Asheville Barbeque–Moe’s Original Bar B Que

When we travel, we like to eat things we can’t get at home.  We were looking for great barbeque in Asheville.  We talked about 12 Bones, but they’re only open for lunch and frankly, we didn’t want to wait in line... even if it is President Obama’s favorite.  We decided on Moe’s Original Bar B Que, they claim it’s Alabama Barbeque, but I’ll claim it’s freaking delicious.  It’s a chain-ish establishment… there are a few in Colorado and several in the south, so it’s not local to Asheville, but it isn’t something we have in Ohio. 

There was a steady stream of locals and tourists alike.  We walked in and found a huge table of police officers having dinner, seated right next to a huge table of firefighters having dinner.  We were met in the parking lot by some disappointed folks who were too late and missed the ribs.  Once they are out of something, they’re out for the night since everything is smoked in house daily.  There was a crowd the entire time we were there, I’ll take that as a good sign.

You walk in and order at a counter.  Take just a minute to look through the entire menu so you don’t overlook any options.  You can either get your meats sandwich style on a bun or platter style depending on your preference.  Everything comes with sides, cornbread, and a drink included.  We tried the pulled pork and the smoked turkey along with almost every side on the menu.  Y’all.  You need to get the pulled pork, it is to die for.  I wish they hadn’t been out of the ribs because we likely would have gotten those as well. 

There were two things that we had that we were just kind of eh about, the cornbread and the turkey.  The turkey was good in a bite with the two sauces and the slaw, but on it’s own was just kind of so so.  A little dry and overly smoky tasting.  The cornbread wasn’t like anything I’d had before.  We both expected to love it since it’s a grilled version.  It wasn’t corn tasting enough for me and I wished I had taken a bite before giving some to Tate since it had a little kick to it. 

 

 

So many times when you go to a barbeque place, the meat is outstanding and the sides are over looked, but not here.  These sides?  So very southern and absolute perfection.  From the glazed carrots to the tangy slaw, everything left us wondering if these were old family recipes.  The collard greens were some of the absolute best Dave or I have ever had.  I loved the flavor and the slight heat packed into the baked beans.  And of course, Tate ate her weight in mac n cheese, it was a great version, not overly cheesy or greasy.  I really wish that they would have had the summer squash and the spinach when we were there, because I’d love to try their take on it.

The topper though was the banana pudding.  I don’t even particularly enjoy bananas and this was like the most pillowy delicious fresh banana tasting pudding ever.  It’s topped with a Nilla Wafer, that is, I think, the only thing it has in common with anything I’ve ever had approximating banana pudding before.  Y’all, I must have that recipe.  Pssst… Moe’s? If you’re reading this I seriously would LOVE that recipe.