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Ask the Memphian: Who created barbecue nachos? It’s a question that will rile some folks up

By , Daily Memphian Updated: September 30, 2025 1:55 PM CT | Published: May 12, 2025 4:00 AM CT

Everyone agrees that barbecue nachos originated in Memphis, but who actually gets the credit for creating the dish?

In this week’s installment of Ask the Memphian, we thought we would try to settle that question once and for all.

But this is Memphis, where folks take their barbecue at least as seriously as they take their cholesterol levels. And frankly, probably a lot more seriously. So we will lay out what we discovered, and perhaps that will be the end of the argument.

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Germantown Commissary Barbecue nachos Memphis Redbirds barbecue The Rendezvous Subscriber Only Ask the Memphian

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Jody Callahan

Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.


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