ordered a combo platter.
That’s my “BBQ Road Trip” plate, a smorgasbord of meat plus a choice of two sides. Moving clockwise we’ve got cornbread, fried pickles (a freakishly good contrast of salty and sour), collard greens (very flavorful), wet Memphis style ribs, pulled pork (smoky and vinegary) and brisket (fork-tender but cut thick and slightly dry).
But let’s go back to those ribs, the epitome of “fall-off-the-bone”; one bite and the meat separated from the bone in its entirety. They tasted great and couldn’t have been any more tender, but, (and I’m probably going to get flak for this), from what I’ve learned about ribs, fall-off-the-bone is actually a sign that the ribs are overcooked.
I prefer more bite and I like my ribs to stay on the bone, meaning a slight tug tears a piece of meat off, but the rest stays intact. It’s a preference thing, but that’s what I’m used too — Memphis Mae’s ribs came off the bone just a little too easily.
I love barbecue though, and a few minor quibbles weren’t going to stop me from demolishing my plate. Had Memphis Mae’s been around back when my family lived in Croton, dad would have brought us there every weekend.
And he would have asked if the ribs were hickory smoked.
GRADE: B+
Memphis Mae’s
173 S. Riverside Ave. (Croton Commons)
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
914-271-0125
Memphis Mae’s and a Mountain of Meat
When I was around 11, my family took a trip to Charlotte, NC, where we had our first taste of hickory smoked ribs at a place called Sonny’s. From that moment on, Sonny’s and “hickory smoked” became a minor obsession for my father; without fail, we could count on the same situation occurring every time we tried a new barbecue restaurant: We’d look over the menu and the server would explain the different types of ribs, followed by dad asking:
“But are they hickory smoked?”
Nowadays, hickory smoked ribs are like Jennifer Aniston on a magazine cover; they’re everywhere. I think dad would enjoy Memphis Mae’s in Croton, a restaurant that employs “low and slow” with a variety of hickory, oak and pecan woods. I did what any BBQ grazer would do when faced with an overwhelming number of menu choices — I ordered a combo platter.
That’s my “BBQ Road Trip” plate, a smorgasbord of meat plus a choice of two sides. Moving clockwise we’ve got cornbread, fried pickles (a freakishly good contrast of salty and sour), collard greens (very flavorful), wet Memphis style ribs, pulled pork (smoky and vinegary) and brisket (fork-tender but cut thick and slightly dry).
But let’s go back to those ribs, the epitome of “fall-off-the-bone”; one bite and the meat separated from the bone in its entirety. They tasted great and couldn’t have been any more tender, but, (and I’m probably going to get flak for this), from what I’ve learned about ribs, fall-off-the-bone is actually a sign that the ribs are overcooked.
I prefer more bite and I like my ribs to stay on the bone, meaning a slight tug tears a piece of meat off, but the rest stays intact. It’s a preference thing, but that’s what I’m used too — Memphis Mae’s ribs came off the bone just a little too easily.
I love barbecue though, and a few minor quibbles weren’t going to stop me from demolishing my plate. Had Memphis Mae’s been around back when my family lived in Croton, dad would have brought us there every weekend.
And he would have asked if the ribs were hickory smoked.
GRADE: B+
Memphis Mae’s
173 S. Riverside Ave. (Croton Commons)
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
914-271-0125