Due South, Christianburg, Virginia

I was driving down I-81 as an Official Victim in the famed I-81 Truckers’ Traffic Obstruction Competition, in which the crown goes to the driver who can cut into the left lane at the bottom of the longest hill and downshift to the slowest speed. As fascinating and expert as the competition was, I broke off at Christianburg to check out Due South Pit Cooked BBQ, filled with hope that the meat actually would be cooked with wood over a pit, and be eligible for certification by the Campaign for Real Barbecue.

Due South is a pleasant, homey place.

Attached to it is the Pig Pen, a small addition with a retractable wall next to the outdoor seating.

The Pig Pen offers live music at times and I don’t know what else. And the interior is comfortable.

Off to the right Due South has a largish TV diplomatically tuned to sports channels.

I entered, looked around, and went to the counter where I ordered the daily special, a quarter pound of pork on a bun with a soft drink and one side for $9.99 plus tax and tip. I chose collards.

Now that’s more than four ounces of pork. That’s more like a half pound. And it tasted good. The meat was tender and moist, and it had a good dose of hickory smoke, even though it had been cooked in a gas-assisted contraption. This was a top notch sandwich. They had some “Lexington Sauce” on the table, and I tried some. It had more sugar than pepper, but I corrected that with a touch of Texas Pete, and it worked beautifully.

The collards also were a hit. They had that collard flavor and good seasoning. The collards could have used more side meat, but they were entirely satisfactory, especially with some vinegar. The lynx-eyed among you will note the container of malt vinegar. The idea of malt vinegar on greens had never occurred to me. It worked.

Ah, you noticed the hushpuppies. So did I. You don’t get a lot of hushpuppies in Virginia, but from the ones I’ve had, they’re holding their own. These weren’t quite as good as the ones at Rodman’s, but they were crisp and flavorful. Well done, Due South.

I was pleased with Due South. It was a disappointment not to find another all-wood place, but Due South is far above the average gas-assisted place. They really do get the smoke flavor. I think I’ll add it to my Places to Eat along I-81 list, at least when I get around to posting one. It’s well worth a stop, especially in light of what’s nearby. Stay tuned.

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