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...