In our constant search for great BBQ, Tom and I recently ate at Haymaker Barbeque in Harrogate, Tennessee.  We drive by it all the time, but the rangers have never had anything good to say about it.  Hearing that it was under new management, Tom and I decided to try it.

I couldn’t find any history about Haymaker Barbeque, so I don’t know if it really is under new management.  All I know is that it was here two years ago and it is still here.  The restaurant is located next to Hardees.  I should say, it was located next to Hardees.  Hardees was recently demolished and is being built again.  This makes dining outside at Haymaker less than ideal.  There was lots of dust and noise.  The day we ate there, they were using a concrete saw on the foundation of Hardees.

Based on all that, and the fact that the temperature was in the high 90’s, we decided to eat indoors where it was cool and clean.  The menu was simple:  pulled pork, brisket, pulled chicken, smoked sausage, and catfish.  You can get each meat as a sandwich or as a meal.  The meal includes hush puppies, meat, a side, and a drink.  Choices of sides were coleslaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, baked beans, fried okra, and fries.  I ordered a pulled pork meal with potato salad.  Tom got a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw.

The pulled pork was very good and we had a choice of sauces.  I enjoyed the sweet sauce.  Tom tried the spicy sauce and said it tasted just like the sweet sauce.  The hush puppies were stale, although they had a good taste once you got past the texture.  The potato salad wasn’t really good but the coleslaw was excellent.

We enjoyed our meal at Haymaker Barbeque and would eat there again when we are in the mood for barbeque.  I would skip the hush puppies and potato salad and try a different side.  I would also like to try the brisket and Tom would like to try the catfish.

Haymaker Barbeque isn’t the best barbeque we have had, but it is the best in the tri-state area.  It is a good place to go if you want to enjoy some classic barbeque.