Grub Scout: Whitt's impresses with succulent smoked meats

Although we had both been Middle Tennessee residents for a good stretch of time, I had long been unaware of the existence of the Nashville-based Whitt’s Barbecue. The Grub Spouse, however, had been a longtime fan and prompted me to visit this area’s sole Whitt’s location, on Gill Street in Alcoa. I also took notice of the fact that readers of Nashville Scene gave it Best Barbecue honors for 19 years running.

Customers order at the counter, where the overhead menu offers a surprisingly concise selection of barbecue fare. Sandwiches are made with either smoked pork or turkey and are topped with slaw, mayo and pickle unless requested otherwise.

Barbecue plates include pork and turkey — both served in five-ounce helpings — as well as ribs (Fridays and Saturdays only) or six hot wings. All plates come with two sides (baked beans, slaw, potato salad, chips or mac and cheese) and homemade cornbread.

For those who want to focus on wings only, they are offered in 5-, 10- and 20-piece counts. If you have a spud craving, get one with the cheese, butter and sour cream basics or go whole hog and have one stuffed with four ounces of your meat of choice.

The Spouse and I both decided to plate it out. I ordered the pulled pork with baked beans and potato salad, while The Spouse chose the smoked turkey with slaw and mac and cheese. We also got a slawless pork sandwich to go for The Grub Sprout, who, as a high school senior, clearly had better things to do.

We had noticed during our interaction with everyone on hand — from the kitchen staff to the gentleman we presumed was the owner or manager — that everyone was ultra courteous and friendly and went out of their way to accommodate us, from bringing our food out to fetching a to-go menu unprompted.

We took a seat in Whitt’s understatedly pleasant dining area — which features a wall array of rural-themed photographs taken with an artistic eye — and commenced to digging in. I was impressed with the turkey and pork, both of which were ripe in off-the-smoker flavor while still being succulent. In fact, I couldn’t recall ever having had smoked turkey, and I was pleasantly surprised by its distinctive taste.

The sides didn’t raise the needle as high on my meter as the barbecue did, but they were all still fair presentations. The potatoes in the potato salad are more solid than mushy and mixed with chopped vegetables to create an interesting texture mix. The beans could have been a little more mushy for my preferences, while the vinegar-based slaw seemed weak on flavor overall. The taste of lettuce was the dominant note in that song. The Spouse enjoyed the mac and cheese, which I again felt was perhaps just slightly above average.

I thought the pricing was very fair. Most plates are $6.50, and you can get a large sandwich with cornbread for only $4.95. And considering the portions, I felt that Whitt’s was quite a good value. We chose not to, but those who want to follow their meal with a sweet treat can choose from a selection of tarts or banana pudding.

I’m not sure I would vote for this fare as the best in the Knoxville area, but anyone who gives one whit about barbecue should at least find this regional import worth the trip.

© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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