Luella's Bar-B-Que: Some of Asheville's best BBQ!

Luella’s has long been one of my favorite Asheville BBQ joints.  Oddly enough it seems like I cater from there more than I dine in.  Either way, Luella’s offers some incredible Que to go with their perfectly smoked meats – pork, beef, chicken sausage, turkey – check the menu, it’ll be quicker.  So whether you’re in the mood for pulled pork, brisket, wings or a slab; chances are that Luella’s has what you’re looking for.

I’ve tried many of the various choices and have been very happy with each.  Of course, the choice of BBQ sauces with the ability to mix and match makes eating Luella’s BBQ an even better experience.  I love BBQ and there’s nothin’ better than letting me mix up the sauces.

You’ll have sides to choose from as well.  Once again, Luella’s has what you need and want.  Everyone offers a variety of different sides so here are my favs from Luella’s:

Pimento cheese, deviled eggs, sweet potato chips, slaw, mac’n hoop cheese, fried okra, hush puppies and collard greens – and the collards are some of the best!

The Story
Jeff Miller is Proprietor & Pit Boss of Luella's Bar-B-Que.  The grandson of Luella and father of Luella "Elly", he loves barbecue, restaurants and barbecue restaurants.  Jeff says his 25 year career has taken him into many kitchen where teeth were cut and bones were broken.

Luella’s Bar-B-Que is named after owner and Pit Boss Jeff Miller’s grandmother Luella.  “Grandma Lue” did all the cooking when the family would get together for Sunday dinner and holidays.  Scratch cooking from the garden at its best.  What she handed down was an understanding of how great food is created – honest good cooking, made with a loving hand.

The History

Luella Fern Yoder was born on July 22, 1922 in rural eastern Iowa.  She was one of 8 children growing up on a farm.  Her mother called her “Elly” when she was being scolded for misbehaving.  When Luella was behaving, she married Monroe Yoder on Valentine’s Day in 1943.  Grandpa Yoder raised Hereford hogs in the 1950’s to show at fairs and farm shows.  His grand champion prize hog was named Big Boy.  The mother of 5 children, Luella cooked not only for her family, but also for the public school system.

The Sauce

Every Pit Boss has his/her unique recipe to success and most have a few secret sauce recipes.  At Luella’s, their approach to great barbeque is to create sauces that best complement their perfectly seasoned and smoked meats without overpowering the flavors that they’ve worked so hard to get just right.  They smoke the meat, not the sauce.  The flagship sauces are Sweet Pisgah (ketchup based) and Scooter’s Vinegar Sauce (vinegar based, eastern NC style).  Both of these homemade sauces are gluten-free. Now and then they will create other choice sauces and your server will have the details of what they may be offering. 

The Green Thing

Luella’s is an official member of the Green Restaurant Association!  After months of research, new policy & equipment installations & staff education, their efforts were realized as they were presented with a 3-star certification.  They join a small handful of Asheville restaurants working to make Asheville the greenest restaurant city in the nation. Doing their part by maintaining an environmentally consciousness work ethic is an important piece of their Mission.

If you would like a visual of their achievement, you cannot miss the shiny solar panels happily sitting on the roof!  Sundance Solar Systems worked to make this piece happen. Other changes they’ve made include:

Donate all of the fry oil waste to Blue Ridge Biofuels.

Composting with Danny’s Dumpster has reduced their landfill waste by 50%.

New low-flow faucets reduce water usage by 60% and the rain barrel waters their plants.

Luella’s staff is now sporting organic cotton shirts.

All of the carry-out containers and bags are biodegradable or recyclable.

Motion lighting inside helped to save energy used.

They support local farms, and feature a local meat from Hickory Nut Gap every Tuesday!

Luella’s is also part of the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association.

For complete details visit Dinegreen.com & search Luella’s Bar-B-Que.

Contact Information

Luella’s Bar-B-Que

(828) 505.7427

501 Merrimon Avenue

Asheville, North Carolina 28804

http://luellasbbq.com/