If You're Sick Of Turkey For The Holidays, Here Are Some Other Great Dishes You Can Have Instead

If you like delicious BBQ, then you're gonna LOVE Memphis!

Cornish Game Hen

Cozy Corner Restaurant / Via Memphis Tourism

A tender, flavorful Cornish game hen is the perfect addition to any holiday meal table, especially when barbecued to perfection. Memphis BBQ pitmaster Desiree Robinson (the first Black woman inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame) put these sauce-slathered hens on the menu at her Cozy Corner restaurant back in the day, and the rest is history.

Put The Cozy Corner's Barbecued Cornish Game Hens on your Memphis must-eat list.

Ribs

Corky's BBQ / Via Memphis Tourism

A huge slab of slow-smoked ribs would make an impressive centerpiece to your Thanksgiving table, whether they’re covered in a special Memphis spiced dry rub or brushed with a tangy barbecue sauce.

It takes time to smoke the meat and perfect the rub recipe, so if you don't feel like doing all the work yourself, Corky's BBQ in Memphis will gladly deliver their world-famous ribs right to your home!

Chicken Wings

Riko's Kickin' Chicken / Via Memphis Tourism

Move over, turkey legs! In Memphis, chicken wings are a delicacy, and frankly, they're appropriate for every occasion. In fact, Memphis is the official hot wing capital of the South and home to the annual World Championship Hot Wing Contest. Be honest: If you sat down to Thanksgiving dinner and saw a pile of wings on the table, you'd go right for them, wouldn't you?

If you can’t wait until you visit to get messy with Memphis wings, get some signature Memphis Honey Gold sauce from Flying Sobie’s Hen House and have sauces shipped straight to your doorstep!

BBQ Nachos

Charles Vergos' Rendezvous

Nachos are delicious no matter what's on them, as long as you get that satisfying chipful of tasty toppings and melty, gooey cheese. But if you really want to up your nacho game, try topping your nachos with some delicious barbecued pulled pork! It's the perfect addition to your holiday meal plans.

Or you can skip all the hard stuff, order from Charles Vergo's Rendezvous in Memphis, and get your own box of BBQ Nachos (including the famous Pancho's Cheese Dip) delivered anywhere in the US!

Fried Chicken

Gus's Fried Chicken / Via Memphis Tourism

Not that into turkey? You can't go wrong with classic, timeless fried chicken. There are hundreds of ways to make it, but in Memphis it’s all about Southern seasonings, crispy fried skin, and juicy, tender meat.

Few do this better than Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, so add a pilgrimage to the Downtown Memphis Gus's to your Memphis food bucket list!

Pulled Pork

Central BBQ

It's pork shoulder that's been expertly seasoned with a yummy blend of herbs and spices, then slow-roasted to absolute perfection. The result is a piece of meat so tender, you can shred it with a fork. Memphis pulled pork is a drool-worthy dish that will definitely turn heads at your next holiday meal.

Order some pulled pork from Central BBQ in Memphis. They'll ship it right to your door!

Fried Catfish

The Fourway / Via Memphis Tourism

Bring a little bit of soul to your next holiday meal! Catfish is a soul food staple, and for good reason. It's a sweet, mild fish that absorbs flavors easily. When prepared properly, the result is a crispy on the outside, moist and dense on the inside piece of culinary perfection.

Now that you're in the mood for soul food, plan a trip to the historic The Fourway in Memphis so you can try some yourself!

BBQ Spaghetti

The Bar-B-Que Shop/Justin Fox Burks / Via Memphis Tourism

Yeah, that's right: BBQ spaghetti! It's a Memphis take on a traditional Italian pasta dish that involves spaghetti noodles, a tomato-based seasoned barbecue sauce, and delicious, slow-roasted pulled pork. It's everything you love about spaghetti and everything you love about BBQ all rolled into one delicious dish!

Authentic Memphis BBQ spaghetti must be eaten at the source, so be sure to add The Bar-B-Shop to your eating itinerary. If you can’t wait, order some Dancing Pigs seasonings and BBQ sauces delivered right to your door!

A Giant Hamburger

Shawn Danko/Kooky Canuk

Y'know how you always stuff yourself more than the turkey at Thanksgiving dinner? Well, you can do that same thing, but with a gigantic hamburger! Because when you're eating a hamburger on Thanksgiving, you might as well go BIG.

Try it at home, but be sure to add the Kookamonga Challenge to your Memphis bucket list!

Beef Brisket

Getty Images

You’ve eaten corned beef and pastrami, but barbecue brisket is a little different. It's a tender cut of beef that requires long, slow cooking times to properly tenderize (we're talking up to 12 hours, depending on the weight of the meat) and special barbecue seasonings. But it's totally worth the wait, because there's nothing quite as amazing as a perfectly smoked barbecue brisket!

Order some genuine Memphis BBQ Beef Brisket from Interstate BBQ and get it delivered straight to your doorstep!

Add some genuine Memphis BBQ to your holiday table this year, and start building a travel food bucket list for your next trip to Memphis!