For A Smokier Version Of Spaghetti, Try It Memphis-Style

What looks like Bolognese out of an Italian grandmother's nightmare, Memphis-style spaghetti is a southeastern staple you may want to try. It's doubtful that whoever coined the term "melting pot" for American cultures and cuisines had this mash up in mind; however, this dish is more than just pouring barbecue sauce on finished spaghetti; this saucy staple has become a Memphis legend.

It all starts with the sauce. The marker of a true Memphis sauce is going to be how tangy and thin it is. Other styles of barbecue sauce with a ketchup base — think Texas or Kansas City — tend to be thicker and contain fewer spices. The base of Memphis-style Spaghetti is tomato sauce, then the specialty barbecue sauce is added. The result is rather tomato forward, but the sweetness of the barbecue sauce plays beautifully with the sharp acidity from the tomato components. 

Once the sauce is done, parboiled pasta and pulled pork are added, then you can let the entire concoction simmer for an additional 15 minutes so the flavors fully come together. You're left with a smoky, tangy, and robust meal – as any good spaghetti should be. 

Leonard's Pit Barbecue, which claims to be Memphis's original barbecue spot, has been serving the Tennessee classic since the 1950s. The iconic combo began with its "Half & Half" plate – half barbecue, half spaghetti – and is still on the menu today as "BBQ and Spaghetti." Over the years, fellow Memphis barbecue hot spots have continued the tradition of this comforting combination.

Given that the city of Memphis is the barbecue capital of world (and Alton Brown's favorite food city to boot), spaghetti isn't the only dish locals spruce up with some 'cue. Barbecue nachos are a snacking delight at city sporting events. So much so that the President of Memphis's AAA baseball team, the Redbirds, gave every fan their own order during a championship game in 2017. Even the Memphis Grizzlies feature barbecue nachos at concession stands.

Memphis also puts barbecue on pizza! The King of Rock and Roll enjoyed barbecue pizza so much it became a mainstay of local pizza joints like Coletta's (the creators of the pizza). The home of the blues isn't just the barbecue capitol of the world, but the wing capital too. The city's spin on chicken wings is unsurprisingly rooted in barbecue with their Honey Gold sauce. Honey Gold is the perfect blend of barbecue spice and sweet heat, much more nuanced than a plain buffalo sauce.