Bless his heart! Tennessean columnist Brad Schmitt obviously had never experienced true Memphis barbecue.

When he touted in April that Nashville had the best barbecue in Tennessee after Southern Living released its Best BBQ lists of 2019, most Memphians thought he was delusional. I just felt sorry for him, knowing all the good eats he’s been missing.

To help my fellow Gannett writer out, I invited him to Memphis to give him a taste of real barbecue.

Memphis is synonymous with barbecue. Memphis-style barbecue is a description known worldwide. Who has ever heard of Nashville-style barbecue?

Memphis is also the home of theWorld Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. More than 225 teams from across the globe aren’t going to Nashville this week, they are headed here to Memphis for a reason. Memphis is the promised land for all things smoked and pork.

Barbecue battle:Memphis, sorry I was a jerk — and I still think Nashville's barbecue is better

5 hours, 5 barbecue restaurants

On Friday, we met outside the former Commercial Appeal headquarters to start our lesson on what really good barbecue truly tastes like.

There is so much good barbecue in town, I had trouble narrowing where to take Schmitt. Ultimately I decided to take him to five Memphis barbecue institutions.

Here's a look at our tour.

Payne’s Bar-B-Q, 1762 Lamar Ave.

Our first stop was Payne's Bar-B-Q, a family operation that has been in business since 1972. This place is the real-deal, and one of the few truly old-school barbecue joints in town.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Brad hopped out of the car and said, “Oh my gosh! Can you smell that?!”

The menu is as bare bones as the dining room, focusing only on the barbecue essentials. It’s the chopped pork sandwich that is the star.

Pork shoulders are cooked low and slow over coals in a pit that is adjacent to the service counter. The house-made barbecue sauce, perfectly balanced with sweetness and a vinegary tang, simmers on a vintage stovetop. The proprietor, Flora Payne, chops the shoulder for each sandwich — something she has been doing for 47 years. The sound of her cleaver on the cutting board is one of ways you know you are at Payne’s. Each sandwich is mopped with barbecue sauce just before being served and topped with the signature fluorescent yellow mustard slaw.

No one else makes a sandwich like this one — and I love it. There is so much going on in each bite.

Brad, however, was not smitten like I am every time I go to Payne’s. Seems his taste buds are not accustomed to the sweet barbecue sauce we love here in Memphis. Payne’s may be one of the sweetest and vinegary sauces around — but I think that strong one-of-a-kind flavor is what makes that sandwich.

Cozy Corner, 735 N. Parkway

After eating some of what I consider the best pork shoulder in the world, we headed to Cozy Corner for some tender, finger-lickin’ good ribs.

The ribs at Cozy Corner are served by the bone. The meat is tender and not too fatty. Not a hint of greasiness at all. These were ribs that were cooked with skill and tender loving care.

This is a restaurant that has four generations cooking, led by the 82-year-old family matriarch Desiree Robinson.

The exterior of each rib has a dark mahogany bark that is well seasoned by Cozy Corner’s dry rub. An equally dark mahogany sauce — that has a depth of flavor and rich sweetness — is lacquered over the top. An order comes simply with white bread on the side.

Brad enjoyed the ribs, appreciating that the sauce was not as sweet as at Payne’s. He even found a little room for a bite of homemade peach cobbler. A highlight of our stop was getting to visit with Desiree and her grandson Sean and granddaughter Crystal.

The secret to Desiree's ribs? “One of the things I do different is I don’t give anyone the secret,” she joked.

Desiree couldn’t have been any more hospitable, even when Brad still claimed that Nashville has the best barbecue.

TSA to Memphis travelers:You can’t bring that much BBQ sauce on a plane

The Bar-B-Q Shop, 1782 Madison Ave.

We left Cozy Corner and headed to Midtown.

The Bar-B-Q Shop has been a Midtown neighborhood favorite for over 30 years. Back in 1987, Frank Vernon bought a restaurant called Brady and Lil’s and turned it into The Bar-B-Q Shop. Today, his son Eric Vernon runs the day-to-day operations of this bustling restaurant.

The Bar-B-Q Shop does everything well — from pulled pork to tender ribs. The Vernons pride themselves on doing everything the old-fashioned way, with no shortcuts. Since 2002, Eric has been the only person to make the sweet, smoky and tangy barbecue sauce. It’s a family secret recipe that he wants to make sure is done right. This dedication shows in the barbecue they serve. The ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender. Equally tender and flavorful pulled pork is slathered in rich, classic Memphis-style barbecue sauce.

For Brad, this was "the" place. The pulled pork sandwich on buttered Texas toast with slaw may have been his favorite bite of the day, giving it a big thumbs up.

We tried all three varieties of ribs — wet, dry and glazed. The wet were Brad’s favorite. He even tried the famous barbecue spaghetti. He took a bite just like Eric suggested, “Swirl a few noodles and put them on a piece of Texas toast.”

Brad’s attitude toward Memphis barbecue was starting to sway.

Central BBQ, 2249 Central Ave.

Our next stop was the original Central BBQ.

Brad had eaten at Central BBQ years before and wanted to give it a try again — especially because this was the only Memphis barbecue restaurant that had made its way onto Southern Living’s 2019 readers poll lists.

Mid-afternoon, the dining room was packed - a fact that amazed Brad, but didn’t surprise me at all.

One bite and it was obvious why this barbecue restaurant group, started in 2002, has become a hometown favorite. The ribs were solid — tender and flavorful. The pulled pork sandwich got a high ranking by Brad as well.

Charlie Vergos Rendezvous, 52 S. Second St.

A tour of Memphis barbecue is not complete without a stop at the home of the world famous dry ribs — Charlie Vergos Rendezvous.

When we sat down, Bobby Ellis, who has been the kitchen manager for over 50 years, stopped by. He suggested the ribs and brisket combo — and so that is exactly what we ordered.

Just as the ribs at Cozy Corner, The Bar-B-Q Shop and Central were all different, these ribs were nothing like we had tasted that day. Charcoal broiled versus smoked, these ribs have a signature flavor and texture that just can’t be duplicated. It’s a true Memphis original.

On May 10, the ribs were on point — not too fatty and not too chewy. You could taste the smoke from the grill as well as those Greek spices hidden in the famous dry rub.

The final grade

As I looked at Brad with barbecue sauce smeared across his face, I knew that I had achieved my goal.

Memphis barbecue is full of flavor, history and soul. Nashville may have some new pitmasters who can cook some mighty fine barbecue, but they’ll never be able to touch the depth of character our hometown barbecue joints have to offer. That fact is undeniable.

Just head Downtown this week, and from the smell of smoke wafting up from the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, you will know this is “THE” barbecue capital not just of Tennessee — but of the world.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.