Abe's - Clarksdale, MS

Posted By Michael Stern on January 19, 2003 4:16 PM

Abe's has been sung about in blues songs and written about in Faulknerian novels set in the Mississippi Delta; and to the traveling foodie, it is a must-eat destination. Its legend goes back to 1924 when Abe Davis opened a snack stall on the street in Clarksdale. Today at the famous crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, Abe’s grandson Pat Davis maintains the name and the high-quality cooking, which includes thin-sliced, crisp-edged barbecued pork as well as that incongruous Mississippi Delta specialty, the hot tamale.

Abe's barbecue is Boston Butt that is first cooked over pecan wood, then allowed to cool overnight, then sliced, then heated again on the griddle when it is ordered. While it is getting heated, the pork gets hacked into a rugged hash. The process results in meat with lots of juicy buzz in its pale inside fibers and plenty of crusty parts where it has fried on the hot iron of the grill. You can have it on a platter or in a sandwich, which is available in two sizes – normal and “Big Abe.” We love the latter, which is twice the amount of pork heaped into a double-decker bun. This is close enough to Memphis that it is served city-style, i.e. with the slaw inside the bun.

One of the things that makes these sandwiches so especially delicious is the sauce, which is dark red, tangy, with the resonance of pepper and spice, a sublime companion for the meat. Pat Davis told us that it is made from the original recipe his grandfather developed, except for one top-secret ingredient, which he swears he doesn’t use any more. "It is sort of addictive, isn’t it?" Pat Said. "We once had guys order a case shipped to Oklahoma. They called to tell me they were drinking it in shot glasses."

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barbecue

tamales

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Posted By Karen Vincent on May 13, 2011 2:15 PM

Abe's Barbecue is, to a Delta girl like me, the Mecca of fine eating. The Big Abe's Pork Sandwich is nothing short of orgasmic. Even the thought of it makes my mouth water. I travel all the way from New Orleans periodically to "worship at the pit"!

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Posted By Karen Vincent on February 2, 2004 11:16 AM

I have been "worshipping at the pit" at Abe's Barbecue all my life and although I now live in New Orleans (the Mecca of fine eating), I still make several pilgrimages to Abe's for my Big Abe's pork sandwich and an order of beans. The brisket is sliced to perfection and their sauce can't be beat. I never leave without buying a bottle to take home! The beans have so much barbecue meat in them that they are a meal in themselves. In a word, Abe's Barbecue is ORGASMIC! Don't miss it!

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