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You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Food / Charlie Vergos RIP

Charlie Vergos RIP

by DougJ|  March 30, 201012:50 pm| 32 Comments

This post is in: Food

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We’ve had a lot of discussions of barbecue here, but I didn’t know this about the origins of Memphis dry rub:

Mr. Vergos, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Greece, opened the Rendezvous in 1948, selling ham and cheese sandwiches and beer. His signature pork ribs, charcoal-grilled, basted with vinegar and sprinkled with what has come to be known, in popular parlance, as dry rub, came later, around 1954 or 1955.

When barbecue obsessives talk about the dry rub style, often referenced as the Memphis style, they’re talking about the style that Mr. Vergos forged, by sprinkling ribs with his variation on a Greek seasoning mix.

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32Comments

  1. 1.

    cleek

    March 30, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    dry rub.
    heh.

  2. 2.

    twiffer

    March 30, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    i’m not catholic, but damnit, the man should be sainted.

  3. 3.

    DFS

    March 30, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    Not bad. Given a choice, I’ll always go for dry ribs, they taste great and they don’t wind up all over your shirt.

  4. 4.

    Cat Lady

    March 30, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    @cleek:

    Beware of Greeks bearing dry rub.

  5. 5.

    Pigs & Spiders

    March 30, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    Damnit, why would you post something like this at lunchtime! The HUMANITY!

  6. 6.

    SadieSue

    March 30, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    Sort of OT (but not really as this is a pet loving blog) – I was just reading the NYT story on the Hutaree arrests http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/us/30militia.html?src=me&ref=general & noticed this:

    By Monday, the Stones’ house stood empty, its front door ajar and two dogs still tied up in the muddy yard, which was littered with dilapidated furniture, a washing machine and tires.

    I’m hoping these dogs have already been rescued, but if they haven’t any ideas on what I/we could do?

  7. 7.

    cyntax

    March 30, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    Best damn ribs I ever had. And the double thick Kilpatrick’s bread they put underneath to catch the drippings… words fail.

    Have to toast the man when I get home tonight.

  8. 8.

    gwangung

    March 30, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    Drool. Drool. Drool.

  9. 9.

    Captain Goto

    March 30, 2010 at 1:11 pm

    One year on vacation, my brother-in-law handed me a rack of ribs, a jar of dry-rub and a bottle of Stubbs BBQ sauce, pointed me at the grill and said (more or less) “Put this on the ribs, fire up the grill, put the ribs on the grill and turn them every five minutes.”

    Then he took my old man in tow and went out on his boat to go fishing off Nantucket.

    Maybe someone else more assertive would have told him to go pound sand, but it was a new thing to try for me, so I turned those damn ribs religiously for 45 minutes.

    When they got back, the ribs were on the table…my old man, G*d rest his soul, walked up to the table, and started digging in.

    I couldn’t even get him to sit, he was so fixated on chowing down. I think he didn’t even want to take four seconds out of feasting, to find a chair and a plate.

    I must have bugged my sister for six months about where they got that dry rub. They never got around to telling me.

  10. 10.

    cleek

    March 30, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    @Captain Goto:

    “Put this on the ribs, fire up the grill, put the ribs on the grill and turn them every five minutes.”

    that’s a lot easier than my method:
    marinate overnight
    wrap tightly in foil
    cook for 3 hours @ 250
    cool in the fridge
    toss on a smoky grill for 10 mins, just before serving.

    they fall right off the bone, but it’s a 2 or 3 day process.

  11. 11.

    Andrew

    March 30, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    Ribs are the only kind of BBQ I can’t successfully create at home. My pulled pork and brisket are better than anything you can get in restaurants. But I simply can’t make a great rib.

  12. 12.

    cincyanon

    March 30, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    Cincinnati got its unique Cincinnati Chili from a Greek immigrant as well. Who else would think of throwing cinnamon and chocolate into a chili poured over spaghetti noodles.

  13. 13.

    Captain Goto

    March 30, 2010 at 1:31 pm

    @cleek-

    As per your testimony, most rib methods I’ve heard tell about always sound pretty time-intensive. In retrospect I’m amazed that they came out so well.

  14. 14.

    Steve Steffens (LWC)

    March 30, 2010 at 1:35 pm

    As a Memphian, I can only smile and remember the times I have been there.

    He did invent dry ribs, but the irony, of course, is that since those ribs were cooked over charcoal and not a wood-fired flame, it’s technically NOT barbeque. They’re still mighty fine.

  15. 15.

    Drew

    March 30, 2010 at 1:48 pm

    @cleek:

    Yes, you have created good food, but not barbeque…

    Drew

  16. 16.

    Andrew

    March 30, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    @cleek

    Good ribs should never fall right off the bone. That’s the difficulty in a perfect rib. It needs to resist the teeth, but not too much.

  17. 17.

    Church Lady

    March 30, 2010 at 1:56 pm

    Charlie hasn’t been around for quite awhile – he has suffered from Alzheimers for quite a number of years now. Have no fear – the Rendezvous will still be around, as his three children have continued to run it. The funeral was today at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church and I’m sure it was standing room only. He was a very good man and a great Ambassador for Memphis. He will be missed by many.

  18. 18.

    Paul in KY

    March 30, 2010 at 1:59 pm

    SadieSue, those aren’t mere ‘dogs’ they’re ‘Silver Gunners’.

    Do hope they are being taken care of (debriefed, returned to ‘dog’ status, etc.).

  19. 19.

    Jager

    March 30, 2010 at 2:14 pm

    I was raised on “wet” barbeque. During WW2, my Dad was stationed at Laurinburg-Maxton in NC, My Yankee Mom rented a room in a gracious old southern house and spent her days learning how to cook southern style from her landlady’s cook-housekeeper. Lessie taught my Mom how make pecan pie, sweet potatoes southern style, fried chicken and every kind of barbeque you can imagine. My Mom’s wet ribs were over the damn top! Only ones I’ve ever had that were close was at Mom’s and Pop’s in Indianapolis.

  20. 20.

    asdf

    March 30, 2010 at 2:20 pm

    “cincyanon
    Cincinnati got its unique Cincinnati Chili from a Greek immigrant as well. Who else would think of throwing cinnamon and chocolate into a chili poured over spaghetti noodles.”

    Buddy, if you are going to make a dish with chocolate, noodles and cinnamon, could you please call it something other than chili?

    OK, if I ever get up that way I’ll try what you guys are calling chili. Sorry, I grew up in Texas where it’s a sin to beans in and I do. So, I have no room to call foul.

  21. 21.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    March 30, 2010 at 2:32 pm

    Dammit I clicked here thinking this was another Republican sex club story.

  22. 22.

    Mnemosyne

    March 30, 2010 at 2:56 pm

    People do sometimes forget how deep our immigrant roots are and how many “all-American” things are actually based in the culture that someone brought over here. Sort of like how Dick Dale used the Lebanese music of his youth to create the California surf music.

  23. 23.

    SadieSue

    March 30, 2010 at 2:57 pm

    @Paul in KY:
    Snerk!

    KRK (I think?!) gave me the number of the local animal control so I’ll give them a call to see if these loyal members are being debriefed. I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that after the raid everyone took off leaving dogs tied up & alone. Even if the dogs are dangerous, they should be left to die. /head cold fueled rant

  24. 24.

    SadieSue

    March 30, 2010 at 3:00 pm

    @SadieSue:

    Urg – head cold strikes again. That should read “…they should NOT be left to die”. Word press wouldn’t let me edit it.

    FYWP

  25. 25.

    SadieSue

    March 30, 2010 at 4:22 pm

    Here’s the update – the humane society just called me back. Their understanding is that the Federal government will be taking care of the Hutaree dogs so I told the woman who called that the news story seemed to indicate that after everyone left, the door to the home was left open & that the dogs were still tied up at the house. She said she’d let their dog officer know & he’ll check on them to make sure they really are cared for. Whew – I feel a lot better.

    And thanks to all the BJ commenters for inspiring me to ask about this!

  26. 26.

    Pennypacker

    March 30, 2010 at 4:35 pm

    Rendezvous was the best BBQ I’ve ever had.

  27. 27.

    psycholinguist

    March 30, 2010 at 4:52 pm

    “but the irony, of course, is that since those ribs were cooked over charcoal and not a wood-fired flame, it’s technically NOT barbeque. ”

    Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell does “technically not BBQ mean?”
    As someone who spent a lot of time in that Rendezvous basement I can tell you these are NOT grilled ribs (that’s all i can figure you mean) they are indeed BBQ. Those ribs sit about 4 feet off the charcoal, which, if you stomp around Mississippi/west TN/Alabama, is the prefered method of cooking BBQ, whether it be shoulders, Boston butts, or ribs (we don’t do much beef around here). Suspend that meat over direct heat, usually charcoal, far enough away that your temp at the surface of the meat hoovers around 250-275, but close enough that you get a nice bark on that meat. And, we will tell you, that the advantage is that fat drips down on the fuel and creates an incredible smell and flavor as it passes across the meat. Most people who try Smoking with a separate wood heat source and smoke usually produce undercooked, slimy, creosote flavored yuck. I can do it both ways (and I got the trophies to prove it) but give me the Memphis method any day.

    If you want to recreate these ribs, get out the big weber and create an indirect charcoal fire on one side of the grill, and put the rubbed ribs on the other. Keep that heat below 300, crack open the first of a 12 pack, and let the good times roll – in about 4 hours when the beer is done, the ribs will be done, and they will be tender, but not steamed (wrapping in foil is so wrong, just boil the damn things why don’t you).

  28. 28.

    Craig

    March 30, 2010 at 5:23 pm

    A moment of silence is perhaps in order.

    For anyone interested in replicating the Rendezvous style, Steven Raichlen gives an excellent recipe in “BBQ USA.”

    My own sensibilities run towards spareribs* with a lot of sauce**, but I know a classic when I see one.

    *Tenderness is overrated in ribs. A good rib should have _texture_ rather than be completely mushy. The flavor of spareribs is also superior.

    **I cure overnight with a spice rub, spray with a vinegar mixture while cooking, and serve bowls of heated sauce on the side.

  29. 29.

    KevinNYC

    March 30, 2010 at 6:18 pm

    I was not a fan of Rendezvous when I went to memphis.

    I really did enjoy Cozy Corner though.

    Memphis is the only Southern Barbecue capital I’ve been to, but I can’t imagine any Southern joint beating the Texas BBQ around Austin.

  30. 30.

    psycholinguist

    March 30, 2010 at 9:04 pm

    Sounds like a failure of imagination. go to Leathas down in Hattiesburg and you will have your mind blown. Pork is king.

  31. 31.

    hamletta

    March 31, 2010 at 1:55 am

    I’ve always been partial to the lamb ribs.

    It’s interesting that Cincinnati chili was dreamed up by a Greek immigrant. We had some old chili parlors here in Nashville called Varallos. I think they might have been Greek immigrants, as well.

    I can understand Texans’ devotion to their canonical ideal of chili, but its broader definition fed a lot of people by being cheap and tasty.

    I think at this point, “chili” means as much as “stew” when it comes to defining, well, anything.

  32. 32.

    Drew

    March 31, 2010 at 12:04 pm

    @KevinNYC:

    But you have never been to Sweatman’s in Eutawville, SC… that is the epitomy of bbq… whole hog cooked over oak…

    @psycholinguist:

    Yeah, the “Texas Crutch” is becoming more popular, but I would rather have the meat on the grill, over the fire instead of the foil mucking it all up!

    Drew

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