Restaurant Name: Jim Neely’s Interstate BBQ
Address: 2265 S. Third Street, Memphis, TN 38109
FACEBOOK / WEBSITE
While looking in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee for some of the best BBQ around we had to swing through Memphis. Probably the most staple of a BBQ city in the state there’s always a trio of places to visit when looking for BBQ in Memphis. A lot of people will talk about the ribs at Rendezvous or the crazy rubs at Central BBQ, but when looking for the best “overall” BBQ experience, I had to go to Jim Neely’s Interstate BBQ.
Jim Neely’s Interstate BBQ is actually a place that I visited on my very first BBQ Tour back in 2014 with my friends Ryan and Jon. Since the original visit, Interstate BBQ has grown into a couple more locations include the airport in Memphis, but the one we visited was the one on the west side of town. The building appears to have had some refinishing done to it as the giant mural I had a picture with on my first trip was gone. The building may have had a little bit of a facelift, but the food was tried & true just as I remembered.
On my first trip, my friends and I were in the hunt for the best ribs in the country. On this trip, my friends and I are looking for the best overall BBQ experience so we each got a spread of our own food and we like to sample different meats and sides. I went with an order of the rib tips with a side of baked beans and potato salad and a side of BBQ spaghetti. Yes, you read that right…BBQ spaghetti! My friends both ordered the sampler platter which had pulled pork, brisket, smoked sausage, pork ribs, & beef ribs with sides of BBQ spaghetti, coleslaw, & beans.
I REALLY liked the food I ordered! The rib tips look AMAZING when it comes out to you. About a dozen tips, each one probably 2 ounces each sitting in a bed of the house sauce covered in the house sauce and smelling smokey delicious and they definitely were. The meat itself if you get your fingers into it, which you have to do in order to really investigate them, has a nice smoke ring to it, is super tender, and the sauce compliments the meat so well. The sauce is sort of tangy and a little runny but it is definitely NOT lacking in flavor.
The sides of potato salad and baked beans were good and traditional sides. The beans did have a good smokey flavor as well so if you like that hit of smoke in your BBQ baked beans definitely order them. The BBQ Spaghetti…the one thing I was definitely looking forward to because it caught me so off guard from when I first came here 6 years ago and it still is uniquely delicious. Your first thought when you read “BBQ Spaghetti” is probably one of “Huh?” or “What the?” and I was in that boat when i first read it on the menu 6 years ago. I ordered a 4 oz side of it last year, i did a 12 oz entree of it this year and it brought back all the feels of when I first put my taste buds to the experience. It’s a simple dish: spaghetti noodles, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and dry rub…mix it all together…and it’s DELICIOUS! It is a little spicy, but it’s nothing crazy.
This place really makes it difficult to find anything “not quite as I expected” as it was all excellent. Our server was great. The food was phenomenal. The only thing I could knock them on is the presentation of the food. I love my smoked meats and sauce, but maybe not everything completely smothered in it. It’s nit picking I know but had to come up with something.
SUMMARY
In summary, this go around at Jim Neely’s Interstate BBQ was a GREAT experience! I loved the food and the atmosphere and it’s definitely a place that I recommend everyone visit if you’re in Memphis or passing through it. The saying of “everything is good” is so true when it comes to the smoked meats. You MUST MUST MUST try the BBQ spaghetti if you visit, even if it’s the small 4 oz side portion. It’s a great experience that I know every taste bud would love to go on.
IndyBBQGuru 
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