rib tips, Mississippi, Delta tamales, and Chicago-style bbq

In another discussion about Chicago-style bbq, I opined that, to me, it was defined by an emphasis on pork ribs, particularly tips, and hot links, which were cooked in an aquarium-style smoker. I wrote that I had not seen tips outside of Chicago.

. . . until this holiday season, and a drive to introduce my Lithuanian girlfriend (only familiar with Chicago, parts of New England, and some of Wisconsin) to East Texas, the Texas Gulf Coast, the Cajun region of Louisiana, and the Mississippi Delta.

In Greenwood, MS, while showing off the Little Zion M.B. Church graveyard, where blues legend Robert Johnson is believed to be interred and investigating the crossroads where he is to have made his pact with the devil, we got a recommendation:

The Rib Shack: Ribs, Delta tamales, and, hell, yes!, some damned fine tips.

No aquarium smoker, though, which now is how I suppose I define Chicago bbq. The smoker and grills are outside and covered, the chopping and serving goes on in the shack.

If you're ever in Greenwood, MS, just stop anywhere and ask for directions to The Rib Shack.





Cheers,
Wade

Wow this place looks like roadfood at its finest. Thanks for the review, I had no idea what delta tamales were so I did a quick google search and came across a site that made me want to get in my car right now and start driving, I now have my next road trip headed in this direction, I cant get enough tamal's in my life. Did you happen to try any of the spots? If so, how were they?

http://www.tamaletrail.com/

Da Beef,

I figured that, by now, I've had tamales at 3/4 of the spots cited in the Tamale Trail map, and easily 50 others not mentioned (usually shacks or carts in front of homes or from pickup trucks carefully sited along roads. The Rib Shack also offered tamales.

I can safely say that I've never encountered a Delta tamale that I did not like.

Here's an image of some I picked up this last trip from a shack in Greenville, MS:



Cheers,
Wade

P.S. The Delta tamale region displayed on the Tamale Trail map is a damned fine destination: tamales, bbq, catfish, soul food, friendly folks, and all within a 10-hour drive, less with a decent radar detector.