Bowling Green has a number of high-quality, locally owned barbecue joints. For this outing, however, I decided to try a chain restaurant. If everything else is equal in terms of the quality of the food, I normally try to eat at a local business. However, I had been a fan of Whitt’s Barbecue in Nashville, and so I decided to see if the quality had made the trip up Interstate 65 along with the franchise. I was not disappointed.

Both the pork and the beef plates were excellent. Both were juicy and very tender, and tasted as if they’d spent a great deal of time melting in the cooker. The beef had a very complex, smoky, sagey and deep flavor that leapt off the plate – even without the sauces. As a platter it was excellent, and I look forward to returning to try it as a sandwich. The pork was quite wet, retaining the lighter pork flavor in spite of the slow cooking.

I wasn’t as impressed with the turkey dishes. Smoking chicken or turkey requires a great deal of attention, especially given the relatively bland flavor of modern factory-processed poultry. The meat also dries out much more easily than pork, beef or mutton, and this was the main problem with the potato and the sandwich.

Whitt’s makes good food, and the store is geared for the carryout crowd. I look forward to returning.

more:  bgdailynews.com

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