Worth the Drive
Mud Creek Barbecue 804 County Road 213, Hollywood, AL (256) 259-2493 Hours: Tues. – Sat., 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hollywood
Mud Creek: Barbecue the way grandpa cooked it
W
hat’s in a name? Shakespeare questioned whether a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I similarly wondered if lunch at a place with mud in its name could be very tasty. But that’s my job, to drive around the state and answer critical culinary questions such as these. So I set out on a Sunday to dine at Mud Creek BBQ in Hollywood, Ala. And the answer to my musing? Yes. Yes it can. While mud, or dirt of any sort, is a bit unappetizing, Mud Creek BBQ takes its name from its waterfront location, right on an offshoot of the Tennessee River called Mud Creek. And the place has been where it is, doing what it does for so long, that most people in the area probably never think twice about the name. They only think about the food. And it’s definitely worth some thought. So long ago that the exact date has faded from memory, co-owner Billy Carver’s grandfather started a fishing camp and boat rental operation in the spot where the restaurant now sits. It went bust and closed, but years later, when Billy’s dad got out of the Navy in 1946 following World War II, he and Billy’s grandfather tried again, opening a shop selling boats and boat motors with a restaurant alongside it. This time it worked, and Mud Creek BBQ has been serving up some of the state’s tastiest ‘cue ever since. While many revolutions and evolutions in cooking have swept the restaurant biz in the decades since Mud Creek opened, Billy’s voice has just a tinge of boasting in it when he speaks of his oldfashioned methods. “We still do our barbecue the way my granddad did,” he says. “We burn hickory down in 55-gallon drums and then use the coals to hickory smoke our meat. Not many places still do that.” The mild, tangy sauce is a throwback too, made from a recipe gleaned by Billy’s Uncle “Shorty” from some cooks in Hawaii while he was staJennifer Kornegay is t ione d t here in the author of a new World War II. children’s book, “The Alabama Adventures Chopped B osof Walter and Wimbly: ton butt on a bun Two Marmalade Cats on is prob ably t he a Mission.” She travels to an out-of-the way most-ordered menu restaurant destination in item. A pickle and Alabama every month. She may be reached for comment at a mound of Mud j_kornegay@charter.net. Creek’s unique take 30 may 2013
on cole slaw complement the succulent meat. “Our mustard slaw is very different,” Billy says. And very good. The other must-try is Mud Creek’s ribs. “We started doing them just a few years ago, but we do them just like the butts, and they are excellent,” he says. In the early 80s, Mud Creek branched out a bit and started serving catfish they bring in from the Mississippi Delta, and while folks seem to like it, Billy doubts it will ever overtake the barbecue and certainly not on his list of faves. “My favorite thing around here is cooking the barbecue on Tuesdays and Fridays,” he says. “We’ve always done that, cooked twice a week. We’ve got a real faithful group that comes in on those nights. They know, like I do, that there’s nothing better than getting our ‘cue straight off the pit. It’s good all the time, but it’s something special then.” Billy’s love affair with barbecue has been simmering since he was a boy. He grew up in and around the restaurant. “We even lived in the back of the restaurant for a bit when I was real young,” he says. The current regulars he mentioned, and those from years past, all share his passion for pig, which sometimes saved his mama some time. “I can remember growing up that the town doctor was best friends with my granddad, and he came in every Tuesday and Friday to eat our barbecue,” Billy says. “So if I was sick on one of those days, I would get a house call. Mom would say, ‘Well, doc will be here in a bit; he can check you out then.’” With food so good and a water view to match, Mud Creek has no trouble making friends, and you’ll usually find it pretty packed with both old and new pals, some coming from as far away as Georgia and Tennessee just for the barbecue and maybe the slaw. (The hushpuppies are fine eatin’ too.) Earning these loyal customers and treating even first-timers like family are points of pride for Mud Creek. “We’re very much a family restaurant and work to be affordable and have a friendly atmosphere,” Billy says. “That’s how we’ve always been.” Indeed, for many in the area and beyond, Mud Creek’s name has become synonymous with doing things right. So the next time someone tells you “your name is mud,” just smile. You got a compliment. A
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