We are so excited, Pork Barrel BBQ is coming to Alexandria!  And even more specifically, it's coming to our very own Del Ray neighborhood.

But first, a little background.  My parents used to live in Southern Maryland in a community known as Scientist's Cliffs near Port Republic, MD.  Getting there was a straight shot down Rt. 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) with only a slight detour down a side road in Huntingtown, MD.  There, situated between a deserted post office and a Maryland state road equipment yard, in a gravel parking lot, was John's Open Pit Barbecue.

It didn't matter if we were on the way to Thanksgiving dinner or Mom and Pop's annual Fourth of July crab feast, we always stopped at John's.  And it was always the same  - a huge, towering sandwich of pulled pork, full of crispy bits, (topped with coleslaw for Virginia), and hot sauce.

Take out only, you grabbed a huge handful of napkins and headed out to the broken down picnic tables in the parking lot.  There, juice dripping to your elbows, you entered barbecue nirvana.  Turkey, crabs  - oh pshaw - the name of the game was BARBECUE!

In fact, we loved John's so much that when it came time to plan our wedding, we opted for a down home menu with fried chicken, deviled eggs, cornbread, potato salad, coleslaw and BARBECUE!

Sadly, John's closed many years ago.  We have been looking for good barbecue ever since.

And that's why we are so excited about Pork Barrel BBQ coming to Alexandria!  Barbecue, real barbecue, takes time and bears careful watching so we are taking our time with this story.  Be patient - it's worth the wait.

Tomorrow, part two.