Thompson Brothers BBQ (Smyrna, GA)

2445 Cobb Parkway SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
770-818-9098
http://www.thompsonbbq.com/

After a week on vacation and out of the country, the Georgia Barbecue Hunt is back! We couldn't wait to get back to what we love, and that's good BBQ. For our next stop we headed over to Thompson Brothers in Smyrna. This Oklahoma family has been serving BBQ here in Georgia for the last couple years and have made quite a name for themselves lately, so we decided to give them a visit.  

When we first arrived Wednesday night around seven, this place was empty...literally. We were the only people there besides the cashier and cooks in the back. This usually doesn't speak well for any establishment, BBQ or not. The cashier was extremely cordial, not very knowledgeable about any of their BBQ techniques, but very courteous nonetheless. I spoke to him a little while about how all of the brothers were originally from Oklahoma, but now they all reside in Georgia for the sake of Thompson Brothers BBQ. One of the brothers even had a football career at the nearby University of Georgia. After talking to him for a little while, he suggested the "whole nine" since it was my first time visiting. The meal includes chopped beef, a pork spare rib, bologna, beef sausage, and baked beans. I'm not sure what Oklahoma's deal with smoked bologna is, but it was included so I didn't complain. We found an open seat (anywhere) and then eagerly waited...

We actually waited a good ten or fifteen minutes before our food was served. This makes me a little hesitant for the simple fact that there's no preparation involved with fresh BBQ. You slice it or chop it, put it on a plate, and it's done. If there's a long wait then they're either very busy or they're heating up your food. I could only guess which category our plate fell under. When the food finally arrived we were pleasantly surprised by our portions. For ten bucks you get more than your money's worth. The mound of chopped beef is piled on top of a few slices of bologna and placed in between a soft white bun. The chopped beef unfortunately, was old and flavorless. The same could be said about the brisket. None of it was fresh. I'm not saying it was yesterday's food, but it definitely tasted like it was. There's a difference between something that's a couple hours old and then brisket that's been in the refrigerator overnight and reheated. The sausage was decent. The ribs were pretty salty and tasted like they'd also been out for a little while. There was no smoky flavor on anything we had. Instead of being stuffed with fantastic BBQ, I ended up just indulging in the bologna sandwich. We couldn't take anymore of the beef, even doused in any of their sweet sauces. 


The folks at Thompson Brothers that we talked to were great. They love BBQ and we wish them the best. Unfortunately, the food was below par this time around. On to the next stop...

Heirloom Market (Atlanta, GA)

32243 Akers Mill Road

Atlanta, GA 30339

770-612-2502

http://www.heirloommarketbbq.com/

Heirloom Market...finally, we meet. Known locally as a small place getting big attention, this has been on my list for quite some time now. It's hard when you walk into certain restaurants with such great expectations. I'm often let down more than satisfied. It's a lot like when someone tells you "It's the best movie ever!" More often than not you'll leave wanting your money back. I hate to be so pessimistic but that just seems to be the way it goes...well, for me at least. 

We arrived on Friday at 7PM for dinner. The set up at Heirloom is a little different. It's right next door to a convenience store and seating is limited. I counted fourteen chairs total including the large family style table. It's the type of place that you'd like to be a regular. They buy all of their meats and vegetables locally and are extremely proud of that (as they should be). The staff is warm and friendly and does a good job of trying to make you feel at home. Heirloom Market has two head chefs, Cody and Jiyeon. Cody, who's Texas born, provides the traditional BBQ experience and knowledge. Jiyeon is a South Korean native and helps give Heirloom an Asian twist that sets it apart from traditional BBQ joints. Together, they've created a wonderful thing. We watched the regulars order (who were often greeted by name) before finally placing our order...the Texas Trinity. With a name like that, it had some big shoes to fill. This combo came with brisket, pork spare ribs, and beef sausage. I've heard good things about the mac 'n' cheese here so we made sure to include as well as the baked beans. Our order arrived about five minutes after placing.

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I couldn't help myself. Initially I dove straight for the brisket. Wow. It had a good smoky crust and was tender enough to pull apart with your hands. I was very pleased with this selection. They offer a couple different sauces here to complement your meal. The settler, table, and Korean sauce are offered daily, while "Hotlanta" was the sauce of the month. The settler is more of a vinegar sauce. The table sauce (our favorite) was Memphis style, being more tangy and sweet than the others. The Korean sauce was a little different, but spicy and sweet. Lastly, the Hotlanta sauce tasted like a spicier version of the table sauce. Sauce is all about personal preference, and they have some good options here.

Next we tried the Texas style beef sausage. This place was now two for two. I felt like I was back home for a second. Great brisket. Great sausage. It was juicy but not greasy. It had a good snap and great flavors. Even after recently visiting the mecca of Texas BBQ in Lockhart, Jamie and I were both impressed with their offerings here at Heirloom. The downfall came at the spare ribs. These were the first ribs we've had on the Georgia BBQ Hunt that were actually over smoked. You don't really see it that often in Georgia because of most establishment's reluctancy to give meat the smoky flavor it deserves. These ribs however, were bitter due to the amount of smoke absorbed. It's hard to really describe meat that's been smoked too long, but you'll know it once you have it. All you can taste is bitter, heavy smoke. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone that thinks 95% of the places we visit don't smoke their meat enough here in Georgia. I will say that they were tender though and I'd honestly like to go back to try them again. The last meat we tried was the pulled pork sandwich. This was another homerun. The pork was very tender, and had a ton of flavor. There wasn't a lot of bark, but that was easily overlooked once you try it.

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I have a confession to make about the sides here at Heirloom. The confession is this. We liked the mac 'n' cheese so much here that we actually went back up and proudly ordered another helping. It was like going back for seconds at your favorite family dinner. The noodles were properly cooked and baked with a mixture of cheese that literally leaves you wanting more. It wasn't too cheesy and wasn't too dry. It was some of the best mac 'n' cheese we've had to date. The only place I can think that compares right now is at Grand Champion in Roswell. The baked beans weren't my favorite and tasted a lot like ranch style beans more so than baked. The beans were also a little too hard which could mean they just weren't cooked enough.

We highly recommend visiting Heirloom. Great staff. Delicious food. Fair prices. Despite the ribs being oversmoked, this has been one of our favorite stops so far.

The Georgia Barbecue Hunt continues...