Barbecue Showdown in the Smokies: Myron Mixon vs Calhoun’s

East Tennessee icon Calhoun’s is facing a challenge from BBQ legend Myron Mixon BBQ Co. in Gatlinburg

Before there were reality cooking shows and competitions in grocery store parking lots, there was a single restaurant in West Knoxville with a handful of smokers and a dream. It was the fall of 1983 and Calhoun’s was about to take off like a rocket. They took the show on the road to The National Rib Cook-Off in Ohio. That’s where the folks behind Calhoun’s won the right to call their ribs the best in America.

I mean, this competition was in Ohio, which is not exactly known as a bastion of barbecue. But Calhoun’s had the legitimacy and the game plan to become the biggest duck on the East Tennessee Barbecue pond.

Today, there are nine Calhoun’s locations – two in the Smokies – and Calhoun’s remains the biggest player in the game.

But a challenger has arrived in the Smokies, backed by another regional culinary powerhouse. Myron Mixon – a partnership by an award-winning, reality show famous chef and Kennedy Concepts – has drawn a line in the Gatlinburg sand. They’ve thrown down the gauntlet and another other cliché you can think of. There’s a new battle for the right to be Gatlinburg’s premier barbecue destination.

Are either Calhoun’s or Myron Mixon the best barbecue in the Smokies?

No, and I say that with love. In my own personal barbecue hierarchy, Calhoun’s and Myron Mixon BBQ Co. occupy a space I call corporate barbecue. That sounds like an insult. But I don’t certainly do not mean it that way. These are large professionally run restaurants, part of a bigger operation. They worry about things like ambiance, having matching tables and lots of big screen TVs and a bar. The menu will have salads, you know?

There are other places in the mountains, less bound by corporate strictures, and frequently run by barbecue artistic geniuses or mad scientists. These are places where the only real goal isn’t profit or expansion. In other words, the real goal is the pursuit of barbecue Nirvana.

Therefore, those places are running a different race than a place like Calhoun’s or Mixon. Therefore, it feels a little unfair to consider them in the same category.

The argument for Calhoun’s

If you’ve grown up in East Tennessee, Calhoun’s is likely part of your history. It’s a place where you mark big events or visit to bond with friends and family. My step-dad and I ate at Calhoun’s on the River before the NCAA Tournament games in 1994. Leslie and I went there on a date after a football game in 1996, walking from the Stadium to Calhoun’s and then hiking up that massive hill on Walnut Street and all the way over to my apartment on 17th.

My oldest daughter Sofia and I would stop at Calhoun’s on our way back from softball tournaments. Last week, after a sports convention at World Fair’s Park, my 13-year-old son – given the choice of any place in Knoxville – chose Calhoun’s. We’ve gone for birthdays and anniversaries and to celebrate. For my family and many in East Tennessee, it’s part of the fabric of our local culture. It’s an institution.

As for the food? It’s consistently good and, if you know what to order, great. It is not, however, the best restaurant in Knoxville or Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg or Maryville. It’s true to what I consider to be the culture of East Tennessee barbecue. The flavor is subtle compared to some. The barbecue is tangy, maybe a little sweet. Whereas some barbecue style don’t really need sauce, Calhoun’s style of East Tennessee barbecue was built to be enhanced by the sauce. You need a bit to make it happen.

Calhoun’s is a barbecue spot first. But its menu is built with the understanding that not everyone in your party is in the mood for the ‘cue. Does anyone call barbecue “the cue?” I feel like I just invented that. I liked it as I was typing it, but now I’m not sure.

Classic apps include the obligatory fried green tomatoes, fried pickles and pulled pork nachos. But better options are their White Chicken Chili and also the Smoked Sausage and Cheese plate with Kielbasa, sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese, pimento cheese, spicy pickles, pickled onions, spicy mustard. If I’m not getting barbecue for a main course, the bacon wrapped beef brisket ends allow me to have the best of both worlds.

Non-barbecue options include six salads as well as fish and chips that I’m told is quite good. My wife likes it. Will I ever go to a barbecue restaurant and order fish and chips? Unlikely. But I won’t judge others for it. Well, frankly I will judge, but silently in my head where only the demons can hear.

Non barbecue options I will consider are the Ale Steak and the Ale Pork Chop. The boy – who battles many food allergies and is therefore a bit picky – loves the pork chop. Our littlest, who does not suffer food allergies but is also picky, swears by hand-breaded chicken tenders. While I’m not base enough to recommend chicken tenders after doing two whole paragraphs on why you shouldn’t order the fish, I will say as far as chicken tendies go, these ain’t bad.

In terms of barbecue, the Trio is popular, possibly because you get some of the famous chicken tendies with ribs and smoked pork so you don’t lose your BBQ street cred. The ribs are award winning, of course. The pulled pork is delicious. The prime rib and prime rib sandwich – both available Fridays and Saturdays only – are top notch.

In terms of sides, everything is good and what you’d expect. But if you don’t order the Spinach Maria, I’m not really sure what you’re doing with your life.

The argument for Myron Mixon BBQ Co.

A Georgia native, Mixon’s competition chops are more recent than Calhoun’s. He’s won a bazillion BBQ tournaments – but how many of them were in Ohio? I find in general his restaurants BBQ is more flavorful, with more smoke flavor than Calhoun’s and I definitely prefer his brisket.

In terms of the overall menu, there’s nothing terribly surprising in the apps. I will say the fried okra was fine. However, I’d like a little more flavor. Additionally, I found myself irrationally irritated by the preparation, cutting the okra in halves the long way rather than in smaller pieces, but that might be a me thing.

Mixon’s Menu doesn’t have as many options if you don’t want barbecue. They have two salads, one of them featuring strawberries which I do not believe have been barbecued. There’s also a cornmeal crusted catfish and a Faroe Island salmon with Cowboy Butter.

Frankly, I was not aware that the Faroe island had cowboys or, for that matter, their butter. Frankly, being neither an expert in the Faroe Islands nor salmon, I Googled whether there are salmon in the Faroe Island and it turns out, there are. In fact, the cold, clean calm waters with strong ocean currents, stable temperatures and a rich oxygen supply make the Faroe Islands Fjords an especially ripe place to raise Salmon. So, there’s that.

In terms of the barbecue itself, I don’t have a strong opinion on whether Calhoun’s or Myron Mixon has a better offering. More research is required so we’ll say for now too close to call. Whie I enjoy the Calhoun’s Kielbasa, Myron Mixon’s Smoked Jalapeno Cheddar really kicks things up a notch. The quarter chicken was moist and tasty. I didn’t sauce it at all, actually, even though I generally like sauce. The Smoked Bologna was fine but I’ve had better. I’d say it’s a skip here and to go to a place that puts a little more emphasis on it.

What does the internet say?

Calhoun’s scores a 4.1 with more than 5,000 reviews on Google. I believe specifically those are reviews of the Gatlinburg location. It got a 3.6 on Yelp!

Myron Mixon BBQ Co. got a 3.7 on Google, with 334 reviews. There are far fewer reviews which can move the score pretty significantly. I think it was over 4 last month. On Yelp? It’s a 3.8 with 86 reviews, up a little from the last time we checked.

I’ve been adding the internet ratings off and on with our restaurant reviews and I wonder sometimes how valuable they are. I suppose I’m no different, a hillbilly with an internet connection and an opinion, but so many of these reviewers seem like they live to complain or want to be the next Anthony Bourdain.

One reviewer – leaving a positive review – called Calhoun’s a hidden gem right out in the open, which is a nifty phrase I suppose. But it’s also 100 percent incorrect. There is no world in which Calhoun’s is a hidden gem, out in the open or otherwise.

And while I’ve never had a bad experience at Calhoun’s, many of the bad reviews focus on bad service or what the reviewer sees as bad service. One mentioned having to wait for a table despite there being several empty. That seems to be a recurring issue at restaurants throughout the Smokies, especially in off hours. Restaurants are either having a hard time staffing up or are cutting back staff at less than peak times. They would rather have someone wait at the lobby until a table with an assigned server comes open than seat them at a table where there are not enough servers to attend to them as would be expected.

Mixon has had quite a few complaints on this front despite having only been open since May. We have experienced a bit of it. On our most recent visit we were seated a few minutes before our server was notified we were there and came and got our drink order. It wasn’t a big deal but since other are mentioning it, it’s at least worth acknowledging.

In terms of sides, they were mostly fine except for the bacon peach baked beans which were excellent, with more flavor than the brisket chili, actually.

We should also mention that Mixon’s is on the second floor. There was a very small elevator that was either not working or I couldn’t figure out how to work it on our latest visit.

Choosing the winner

Going just by the barbecue alone, it’s Mixon even though it pains me a little to say it. The smoky flavor is just more prevalent. I still think Calhoun’s offers the better overall experience with the full menu, the apps, sides and other options. So, the winner is probably Calhoun’s.

The good news for me, as a local, is I can enjoy other Calhoun’s other locations and then try other spots whilst in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. If you have to choose between one or the other on vacation, I could see the value in each. So, if you want to eat like an East Tennessean, Calhoun’s is the spot. If you want to tell the folks back home you tried a celebrity chef’s restaurant while in the mountains, Mixon’s is the place.

The truth is you couldn’t go wrong with either…. as long as you’re a little patient.

Do you have an opinion on Calhoun’s vs Mixon? Let us know in the comments and on the socials!