American foods
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00:00Happy 4th of July from Brooks and Christy here at Smoky Mountain Faith Food and Fun.
00:05As a nation of immigrants, so many great foods have made it into our everyday lives that
00:10were brought from somewhere else.
00:12Over time, these foods have become popular here and woven into the fabric of what is
00:16considered Americana.
00:19From hot dogs and hamburgers to apple pie, sit back and relax as we show you the top
00:25ten all-American foods for us here in the Smokies.
00:43Number one is the hot dog.
00:46Americans eat over 150 million every 4th of July.
00:52It's hard to find a better hot dog than Dolly's famous Slaw Dog at Frank Allen's
00:56Grill in Sevierville.
00:58A local landmark since 1961, the hot dog here is loaded up with onion, chili, and that family
01:05recipe slaw to make the perfect hot dog.
01:09Frank's family still comes in every day to make the slaw themselves, setting this
01:14apart from any other hot dog in the Smokies.
01:17The hot dog itself has achieved icon status, and speaking of icons, can we just vote, Dolly,
01:24for president in 2024?
01:27At the beginning we noted that we were a nation of immigrants, so where did we get the hot
01:30dog?
01:31A German immigrant in Coney Island, New York named Charles Feldman.
01:36He did it for convenience so that beachgoers would have affordable food that didn't require
01:40plates or silverware.
01:43Last year alone, Americans spent a whopping $8 billion on the hot dog.
01:57We don't just have one place for the favorite hot dog, we have two.
02:01Welcome to Red's Soda Fountain in downtown Sevierville.
02:05The hot dogs here are absolutely wonderful.
02:10They are steamed in the old-fashioned steamer along with the buns, quarter pound, made any
02:17way you want them, whether you want them American style with ketchup, mustard, onion, and relish,
02:21or you want a slaw dog with chili or cheese, they've got it here at Red's.
02:28Remember I mentioned that Americans eat 150 million hot dogs on the 4th of July?
02:34Stacked end-to-end, those would go from Washington D.C. to L.A. five times.
02:42Number two is the most popular food in America, the hamburger.
02:50You can't talk about burgers in the Smokies without talking about Chubbies.
02:55A family-run business that started out in a gas station and has now expanded to its
02:59second location here at the restaurant.
03:02The Chubby Burger has to make this list because we're talking about a half-pound burger, hand-padded,
03:08topped with bacon, slow-roasted pork, barbecue sauce, grilled onions, and smothered in cheddar
03:14cheese.
03:15I mean, look, it takes a knife just to hold it up.
03:19Now the burger originated in Hamburg, Germany, but it started here in Wisconsin in 1885,
03:26and the burgers that Americans eat in one year could circle the globe 32 times.
03:33Or with a man-sized burger like the Chubby's Burger, maybe it would cut it in half to only
03:3816 times.
03:46Not just one, but two burgers made our favorite list here in the Smokies.
03:51The second one is here at Junction 35, Distillery and Kitchen.
03:57This is such an awesome place for you to dine if you're out in the Mountain Mile in Pigeon Forge.
04:13This is the J35 Burger.
04:15It is a smash burger with two smash patties, pimento dip, bacon jam, lettuce, tomato, sauteed
04:22onion, and J35 sauce, and look at that gorgeous bun.
04:31Do you have a favorite burger in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, or Sevierville?
04:35We would love to know about it.
04:36Tell us down below in the comments what your favorite burger is in the Smokies.
04:43Number three is Succulent and Saucy Ribs.
04:53Our first choice for ribs is taking us back to Sevierville, to Winfield Dunn Parkway,
04:59to Tony Gore's Smoky Mountain Barbecue, and let me tell you what, everything that you're
05:05going to get here is fantastic.
05:08But my favorite thing are those absolutely amazing fall-off-the-bone ribs.
05:16They are tender, juicy, and full of so much flavor.
05:21You just absolutely cannot go wrong with Tony Gore's ribs.
05:30Speaking of ribs, how about Corky's Ribs in Pigeon Forge?
05:34Corky's has some of the best ribs anywhere, and speaking of that, they'll even ship these
05:38ribs to you anywhere in the country.
05:41Corky's is Memphis-style barbecue at its best.
05:45When you think Memphis-style, you think pork, and you think dry rub, and you think sweet
05:49sauces.
05:50Well, at Corky's, Muddy is the way to go, because they're using both their signature
05:55dry rub and their sweet sauce for a rib that has the best of both worlds, flavor and texture.
06:03Did you know that ribs are so popular today that 40% of all casual dining restaurants
06:08in the U.S. have ribs on their menu?
06:18You know that Corky's had to be included on this list because Christy does her famous
06:23fork twirl, but a rib twirl?
06:26Oh yeah, she does it, because these are just that good.
06:38Coming in at number four, who doesn't love a good chicken wing?
06:45For favorite wings, Brooks and I agree hands down that the best wings in the Smokies are
06:51going to come from Trotter's Whole Hog BBQ, where they are smoking them fresh every day.
06:58This place has become like home to us, and we love it.
07:02They have six different sauces to choose from, and the wings are huge, beautiful, and juicy.
07:14While we love Trotter's, we've got to give a nod to the first plate of wings that was
07:18served in 1964 at a family-owned establishment in Buffalo called the Anchor Bar.
07:25Since then, wings have taken on a life of their own and popularity all across America.
07:31Chefs and food inventors all across the land pride themselves in creating unique and flavorful
07:36sauces to please the masses of Americans who eat, listen to this, 1.45 billion wings every year.
07:46So when you're in the Smokies and you're craving some wings, we highly recommend that
07:50you go downtown Sevierville to Trotter's.
07:53You will not be disappointed.
07:59Number five is meatloaf, and we're not talking about the Rockstar.
08:07Our first choice for meatloaf is going to be at Puckett's in Pigeon Forge.
08:13Puckett's is a great all-around American restaurant that serves barbecue as well as
08:18good old Southern home cooking.
08:23Look at that plate of Southern comfort food.
08:26The Puckett's meatloaf is house-ground, slow-smoked meatloaf, and it is finished off on the grill.
08:34It's got onions and mushrooms and that wonderful brown gravy, and of course, with mashed potatoes.
08:42It is one of my very favorite meatloafs that I've ever had anywhere.
08:48This one definitely gets a pork twirl, maybe two.
08:58Going back to Trotter's because if you've not had the smoked meatloaf from Trotter's,
09:03you are missing out.
09:05This recipe actually comes from the chef's mother, and it's finished off with a house-made
09:11tomato jam, done on white bread with Duke's mayonnaise.
09:16This is a meatloaf sandwich that's just good old comfort food.
09:21Who doesn't remember their mom fixing meatloaf and having leftover meatloaf sandwiches?
09:25Well, I'll tell you what, they have elevated it, and it's so good here at Trotter's.
09:31Meatloaf originated from Dutch and German immigrants, and it was Depression-era food
09:36just meant to make their resources stretch.
09:39Well, today, as we mentioned, meatloaf is becoming a more elevated dish as chefs find
09:44new ways to prepare it, and National Meatloaf Appreciation Day is October 18th.
09:54Up next at number six is a Southern American tradition, fried chicken.
10:01For both Brooks and I, there is just one place for fried chicken in the Smokies, and that
10:07is Mama's Chicken Kitchen in Gatlinburg.
10:10In fact, our whole family agrees this is the only place that you're going to find the most
10:17amazing fried chicken.
10:19It's crispy, juicy, full of amazing flavor, and those biscuits and jam, you can't beat
10:25those either.
10:28While Scottish immigrants are credited with bringing fried chicken here, it was made popular
10:32as a Southern staple by a colonel in Corbin, Kentucky.
10:42Coming in at number seven are those addictive round pastries with a hole that we call donuts.
10:50There is only one place for donuts in the Smokies, and if you know, you know, because
10:55it's tucked away back here in the village in downtown Gatlinburg.
11:00The oldest shop in the village, the Donut Friar, open at 5 a.m. daily, they've been
11:06making these great pastries since 1969.
11:10You're going to want to get here early, because the cinnamon twists, and even just the plain
11:15cake, they go pretty quick.
11:17But those are two of our favorites, and we usually like to take those and have a little
11:22donut picnic right up the road at Minot Park.
11:28When we say they're doing it old school here, we're not kidding around.
11:32It is cash only, but there is an ATM on site for you.
11:43We would love to know what your favorite donut is if you visited the Donut Friar, and babe,
11:50I think it's time for another one of those donut dates.
11:59Coming in at number 8, Subs.
12:08Hometown Heroes is a family run business that gives back in the local community to
12:13veterans, first responders, and local law enforcement.
12:16The restaurant is no frills, but pays homage to those who have served our country in order
12:22to protect our freedom, and it shows all over the walls.
12:26They just recently opened a second location in the Arts and Crafts community up in Gatlinburg.
12:32Two of our favorite sandwiches here are the Beef and Cheese and the Italian Sub, the original
12:38Sub sandwich.
12:39The Beef and Cheese is done on a hoagie roll with roast beef, pimento cheese, and a bacon
12:44habanero jam.
12:46Christy loves the Italian Sub, she always just gets it on the hoagie roll, but they
12:51do that on an Herb Focaccia, it's got ham, salami, capicola, provolone, pepperoncinis.
12:59They've got a signature sauce with zesty Italian dressing as well.
13:03These are two of the best sandwiches here in the Smokies, and that's why we've got to
13:07give a nod to Hometown Heroes.
13:10So if you're in Sevierville or Gatlinburg looking for a great sandwich, Hometown Heroes
13:15is the place for you.
13:21Hidden away in the back of a shopping complex in Pigeon Forge is Pigeon Forge Deli.
13:27In fact, this Sub shop actually made our top five hidden gems in the Smokies.
13:34Everything here is handmade for you, in front of you, with fresh made bread daily.
13:39They do have several different kinds of bread.
13:42I'm trying the BLT here and it is so good and toasty and delicious.
13:50And I also want to do a special mention of the pretzels.
13:54Gotta have a pretzel when you're there.
14:01When it's available, the pot roast sandwich is always the way to go for me with au jus.
14:07But I say pot roast sandwich.
14:10We say subs.
14:11Submarine, Heroes, Hoagie, Grinder, Po'boy, Rocket, Torpedo, Dagwood, Hero, Zeppelin and
14:18If you're in Boston, for some weird reason it's called a Spooky.
14:21So what do you call it?
14:23Let us know in the comments below.
14:29Number nine is good ol' Macaroni and Cheese.
14:36Our first pick for best mac and cheese is going to take us to Townsend, Tennessee, which
14:41is also known as the peaceful side of the Smokies, to the Apple Valley Cafe.
14:48This is such a awesome, laid back, but delicious little cafe that you don't even know is there
14:56unless you know.
14:58If you know, you know.
14:59I was so surprised at how amazing that this baked mac and cheese was with several cheeses.
15:06It is just like your mama made or maybe your Grammy made.
15:10And isn't mac and cheese just truly the ultimate comfort food?
15:17You just can't go wrong with that ooey gooey cheesy goodness of the macaroni and cheese
15:23at the Apple Valley Cafe.
15:25You gotta get some.
15:30Lookie there, it even got the famous fork twirl.
15:45Back over in Pigeon Forge, we gotta go into Puckett's to get our second favorite mac and
15:49cheese, which comes out to you served in a cast iron skillet, piping hot.
15:55It's white cheddar mac and cheese.
15:57And instead of the traditional bread crumbs, they top it with biscuit crumbs.
16:03This mac and cheese is simply to die for.
16:06And it is truly the ultimate comfort food done the Southern way while Christy twirls
16:12that fork.
16:15Last but certainly not least is that good old all American apple pie.
16:22We are headed back to the Apple Valley Cafe and General Store in Townsend or the peaceful
16:28side of the Smokies to get their famous fried apple pie.
16:33Nope, this is not your traditional apple pie.
16:36This is even better.
16:38These are huge handheld pies with a nice brown crispy crust lightly dusted with cinnamon
16:46sugar and the inside is flaky and you have these wonderful bits of apple throughout the
16:54inside.
16:55It is just the perfect balance of apple flavor and it is delicious.
17:02We couldn't stop at 10.
17:07We've got an honorable mention, corn dogs.
17:11For more than 40 years, anybody who's been walking up and down the strip in Gatlinburg,
17:16you can smell it.
17:17Go to Fanny Farkles, you gotta get an Ogle Dog.
17:21This is our honorable mention.
17:25So if you're coming to the Smokies for the 4th, you know about the Midnight Parade in
17:29Gatlinburg, the first and one in the nation.
17:32Of course, Patriot Park is going to have a big concert, fireworks later.
17:37No matter what you're doing, we hope it's a happy and safe 4th for you all as well.
17:42If you like the video, give us a thumbs up, make sure you're subscribed to the channel
17:46and of course, make sure to hit that notification bell so you know when we've got new content
17:51posted.
17:52But for Christy and Brooks, we just want to say, God bless you, we love you, and we can't
17:57wait to show you what's next.
18:00And God bless America.