Cowboy's BBQ (Covington, GA)

1066 Highway 142
Covington, GA 30014
770-784-1401
http://www.cowboysbarbecue.com/

After no luck finding BBQ anywhere between Atlanta and Augusta on a Monday night, I was able to find a little BBQ spot off of I-20 in Covington later that week. Cowboy's BBQ is easy to miss since it's attached to a small gas station on Highway 142. BBQ might be the only type of food that can be more promising when attached to a gas station. I decided to pull over and give this two year old BBQ joint a try. The stale cowboy decor was a little offsetting at first, but I made sure to try and keep an open mind for their food.

Once inside the faux corny corral, I pulled up a chair and placed my order with the sweet waitress behind the counter. I'd try the baby back ribs, pulled pork, and brisket today. With a name like "Cowboy's" they better have some decent brisket. I ordered my brisket from the moist end to give them their best shot at quality BBQ. I noticed the smokehouse outside that housed either an Ole Hickory or Southern Pride smoker the best I could tell (owner later confirmed it was an end-loading Ole Hickory). I waited about fifteen minutes for my manly meat plate to arrive.

Spiced Right Rib House (Roswell, GA)

635 Atlanta Street
Roswell, GA 30075
678-352-9633
http://www.spicedright.com/

A lot of people ask me how I can eat BBQ every day. It's actually pretty simple...I don't. As much as I wish I could, it's not always possible. This past week I had a craving for some properly smoked meat. Usually when this occurs, I'll hit up some of my favorite spots such as Fox Brothers, Community Q, Heirloom, or G.C. BBQ. I try to keep official "hunts" reserved for other times just in case it happens to disappoint and can't satisfy my "carnivorous craving." It's kind of our rule. If we're craving BBQ, then don't do a "BBQ Hunt." I made an exception to this rule for Spiced Right Rib House to hopefully quell the hunger. We didn't make this exception because we've necessarily heard great things about the Rib House, but it was mainly due to convenience and hunger pangs.

We pull up...empty restaurant. I try to make conversation with the young man working the register. He informs me that he thinks Spiced Right uses pine for their smoking. This can't be true and our small talk is over. If you don't know, pine is considered a resinous wood. These types of woods can burn off harmful toxins or tars in the smoke and thus aren't usually used for BBQ. The smoke byproducts can sometimes cause allergic reactions or just make you plain sick. We placed our order of brisket, ribs, and pulled pork with two Lone Stars and hoped for the best.