Allman’s Bar-B-Q, Fredericksburg, Virginia

I went back to Allman’s at 1299 Emancipation Highway (US 1) in Fredericksburg with an eye to updating my list of the Ten Best barbecue places in Virginia.

Allman’s made that list easily, and you can read a lot of background here, including a discussion of sauces, etc. Briefly, Allman’s is a long-time landmark that had sunk into the mediocracy of gas-assisted cooking until rescued by Matt Deaton. After working at the Skylight Inn and Sam Jones, Deaton returned to Fredericksburg, started cooking exclusively with wood, and is gearing up to cook whole hogs over direct heat.

There’s a lot of history in Allman’s, with old photographs and the original wall menu with the prices mercifully covered.

Since I had more meals to eat, I limited myself to a pork sandwich ($6.75!) with slaw on the side.

Ah, that wood-cooked pork aroma!

Superb. That’s fine-chopped pork with a sweet kiss of wood smoke and rich pork flavor. I had it without sauce because it was just so good.

Allman’s will remain in the Ten Best list, no question. It’s well worth a drive, and that’s saying a lot considering the horrible traffic on I-95 around Fredericksburg. Hop in your car and go!

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