Fresh hams cook slowly for eight hours over hickory wood as smoke drifts through Bullocks Hollow in Northeast Tennessee. Its a smell both ancient and alluring. The technique is as old as cooking itself. Gas and electricity play no part. Wood, fire, and smoke are the elements. Pressures to modernize are constant, but labor-intensive tradition prevails at Ridgewood Barbecue near Bluff City. The restaurant has been located at the same spot since 1948, and it has been owned and operated by the Proffitt family all that time. Fred Sauceman tells a story of persistence, respect for tradition, and loyalty to the land. The Proffitts designed their own pits and they created a sauce that only two people know how to make today. Despite its secluded location, diners from all over the world seek out hickory-smoked ham, tomato-based sauce, blue cheese dressing, and swigs of sweet tea.
