When Bill and I get a hankering for barbecue, we head to Leigh's. Their pork is smoky, tender and moist; the thin, vinegar-based sauce total perfection.
Leigh's is located about ten miles west of Paducah on old Hwy. 60. It is a family-owned business and got its start when Union Carbide came to town in the early fifties. Housed in a small, cinderblock building, it's nothing fancy, just a wraparound counter, stools, a small television set perched high on a shelf. The food is served in paper plates, drinks in styrofoam cups. But their barbecue is the best I've ever tasted.
Which is saying a lot; I was raised on the stuff. And I've sampled it in Kansas City, Texas and Memphis, all claiming the title of the world's best barbecue.
As we entered, the owner was perched on a stool behind the counter, watching his son hack up a huge steaming pork shoulder.
The waitress was wearing a Heath Pirates tee-shirt. And a cap. "Hi," she called, "What do y'all want?"
She and I were the only females in the room, reminding me of sitting down for dinner at my aunt's Detroit boarding house. The men were discussing UK basketball as they tore into thick barbecue sandwiches and guzzled Pepsis from big styrofoam cups. One chubby gent in bib overalls practically drooled as the waitress carried his food to him: a huge pile of steaming pork, potato salad, baked beans, two slices of white bread lying atop.
The waitress was wearing a Heath Pirates tee-shirt. And a cap. "Hi," she called, "What do y'all want?"
She and I were the only females in the room, reminding me of sitting down for dinner at my aunt's Detroit boarding house. The men were discussing UK basketball as they tore into thick barbecue sandwiches and guzzled Pepsis from big styrofoam cups. One chubby gent in bib overalls practically drooled as the waitress carried his food to him: a huge pile of steaming pork, potato salad, baked beans, two slices of white bread lying atop.
The menu is on the wall: whole pork shoulder, chicken, rib, pork and ham plates. Not that we ever look at it. We always have a barbecue pork sandwich (mine on a bun; Bill's on toast), slaw and a bag Ruffles potato chips. Sometimes we pile the slaw on top of the pork; other times we eat it alongside.
For dessert you have your choice of Twinkies, Honey Buns, Fruit Pies and Hostess Cupcakes.
But who needs a fancy dessert when you're stuffed to the gills with the best barbecue ever?
Note: They close early in the afternoon or whenever they run out of meat, which they often do. And they are closed on Wednesdays.
For dessert you have your choice of Twinkies, Honey Buns, Fruit Pies and Hostess Cupcakes.
But who needs a fancy dessert when you're stuffed to the gills with the best barbecue ever?
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Note: They close early in the afternoon or whenever they run out of meat, which they often do. And they are closed on Wednesdays.
1 comment:
Mmmmmmmm. Hungry now!
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