Iron Pig BBQ & Stew (Jefferson, GA)

121 Epps Street
Jefferson, GA 30549
706-254-5622

Just as we were leaving Cabin Creek BBQ and on our way to our next BBQ destination, something caught our eyes driving through Jefferson, GA. It was a huge locomotive smoker that was part of some type of BBQ complex. I immediately pulled a u-turn to take a closer look. When we parked in the gravel lot, I noticed the enclosed cinder block pit smokehouse in addition to the gargantuan steam engine smoker. We had arrived at Iron Pig BBQ & Stew. I'd heard the name before, but only as a competition BBQ team. Over the loud speakers you could hear the funeral of legendary UGA Bulldog announcer, Larry Munson. This was like some kind of BBQ oasis. There were a couple of picnic tables available, but most of the locals were there for the take-out. After taking a closer look at both of the smokers, we excitedly stepped up to the Christmas light adorned shack and placed our order.

The menu items here are few including ribs, pulled pork, and chicken. I love ribs and had good luck at Cabin Creek so we ordered half of a rack and some pork sliders. We quickly found out that Iron Pig sells out of their ribs by lunchtime every day so we were out of luck. We went with the only other two meats left, the pulled pork and chicken half. The staff here was extremely courteous and let us know that if we call ahead of time we can always reserve some of their pork ribs.

Cabin Creek BBQ Co. (Nicholson, GA)

199 Memorial Drive
Nicholson, GA 30565
706-757-2267

We made a little day trip recently to Cabin Creek BBQ Company in Nicholson, GA. If you don't know where Nicholson, GA is, that's ok...neither did we. It's in the middle of nowhere just north of Athens (which is also in the middle of nowhere). If you make this day trip, make sure it's on a Friday or Saturday because otherwise you'll leave empty handed. Cabin Creek opens its doors Friday and Saturday only.

When I pulled up, I parked right outside their screened in smokehouse. There were a couple Ole Hickory smokers inside from the best I could tell. There was also a stick burner in the back that wasn't getting any use at the moment. The dining room was less than half full. I counted fifteen people, most glued to the silent TV which was playing some insignificant Division 2 college football game. Jamie and I placed our order of St. Louis style spare ribs, brisket, pulled pork, coleslaw, mac 'n cheese, baked beans, and Brunswick stew.

We tried both the mild and hot BBQ sauces while we waited for our meal. Both were sweet and tangy with flavors of ketchup, vinegar, and cayenne pepper. I'd consider it "Memphis Style" if you needed to put a label on it. There wasn't a strong difference between the mild and hot sauce that we could tell. We waited about five minutes before our BBQ platter showed up. Initially, the food looked fantastic.

Upcoming GBH Stops...

Here's a list of some of the stops we've got our eyes set on in the near future:

Old Clinton's Barbecue House (Gray, GA)

Two Brothers Bar-B-Que (Ball Ground, GA)

Rick's Smokin' Pig Bar-B-Que (Gainesville, GA)

Fresh Air Barbecue (Bogart, GA)

Rolling Bones BBQ (Atlanta, GA)

Hambones BBQ (Hapeville, GA)

Briar Patch BBQ (Hiram, GA)

Big D's BBQ (Cumming, GA)

Ms. Betty's House of Ribs (Atlanta, GA)

Rib Ranch (Marietta, GA)

J.R.'s Loghouse (Norcross, GA)

Smok'n Pig (Valdosta, GA)

4228 North Valdosta Road
Valdosta, GA 31602
229-245-8227
http://www.smoknpig.com/

If you've ever headed down I-75 to Florida, then you've probably seen the signs for Smok'n Pig in Valdosta. Not far off the exit, it's becoming somewhat of a tourist attraction and a popular BBQ stop in southern Georgia. I was recently traveling on business and made the stop to this BBQ destination that I've passed so many times before.

The interior reminds me a little bit of an overgrown Sonny's BBQ. Maybe it has something to do with the salad bar, but that was my initial thought when walking in. The hundreds of colorful neon spring break inspired t-shirts inside let everyone know that you were there first (think Salty Dog Cafe, Pineapple Willy's, Fudpuckers). I didn't buy one, but maybe next time. I sat down to a surprising myriad of different BBQ sauces. I counted six just at my booth and there could have been others at different tables. If you've got a sauce preference, then Smok'n Pig's got you covered. I went through them one by one with the hot, sweet, Carolina vinegar, original, mustard, and sweet and spicy. I was pretty impressed with all of them while no one stood out more than the other.  

I ordered my meal from one of the many young local female waitresses that seem to be everywhere here. Chopped pork, brisket, spare ribs, baked beans, and mac 'n cheese would do just fine on this day. And yes, it also came with the salad bar. I'm not sure where full salad bars fit into BBQ yet, but I'm leaning towards it being unnecessary. 

Country's Barbecue (Columbus, GA)

6298 Veterans Parkway
Columbus, GA 31909
706-660-1415
http://www.countrysbarbecue.com/

In my first visit to Columbus, GA I decided to stop at Country's BBQ on Veterans Parkway. The original location opened up in the 70's not far down the road off of Mercury Drive. There are multiple locations now earning them the title as one of the most popular (never to be confused with the best) BBQ stops in Columbus. When I first walked in, you definitely get the feeling that this is a chain restaurant. It's well decorated, has a large area for seating, and is pretty clean. None of these things are bad things by any means. Columbus locals might disagree and say that there are a handful of better spots for good BBQ if you're visiting for the first time. It won't be my last visit to this city, and I plan on trying them all (yes Steven Hartsock, even Chicken Comer).

Country's offers a couple different sauces here. The easiest way to describe them is that the lighter the sauce, the hotter. The lightest sauce is a spicy mustard sauce that tastes a lot just like yellow mustard with some extra cayenne pepper. The darkest sauce is sweet and tangy sauce with some light ketchup and vinegar flavors. They also have a medium sauce which is basically just a mixture of the two. I preferred the middle sauce this time, but that's just me.



Dry?

For my meal I ordered the spare ribs, chopped pork, brisket, BBQ coleslaw, and baked beans. I will say this about Country's...they do use smoke on their meats. The bad news was that there wasn't a whole lot of flavor besides that. In my chopped pork the big pieces of bark tasted more like bad burnt pieces of meat than a nice slow cooked crust. It reminded me a lot of Williamson Brothers in Marietta. My guess is that they cook this meat a little faster and hotter in order to get this kind of crust on it. Cooking your BBQ "low and slow" will hardly ever give you that burnt pork chop taste on your bark, especially if it's seasoned well. The brisket was really dry and didn't have any real flavor profile besides the burnt tasting bark. The pork was actually pretty moist, but like the brisket had more of a grilled taste than smoked. Keep in mind, I'm someone who loves the bark on pulled pork and brisket burnt ends. I wasn't too impressed with the ribs either. They were pretty flavorless and unappealing. The BBQ coleslaw is watery, vinegary, but has a little kick at the end. The baked beans are extremely sweet and have a heavy ketchup aftertaste.

I don't think I'll be trying the other Country's locations. I feel like it would be a good family spot though with their various menu items. After all, I have heard great things about their chicken fingers and salads...

Community Q BBQ (Decatur, GA)

1361 Clairmont Road
Decatur, GA 30033
404-633-2080
http://www.communityqbbq.com/

Our visit to the last piece of the Sam and Dave's puzzle is now complete. We've visited Sam's BBQ 1, Dave Poe's BBQ, and even BBQ newcomer, Grand Champion. All of these restaurants somehow had their hand in Sam and Dave's BBQ located in Marietta at some time or another. All of these restaurants are successful at what they do. Two things that they all have in common; They love their Southern Pride smokers and they all pretty much use the same mac 'n cheese recipe. There are a couple different stories out there, but the most popular one is that when Dave Roberts left Sam and Dave's to start Community Q, owner Sam Huff accused him of stealing his mac 'n cheese recipe. To any of you who haven't tried this recipe...yes, it's worth confronting someone about. Dave Roberts was flabbergasted that Sam would even accuse him of "stealing" his very own Grandmother's family recipe. So he did what anyone would do. He published the recipe online for the whole world to have. Problem solved. For anyone that's interested in trying, I've posted the recipe below courtesy of AJC blog, Access Atlanta.



We visited Community Q on their second birthday/anniversary. That means we got a free t-shirt and the crowd was a little larger than usual. I made sure to get there pretty early. They're located in a shopping center (another thing all of these Sam and Dave brethren have in common) in the trendy area of Decatur. I ordered the sausage and brisket while Jamie ordered the spare ribs and pulled pork. Our sides included the famous mac 'n cheese, coleslaw, baked beans, and Brunswick stew. One thing to note is that in addition to the regular menu items, they also offer locally grown produce and homemade desserts.

When our food arrived it looked simply amazing. Jamie and I both sampled the spare ribs first. These ribs were perfect. They were smoky, seasoned, tender, and flavorful. They were gone before you knew it. The sausage we had is not homemade, but it's a close second being ordered from nearby Czech sausage company, Patak Meats. It wasn't too greasy and had great flavor. The pulled pork was also cooked perfectly. It didn't have a ton of smoke flavor, but it was juicy and tender.

One thing to note about the pulled pork is the extra step they take of wrapping in plastic wrap as soon as the pulled pork is done. This allows the meat to rest, redistributing all of the flavorful juices, while also keeping it tender. When it's ready to serve, it's like it just got out of the smoker. It's a great trick if you're having trouble with your pork drying out on you before serving. The brisket we had was solid as well. It had a nice beef flavor, but was just a tad overdone.

As for the sides...this mac 'n cheese is phenomenal. It's creamy, cheesy, thick, warm, and eats like a meal. I can certainly see why so many other restaurants use it. I would too. It's the best mac 'n cheese we've had to date. The baked beans were my ONLY complaint here. They were watery, undercooked, and had a weird, greasy flavor. Also, look out for the huge pieces of onion floating around. The coleslaw or Brunswick stew is also a great option here. 

We highly recommend Community Q to any BBQ lover. They've got a good thing going and we hope their success continues. They proudly join Fox Brothers in our Hall of Fame.
Community Q’s Three Cheese Mac and Cheese

Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 1 hour Serves: 4


Salt
1 (16-ounce) box rigatoni noodles
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
4 ounces grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper (if desired), to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat and season with salt. Add pasta and cook until just tender, about 12 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain well in a colander without rinsing.
Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add half the cheddar, Monterey Jack and Parmesan, reserving the rest for the top. Add heavy cream and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.


Transfer the noodle mixture to a medium buttered gratin dish or casserole. Sprinkle remaining cheddar, Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses on top. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool slightly before serving

Smokejack BBQ (Alpharetta, GA)

29 South Main Street
Alpharetta, GA 30009
770-410-7611
www.smokejackbbq.com

Smokejack BBQ is a cool little place in old downtown Alpharetta. I'm not sure where modern-upscale fits in the world of BBQ, but that's the best way to describe it. If dive BBQ joints are your thing, then I would definitely suggest going elsewhere. I've actually eaten here a couple times and never been too impressed, but who knew...maybe this time would be exceptionally different.

We ordered some fried pickles to start and split a three meat combo. None of the food here comes cheap. The "Mojo Combo" sets you back right under $18. We picked the pulled pork, brisket, and turkey for our meats. For the sides, we opted for baked beans and coleslaw. Smokejack does have some interesting sauces here though including a white Alabama-style sauce, a Carolina mustard sauce, a KC style sauce, and their Pasilla sauce which left the worst aftertaste in my mouth...maybe hints of cinnamon? Your best bet is probably the KC sauce.     

The brisket was a crumbly mess. Not much flavor here and fell apart when you picked it up. Strike one.

The turkey was more grilled than smoked. It even had the grill marks on it. I was looking forward to some good smoked turkey on this chilly day, and this was way off the mark. Even the texture was rubbery. Strike two.

The last meat that just might offer up some BBQ redemption was the pulled pork. After all, Georgia LOVES pulled pork done right. Unfortunately, this came up short as well. There wasn't a lot of flavor here and was kind of just a mushy, microwave-tasting mess. Strike three for Smokejack. There might be a crowd for this "upscale" BBQ, but I'm currently not part of it. The sides didn't do much for this below-average meal either.

This $18 dollar meal wasn't worth half the price. I hate seeing establishments charge top dollar for bottom shelf goods. I'd like to see Smokejack take a little more pride in their BBQ, but unfortunately I probably won't be back to see.

DBA Barbecue (Atlanta, GA)

1190 North Highland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30306

404-249-5000

http://www.dbabarbecue.com/

Doing business as...barbecue. This Florida Gator haven has a love for smoked meats and obviously takes it seriously. With their restaurant only being open a couple years, they have moved up quickly through the ranks as one of the Atlanta public's favorite BBQ joints. When we recently showed up for a Georgia BBQ Hunt stop, it was a rainy Monday night and the smell of smoke was in the air. There wasn't a huge crowd here, but there really wasn't a big crowd anywhere in the Virginia Highlands area. As soon as I walked in I spoke with the man at the front of the restaurant who I quickly learned was the owner, Matt. Matt has a love for BBQ that was easily recognized within the first couple of minutes of talking to him. He was kind enough to take me on a tour, proudly showing off their new Southern Pride smoker that had recently arrived to accommodate the ever growing business at DBA. Once he finished showing me around and talking BBQ, Jamie, John, Staci, and I sat down to enjoy some of DBA's best.





Between all four of us, we ordered their highly touted smoked wings, brisket, sausage, and all you can eat rib tips. There was no way we were leaving hungry. For our sides we went with the fresh green beans, mac 'n cheese, and baked beans. I've heard first rate things about their brisket and I have to say that it was pretty darn good. It had a nice thick bark with good smoky beef flavor. The pieces I got were pretty thick, but the brisket was cooked well enough that it didn't matter. It went fast. No sauce needed here. I was a little let down with the sausage though, which isn't made in-house. It's halved and then finished on the grill which I feel leaves it a little dry. The flavor was decent but I've definitely had better sausage elsewhere. I still appreciate the fact they offer it though considering brisket and sausage rarely make an appearance at most Georgia BBQ restaurants.

The wings that we tried are first smoked and then finished in the deep fryer. The texture on these wings is perfect. They weren't overcooked and had a nice crunchy exterior. I was just a little disappointed that there wasn't more smoke flavor evident. If I would have known prior, I wouldn't have been able to tell you if they were smoked or not. The rib tips were average considering it's really hard to make exceptional rib tips. We definitely took full advantage of the "all you can eat" option though. As far as the spare ribs went, they were fresh, smoky, tender, but a little underseasoned. I'm not sure how long DBA has had their new Southern Pride smoker, but they certainly have their cook times figured out already. Our sides were average and didn't really add anything or take away anything from the meal.


One of the things worth noting at DBA is their offering of moonshine...yes, moonshine. This is something that really sets them apart from any of the BBQ restaurants that GBH has visited. They have everything from apple to lemonade flavors depending on your preference. We tried some of the Georgia corn moonshine mixed with Whynatte. I can honestly say it tasted 100 times better than it sounded and was a great end to a great night. The food here is good and the atmosphere and hospitality just makes the experience even better. These guys at DBA have a love for BBQ that I hope continues to power their success in the Atlanta area. I wouldn't be surprised if their food gets even better next time we visit.

Fox Brothers BBQ (Atlanta, GA)

1238 Dekalb Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307
404-577-4030
http://www.foxbrosbbq.com/



It seems like every great and sometimes every not so great BBQ place has a story worth telling. This story started in Texas. Two brothers, born and raised in Texas, moved to Georgia out of college. After putting together annual BBQ house parties for friends, they eventually started selling the near-famous BBQ at Smith's Old Bar once a week. The food was instantly a local hit and not long after, Fox Brothers BBQ was born.

When I first walked in, I instantly liked the style of this place. I'm ok letting you know that beforehand. I always want BBQ joints to succeed and live up to high standards, but at the same time it's all personal preference. The whole premise for my blog is personal preference and finding your best BBQ. Hopefully I can lead you in the right direction though. If you don't agree or like it then you can leave a comment, stop reading my blog, or even start your own. It won't hurt my feelings. It's all in the spirit of finding great BBQ though, and that's what I aim to do. The Fox brothers are proud of where they came from and I like that about them. The walls in the restuarant are sporatically covered with Texas state flags, vintage Lone Star beer signs, and sports memorabilia. It really feels like like Justin and Jonathon Fox made a cool place that they could hang out with their friends that also happens to serve BBQ. The Georgia BBQ Hunt team would shortly find out how good this BBQ was though. We walked in at about 8 PM on a Thursday and there was a pretty good crowd. We ordered a couple of Lone Stars while we perused the menu and hoped that the Fox Brothers reputation would be well fulfilled.

There are a couple of things that I had to try and you don't see very often here in Georgia. The first is Frito Pie. For those of you who have never experienced this treat, it's usually just Frito chips topped with chili, cheese, and onions. There are a ton of different variations but most all of them will include that. The other item offered is "Foxaroni." I've honestly never seen this anywhere and I'm a little surprised. It's simply Brunswick stew mixed with mac 'n cheese. I'm sure we've all had this by chance at one time or another mixed on a plate, but this side was an intentional marriage of two of the best BBQ sides you'll find. For our appetizer we ordered a half order of fried pickles and a half order of fried jalapeños. For a couple dollars, these lightly battered and fried veggies didn't disappoint. We tried our best to save most of our appetite for the "Everything Plate." In addition to the Frito pie and Foxaroni, we ordered the Fox Brothers homemade pork sausage, fried ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. 

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The first thing that I'll say is that the Texas boys sure know how to cook some brisket. You'll be hard pressed to find better brisket anywhere in Georgia. The fat was properly rendered throughout the flavorful, tender meat all surrounded by a thick salty bark. There was a distinct, but not too heavy, smoky flavor present as well. I felt like everything really paled in comparison to the brisket we tried. And not because any of it was below average, but because they do such a good job with their brisket. The ribs were crispy and juicy, but still had a great pork flavor. The pulled pork was tender and smoky while the homemade sausage had a nice snap and wasn't too greasy. I was happy to see these guys live up to their reputation. They can hold their own anywhere, and I expect to see big things ahead for the Brothers Fox. I will definitely be back soon to sample some of their other specialties such as the smoked wings. Well done, gentlemen.  

Dave Poe's BBQ (Marietta, GA)

5660 Whitlock Ave.
Marietta, GA 30064
770-792-2272
http://www.davepoes.com/

There was a time when Dave Poe's BBQ, Community Q, and Sam's BBQ 1 all lived together harmoniously under one roof at Sam and Dave's BBQ. Those days are over, but it doesn't mean that it's not for the best. We now have three different locations to experience equal but different, consistent BBQ. We made our first stop of the three to Sam's BBQ 1 last month, and it was now time to pay our respect to Dave Poe's BBQ (formerly Sam and Dave's BBQ 2).

Personally, I really wish these guys would abandon the idea of shopping center BBQ facilities. I feel like it takes away from the overall experience and doesn't give them enough credit. Their business can stand alone just by serving BBQ and so should their restaurant. There are most certainly BBQ joints deserving of being hidden in a strip mall somewhere but that's not the case here. With that being said, Dave Poe's BBQ is almost identical in appearance to Sam's BBQ 1. The color scheme might be a little different but that's about it. When you walk in you're immediately faced with a number of their local awards for competitions as well as for their restaurant. It was lunch time on a nice Saturday afternoon and this place was packed. I was worried that I wouldn't have a place to sit which would certainly be a problem because I was hungry and planned on trying everything they had available. I finally ordered my meal which included pulled pork, sausage, pork spare ribs, brisket, baked beans, and coleslaw.

Due to the busy crowd, I waited a good fifteen minutes before my number was called and my food was ready. I didn't mind since it probably meant that this BBQ was guaranteed fresh. As I waited I noticed the owner, Dave Poe, walking around and talking with every table there to make sure they were enjoying their meal. Many he personally knew and many he did not. I love seeing owners take the time to interact with their customers when possible. And I don't mean just stopping for a second at each table with the obligatory "how's everything?" and then moving on before you even get a chance to respond. 

I first tried their pulled pork. It's spot on. The rub and smoky flavors went nicely with the tender pieces of properly pulled pork. Sam's BBQ 1 and Dave Poe's pulled pork are almost identical...and this is a great thing. They both were in business together and managed to perfect pulled pork so I wouldn't expect anything less. The brisket was also better than average. It didn't have the dark bark that I am very fond of, but the meat was cooked properly and very enjoyable. The low points of the meal were the sausage and spare ribs. I was lucky enough to get an end piece of the rack which was very dry and almost inedible due to the lack of meat. The sausage was nothing much more than anything you could find at your local Kroger, Ingles, or Publix. I did thoroughly enjoy the coleslaw here at Dave Poe's. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but it was simple and fresh. It complemented the baked beans well. Good baked beans and coleslaw is one BBQ pairing that's tough to beat.

The sauces here are a little different than Sam's BBQ 1. There's a strong vinegar sauce as well as a tomato-based Memphis style sauce, but no mustard sauce. Most of the meats weren't in need of any sauce, but just in case you've grown fond of the mustard sauce at Sam's, don't expect it here at Dave Poe's. All in all, Dave Poe's reminded me a lot of Sam's BBQ 1. If I would've visited Dave Poe's first then I would say the same thing about Sam's. Both places have great pulled pork. I wasn't too impressed with the sausage or ribs here today though.

Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q (Cumming, GA)

3130 Ronald Reagan Blvd. Cumming, GA 30041
678-845-1565
http://www.jimnnicks.com/

I'm not big on chain BBQ restaurants. They get a bad rap...and usually for good reason. I'd like to make an exception to this rule, and that would be Jim 'N Nick's BBQ in Cumming. We decided to give them a shot last weekend on our way to Helen for Oktoberfest. It was the smartest decision I made that weekend.

It was around 11:20 when we pulled in to Jim 'N Nick's. There weren't many people there, but I know we were pretty early. You could smell the smoke from the smokers as soon as you pulled in. We walked in, were greeted, and then promptly seated. If you've never been to a Jim 'N Nick's before then you're in for a treat while you wait for your food. They have some of the best complimentary corn muffins available. I recommend asking for honey butter as well (if you're into that sort of thing). I'm not sure where honey butter topped corn muffins fall in the scope of BBQ, but I'm not making any formal complaints. The only warning I'd give is that you need to be careful because I could easily fill up on these things alone. After a couple baskets of corn muffins (I wish I was exaggerating), we placed our orders. Jamie and I would split the three meat combo which came with pulled pork, brisket, pork back ribs, and beef sausage. Our sides included baked beans and mac 'n cheese. I more often than not ask for my sauce on the side. I like to really be able to taste the BBQ sans sauce first. Many times the sauce can complement the meat, but I prefer to be the judge of that and not some line cook.

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When our food came out the first thing I noticed was that it was drenched in sauce...perfect. Don't get me wrong, Jim 'N Nick's has great BBQ sauces. I just would've preferred it on the side. I kindly notified the waitress who in return unkindly gave us some attitude to go along with the overly sauced meat. We were in a hurry so I opted not to make a big deal out of it, and we tried to enjoy our meal. All meats had evidence of quality smoke. The pulled pork was better than average, but not the best I've ever had. The ribs were also just "pretty good." On the other hand, the brisket and sausage were fantastic here. They home make their sausage at Jim 'N Nick's which definitely surprised me. The sausage had nice flavor, texture, snap, and smoke. The brisket wasn't too dry where it crumbled, but wasn't too tough either. We thoroughly enjoyed both beef products. The sides were both good, but also forgettable.

When we left we decided to speak with the manager to let him know how our experience went. I'm never one to make a scene or embarrass anyone at a restaurant, but we just wanted to make sure they knew how their customers are treated. This is where Jim 'N Nick's really impressed us. A gentlemen by the name of Chad Reynolds came out and expressed to us how much he regretted what happened. He was very sincere and did everything he could to make sure we would hopefully return to Jim 'N Nick's. Chad had no idea that I review BBQ, but he still treated us like we were their most important customers. We appreciated it and will definitely return if ever in the area.

The Jim 'N Nick's in Cumming has above average BBQ and above average management. It's a solid option at any location we've tried so far.