BBQ Quest: M&M Catering

I've had several people tell me both before and since my barbecue quest began that M&M Catering would satisfy my every need for pulled pork 'cue. Before I started the quest, I made plans several times to head out Middlebrook and see if they were correct, but my plans kept getting derailed. After I started the quest I decided to hold off on visiting M&M until I'd visited several other places first. If M&M really was as satisfying as they claimed it was then I didn't want the rest to be judged based on my experience there.

That plan got completely derailed when a wedding I attended a few weeks ago (in which the groom was also a barbecue snob from Memphis) served M&M as the reception fare. I knew then that M&M had to become a regular feature in my life.

But to be fair, I knew a trip to the M&M establishment was in order, so The Pol, B, CK and a few of our friends made an event out of it last Friday as a kick off to the holiday weekend. Here are two things I've learned about M&M lately: 1. It's not where it used to be -- they picked up and moved down Middlebrook a ways; 2. It's another take it and go place but without the benefit of picnic tables like at F.A.T.S. or Dixson's.

photos by The MG

I knew something was right when we pulled up and I counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ... 8!!! smokers!!! Granted, it was the day before the largest barbecue consumption day of the year, but I choose to believe they ALWAYS have eight smokers smoking like a good barbecue place should. It wasn't all for pork, they had some tasty, meaty lookin' chicken wings going too.

Y'all, believe me when I say: this is real pulled pork barbecue. It's chunky and tender and just the right kind of smoky and flavorful. It goes down so well, aided by your choice of sweet or spicy barbecue sauces. (I tried the sweet, and it was just what I wanted). It is what my life has been missing since moving back to this city.
two of the eight smokers

Between the five of us we had beans, slaw, mac and cheese, potato chips, lemonade and fruit tea. The beans were good in a very unassuming way. They weren't spicy or overly sweet. They didn't have chunks of things in them. They were your classic baked beans. The slaw I gather was standard. The mac and cheese was thick and gelatanous, but in a good way. I'm guessing there weren't any complaints about the standard-issue chips. The lemonade and fruit tea were basically sugar with a side of liquid. (On the flip side, M&M sells all kinds of bottled options INCLUDING COKE ZERO, which is awesome).

Also, CK finally sampled his first Knoxville pig burger. I'll let him do his own review of that, but my preview is this: it looked like meatloaf.

I was a little miffed that M&M didn't at least have a picnic table outside to sit at, though the search for a picnic table took us Wigshoppers on an amusing trek through the Cedar Bluff area. Still, I'm about 99.9 percent certain it's going to be the ultimate winner of BBQ Quest. I won't conclude the quest just yet as no barbecue in this town will go unsampled by The MG, but please accept my recommendation of M&M.

M&M Catering (follow that link for hours and menu)
1039 Summerwood Rd.
Knoxville, TN 37923
865-692-1003