Barbecue Restaurants Go Whole Hog
Tender, juicy barbecue is quintessential Southern fare, and Dickson County has plenty of places to find it. Local barbecue joints serve up smoky pork and beef ribs, chicken, turkey and pulled pork and beef sandwiches with traditional side dishes such as coleslaw, beans, greens and cornbread. Down-home desserts like banana pudding and fruit cobblers top off the meal.
The well-known Whitt’s Barbecue franchise that originated in Athens, Ala., has grown to include stores throughout northern Alabama, Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky.
Thanks to Ricky Jennette, Dickson has had its own Whitt’s Barbecue since 2005. Jennette owns the Dickson store, as well as the Whitt’s Barbecue restaurants in nearby Ashland City and Waverly.
Jennette’s restaurants draw a steady stream of hungry customers – for good reason.
“I can’t reveal any secrets, but we cook our own barbecue right here at the restaurant. We just do it the Whitt’s way,” Jennette says. That includes a full day of cooking over a glowing, hickory-wood fire. “We take pride in our quality and in our work,” he adds.
Whitt’s signature sauce comes in hot or mild varieties. Menu selections include St. Louis-style ribs and smoked chicken, as well as pulled meats – pork, beef and all-white-meat turkey. The pulled pork is customers’ hands-down favorite. “Ninety-five percent of what we sell is pulled pork,” Jennette says. “We also offer catering services.”
Specializing in ribs that are to-die-for, Carl’s Perfect Pig in White Bluff is a local favorite, but its fame extends from New York to Hollywood. The 20-year-old, no-frills establishment has been written up in Vanity Fair and the Wall Street Journal and featured on Emeril Live! on the Food Network.
“We got lucky in the beginning,” owner Carl Teitloff says of the restaurant’s renown. “We had a really good product. We got tied in with some music people, and word got out. One thing just led to another.”
But how does he get that famous flavor? “I cook it the way I like it,” Teitloff says. “There’s really no hidden secret – just hard work and consistency. Consistency is what we strive for.”
Over on Walnut Street in Dickson, Fossie’s has been a mainstay since 1956. This quaint establishment is still cooking up the tasty barbecue it’s known for and baking delicious, homemade fruit pies.
Bart’s Bar-B-Que & Catfish Cooker, also in Dickson, serves juicy, hickory-smoked meat that’s been cooked on site in an open-pit barbecue. The fried catfish also earns rave reviews, as does the assortment of desserts, including peach cobbler and banana pudding.
Bart’s décor recalls the 1950s and ’60s and features a collection of Andy Griffith, Betty Boop and Elvis Presley memorabilia.
Another option on the Dickson County barbecue circuit is Hog Heaven Family Restaurant & Steakhouse in White Bluff. This favorite spot serves barbecue as well as steaks, turnip greens, cornbread, sweet tea and other homey dishes.
Story by Carol Cowan
