We have already established that, despite being vegetarian for seven years, I really like meat. There are many places in Louisville that serve tasty slow-cooked meat, but I will miss these three most (I don’t frequent each of them to merit their own blog post):

-Hammerheads - beer and meat in a basement. What I love here are the beef brisket or pulled pork sandwiches, the ribs, and if I’m feeling really indulgent, the mac and cheese balls. They also have TVP tacos, so I could eat here before I went completely carnivore.

-Smoketown, U.S.A - I’ve only eaten at the actual restaurant once, but we’ve ordered Smoketown to go a few times. Most recently, Gabe brought home their ribs, which came with two sides and perfect cornbread muffins. Take-out means you miss a chance to shop — everything in the restaurant’s dining room is for sale.

-Feast BBQ - Feast is across the river in New Albany, but it counts as the Louisville Metro area. I like the silver trays, and I like that part of their menu is president-themed. Best of all, they have bourbon slushies.

I see Boston has some barbecue places. They even have a BBQ food truck. We will probably have to take a break from eating lobster rolls and clam chowder to check out some of these places. I hope they have mac and cheese balls.