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| Ridgewood Barbecue is a popular destination in eastern Tennessee. |
Smoked ham, thinly sliced, is not the typical
barbecue. To find it, you have to head to eastern Tennessee to a regional
restaurant known as Ridgewood Barbecue.
When I was in the Bristol area for a field trip
conducted by Southern Foodways Alliance, the hickoried sandwiches of Ridgewood were
served as supper in the infield of Bristol Motor Speedway. As part of the
evening program, Larry Proffitt, the surviving son of parents who started the
business, discussed his family’s barbecue business and Ridgewood’s traditions.
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| Larry Proffitt serves barbecue for supper. |
The origin of Ridgewood Barbecue dates to 1948 when Proffitt’s
father Jim and partners opened Ridgewood Inn. When the business changed its operations
to barbecue in 1952, it was renamed Ridgewood Barbecue and operated by the Proffitt
family.
With a pit made out of cinder blocks, father Jim
began smoking hams – not shoulders or whole hogs – because as Larry says, “Even
a country boy knows that shoulders go into sausage.” After being smoked for hours, the meat is
chilled overnight. Then it is sliced very thin to be ready for customer orders.
As customers arrive, it is heated on a griddle with a tomato-based sauce and
then piled high on sandwiches or platters.
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Smoked ham slices are heated on a griddle for platters and
sandwiches.
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Although I missed an excursion to the restaurant with
him, I created my own Ridgewood experience by going there for lunch after the
field trip was over. Ridgewood certainly has a style of its own. The thinly sliced
ham is definitely different than the pulled or chopped pork that a barbecue aficionado
typically encounters, and the homemade sweet and tangy sauce adds an extra
dimension to separate Ridgewood’s barbecue from others.
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| Hams are smoked next to the restaurant. |
Larry Proffitt worked in the family business with
his brother Terry as they grew up. Although Larry graduated from pharmacy
school and owns a drug store in the area, he and his daughter Lisa (who is a
nurse) now continue as owners and operators of the family business. For their
dedication in carrying on this regional tradition, we are very much in their
debt.
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| I was able to visit the area where the hams are smoked. |
