Barbecue: Nirvana along the Mississippi
At The Bar-B-Q Shop in Memphis, barbecue spaghetti is an art.
A long weekend is not enough time to blanket the country in search of barbecue nirvana, said Kevin Pang in the Chicago Tribune. But three days was all I needed to find it in three states along the Mississippi.
17th Street Bar & Grill
Murphysboro, Ill.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The ribs from pit master Mike Mills are “glorious.” Barbecued in a “light slather of mustard-colored sauce,” the baby backs are perfectly “pull-apart tender.” 214 N. 17th St., (618) 684-3722
Dexter Bar-B-Que
Sikeston, Mo.
The “luscious and tender” pulled pork is the way to go. It’s “chopped rather than pulled from the bone, with a pork-intensity verging on cured bacon.” Add a splash of hot sauce–spiked vinegar dip. 124 N. Main St., (573) 471-6676
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Bar-B-Q Shop
Memphis
Barbecue spaghetti may sound like a “Southern gimmick,” but here it’s an art. A 12-hour smoked sauce is paired with pasta and topped by a tangy pork shoulder “with notes of hickory smoke.” 1782 Madison Ave., (901) 272-1277
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocrat
Feature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?
Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlock
Feature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo