3rd Degree Berns Barbecue Sabbatical

Bachelor Party Itinerary

2011-09-09T15:47:00.003-04:00

In a few days, a group of friends and I will be piling in a RV sporting our 3rd Degree Tanktops dominating some barbecue as we make our way from Dallas to Austin to New Orleans to Memphis before finally settling down in Oxford, MS for the UGA at Ole Miss game. With so much going down over that week, its hard to point what I'm most excited about.

City Market in Luling
Shiner Brewery
Lockhart, TX BBQ
Trying Franklin, Louie Mueller and Coopers in Llano for the first time
Having the guys in the caravan direct the 'butcher' at Opies to what meats we want to eat
Austin
The Joint in New Orleans
New Orleans
Leatha's in Hattiesburg
Dinner in Memphis
Juke joints in Clarksdale (Po Monkeys and Reds)
Ole Miss and the Grove
Rocking to Night Ranger's Sister Christian

Seriously couldn't be more excited. In all honesty, I really hope the wildfires in Austin have been extinguished and that life wasn't too disrupted down there. I will see for myself soon enough.

Day One Itinerary
Day Two Itinerary
Day Three Itinerary
Day Four Itinerary

Smoque BBQ (9/10) - 3800 North Pulaski Road # 2, Chicago, IL 60641

2011-07-18T21:54:00.003-04:00

M: Closed
Tu-Th:11a-9p
F-Sa: 11a-10p
Su: 11a-9p
http://smoquebbq.com/
menu

The team that runs Smoque BBQ in northern Chicago has basically accomplished all the goals that I'd have set out for myself if I ever had the courage and / or was completely burned out on working in finance. After years of slugging it out in the corporate world, I believe the Smoque team's specialty was in the IT arena, the two owners methodically approached the idea of opening a unique restaurant in Chicago. The idea: a delicious barbecue joint (note: I'm not from Chicago nor do I care for the sake of this post if there are existing great barbecue joints in the city). The owners traveled the country trying the various regions approach to barbecuing (would love to cross notes and observations with these two) so they could combine and provide all their favorite attributes to the hometown locals.

To rehash, the owners:
1. Love food, want to bring the goods to the people.
2. Traveled the country eating barbecue.
3. Wrote out a sound business model. As an indication of how sound they believe their approach was, they are shared their manifesto online for all their potential customers. (Anyone with an Manifesto is either ground-breaking, passionate or any other combination of other various descriptions to fit the bill). I'm a 0 or 100mph kind of guy so I applaud their passion towards this venture.
4. Introduced a very solid barbecue restaurant to a city less known for its smoked meat than the other epicenters of barbecue.

A buddy from college got married in Chi-city in May 2010 so I pulled together some troops to venture up to Smoque the early afternoon of the festivities. I had heard enough buzz about this place from other barbecue enthusiasts (not to mention the endless segments on Food Network that tour the Smoque facilities and try to decipher the secret barbecue rub concoction) to know deep down that getting to Smoque and hopefully meeting one of the entrepreneurs that got this place up and running in solid form was objective #1 when I initially booked the trip.

Traffic was brutal on the 90 so we hit up the surface streets in the cab until we finally arrived at our spot. If you're nearby the "L", would definitely recommend taking that up to avoid traffic. While I'd love to dive in and explain why everything was ridiculously delicious, I'd feel unethical about rehashing descriptions that would most likely be best guesses from false memories from over a year past. The brisket was as well executed as any I'd have tried in Texas (still need to get to Franklin but will do in September) and the pulled pork was moist and chalk-full of incredible flavor. Both styles of ribs we tried had an incredible crust and smoke flavor. The entire crowd was very well impressed with all the main cuts of meat (we had a fair amount of midwest and southeast representation in the crew) and I'd really be sadly surprised if any of them didn't make the effort to recreate this trip on any subsequent visits to Chicago.

Barry, one of the owners and regular on-site manager, was an incredibly friendly host who voluntarily sat and talked general barbecue with our table during our entire visit. The only downside to the trip was when he said that while he loved his restaurant and entire experience opening up a restaurant from the ground-up, he at times gets repulsed from the thought of eating barbecue. The the fear of ever over-indulging on barbecue makes me too sad to stomach. It's a good thing I'm moving to Dallas in early August as I'm going to try to dominate that state's barbecue scene in grand fashion just like the Texans would love. Steph, my fiance, on the other hand is probably a little nervous considering that we're basically staring down a one year window until our wedding date. I hope my little heart and body can make it.

Maddy's Ribs and Blues Joint (8/10) - 1479 Scott Blvd., Decatur, GA 30030

2011-07-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

**Word out of Atlanta is that Maddy's recently closed its doors. That makes me a bit sad.**

Kansas City - Gates and Arthur Bryants.
Memphis - Charles Vergo's Rendezvous
Texas - Kreuz and Black's in Lockhart, Salt Lick in Austin, and Coopers in Llano.
Carolina - Lexington #1.

Independent of whether its universally regarded as the best, each region boasts a restaurant or two that is nationally -- and potentially internationally --- famous for barbecue. Each of those restaurant draws tourists, businessmen, and barbecue fanatics who willingly reschedule plans to ensure they make the necessary arrangements to frequent each landmark.

Well it's no secret that Atlanta, or rather Georgia, lacks a big-league player in the barbecue business. Although there are a few regionally recognized barbecue restaurants (i.e., Harold's and Fatt Matts Rib Shack) in the city, neither are attractions that top a tourist's to-do list. It's my goal to search out the best restaurant in the city in search of a hidden gem. Maddy's is a lesser known 'Rib and Blues Joint' whose reputation is starting a stir in the Atlanta (Dekalb) community. I call up Timmy and we head out for Thursday night ribs.

The restaurant has a decent size crowd -- despite the parking lot looking complete desolate in the above picture -- who seem to be enjoying the seemingly all-white band's rendition of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff". Timmy and I peruse the menu and settle on their specialty, a slab of ribs, + pitcher of Magic Hat (first time for Timmy) + half a chicken + Brunswick stew. Although I had heard that the ribs were large enough to resemble something most likely devoured in prehistoric times, we were ambitious and over-ordered. Watching one of the cooks separate ribs with a cleaver only whetted my appetite further.

The Brunswick stew had a fairly good consistency but lacked the kick I had been spoiled by at Harold's Barbecue. Then the plate of hickory smoked ribs appeared. At first glance, the sheer thickness to them escaped me. Further investigation uncovered a second buried line-up of ribs. And these weren't the typical sized baby backs one gets at a typical barbecue restaurant, they were the thickest ribs I've ever seen. The sauce that accompanied the meat was thick and spicy, and the meat, while not easily falling off the bone, was very moist and tender. The sauce on our half chicken was the same that was on the ribs, and the flavors couldn't have matched worse. To make matters worse, the breast meat was very dry, a rare attribute for a slow cooked bird. Maddy's does ribs well, and I suggest sticking with the ribs no matter how intimidating they are.

I would recommend Maddy's to anyone looking for ribs in the local area. They're not perfected like the ones at The Joint or BBQ Shop in Memphis, but they're unique and meaty with a great subtle kick of spice. I took them down a point for the chicken, but the rest of the meal was great.

12 Bones Smokehouse (3/10) - 5 Riverside Drive Asheville, NC 28801

2010-06-20T22:47:00.002-04:00

M-F: 11a-4p
Sa-Su: Closed
(p) 828.253.4499
http://www.12bones.com/
menu

I was talking to a barbecue pitmaster in Atlanta and he essentially instructed me to make my way to 12 Bones Smokehouse whenever I was ever going to be in the Asheville, NC area. He claimed that in addition to having great tasting smoked meat, 12 Bones had some delicious barbecue sauce recipes to take the meal up a notch. My ladyfriend accompanied me on my drive from Atlanta to NYC, and she laid down some groundrules for our upcoming drive: one barbecue joint per day. 12 Bones Smokehouse was added to the itinerary and by the time we arrived a little before noon, a solid line formed out the front door providing assurance that this place indeed had product the locals thought was worth waiting for.

As the name suggests, a typical order of ribs contains 12 blades/ribs/bones. 12 Bones allows its customers to split the 12 rib orders in half, so I decided to sample the Blueberry Chipotle and Spicy Peach BBQ varieties and a pork sandwich. My companion got a BLT (much to my chagrin), perhaps as a subtle objection to the amount of barbecue I've consumed over the past year.

The blueberry chipotle sauce didn't taste anything like chipotle or blueberries, and the spicy peach wasn't spicy nor peachy. In a blind taste test, there would be zero chance that I could have deciphered each rib against the other. They were basically slow smoked ribs with an application of a non-descriptive flavored sugary glaze. It didn't take long before I determined that a disaster of a meal was quickly unfolding in front of me. Shockingly, the pork sandwich was worse. Bread, too firm and thick. Pork, too dry and tasteless. The sweet potatoes were adequate and the vinegary odor emanating from cole slaw was nauseating.

I was alloted one barbecue meal for the day and I blew it. Also, the bacon in my ladyfriend's BLT was delicious, and I was upset about being out-ordered in a barbecue joint. The owners/chefs need to focus less on being creative and put a lot more emphasis on executing the basics when it comes to smoking barbecue.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar (7/10) - 207 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003

2010-06-20T21:46:00.007-04:00

Su-Th: 11:30a-3:30p, 5p-12p

F-Sa: 11:30a-3:30p, 5p-2a

(p) 212.254.3500‎

http://www.momofuku.com/ssam-bar/

When I first moved to Manhattan a few weeks back, a friend and self-proclaimed food connoisseur demanded that I head to the East Village with him to try Momofuku's pork steamed buns. This tasty morsel has basically every attribute that I could dream of in a hand-held pork package. To summarize: the steamed buns were light and delicate, the pork belly was fatty and delicious (and was gelatinous enough to be spread on toast), it was topped with green onions and pickled cucumbers, and customers are provided sriracha to spice it up (yes please). I seriously considered eating nothing but steamed buns but decided the overkill might risk ruining a great thing in the city. The rest of the dishes we shared were done well but nothing highlighted the buns. When another friend recently invited me to return to Momofuku to partake in its bo ssäm, I immediately committed without hesitation.

The step by step process of the bo ssäm goes as follows:

remove a leaf and coat with rice

select an oyster

position the oyster on top of the rice

pull a substantial tong-full of pork from your table's personal smoked shoulder

add pork to the lettuce wrap

top with your choice from an assortment of sauces and kimchis

There was supposedly 10 of us lined up to share the shoulder, but after a few cancellations, the group was narrowed down to 6 (including the "host's" vegetarian girlfriend). I approximated that we probably had somewhere between 1lb - 1.5lbs of pork per person. I was quite surprised to be instructed to add an oyster to the wrap but it provided a nice consistency and flavor I was happy to taste. The pork lacked any natural smoke flavor, but the sugar and kosher salt rub provided a good flavor complex to complement the sauces, rice and oyster in the wrap. Once I took my first bite, there was no slowing me down until I was physically and emotionally incapacitated (I believe I stopped counting after my 7th wrap).

Although the food was difficult to compare against more traditional barbecue meals I've had on my sabbatical, it was still definitely an enjoyable, delicious and memorable experience. I would just suggest going with a group larger than 5 so you don't overeat at one sitting and definitely starting with a few orders of pork steamed buns -- they are a must. And if you depart as full as I was, I suggest not walking by the monstrosity of a pile of pork belly behind the counter at the restaurant's adjourning Milk Bar as it may make you ill.

Dinosaur Barbecue (9/10) - 646 West 131st St., New York, NY 10027

2010-05-11T23:03:00.003-04:00

M–Th: 11:30a-11p
F-Sa: 11:30a-12a
Su: 12p-10p
http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/nycIndex.php
Menu

A recent trip up to NYC provided the perfect opportunity for me to make a return visit to one of my favorite barbecue outfits in the country, Dinosaur Barbecue (originally from upstate NY -- Syracuse). A friend and I rented bikes at 10th St and the West Side Highway and rode our way up along the Hudson River making a pitstop at Tom's Restaurant before reaching our supposed final destination at Dinosaur Barbecue. Our only dilemma is that we began our journey a bit too early in the day and barbecue wasn't to be served for at least a half hour. We had another meal/brunch planned so we had to postpone this barbecue adventure for the next 24 hours.

The next morning I awoke with purpose, and one (not myself typically) needs some motivation to get uptown up to 125th-130th street when there seems to be an unlimited amount of alternatives in such closer proximity in Manhattan. The 1 train dropped me off literally a block away from Dinosaur Barbecue so the effort to get door to door was quite minimal. My bloody mary, pork sandwich, and ribs were all exceptional. The pulled pork tasted like the best batch of home-smoked pork shoulder I could ever dream of making, and the slowly smoked (15+ hours) ribs highlighted Dinosaur Barbecue's great rub flavor and subtle wood smoked flavor.

My appetite was completely nonexistent by the time I had 3 ribs remaining but I still couldn't slow myself down to save some leftovers. By the time my bill came, I had devoured whatever rib meat was remaining and I couldn't decipher between whether I was exceptionally proud of my appetite, excited by haven just eaten a great meal, or embarrassed by how gluttonous I had become over my barbecue sabbatical. Luckily for my health, I decided that this would be one of the final destinations on my barbecue tour.

** Please note that Dinosaur Barbecue carries a fairly impressive and eclectic draught beer menu.

** Also note that I'm moving to NYC in a week and plan on eating at Dino at least 1x a month. Hence, one could argue that I can never escape my undying love for barbecue.

Blue Smoke (5/10) - 116 East 27th St, New York, NY 10016

2010-04-14T00:51:00.005-04:00

Su-M: 11:30a-10p

Tu-Th: 11:30a-11p
F-Sa: 11:30a-1a
(p) 212.447.7733
http://www.bluesmoke.com/blue/
Menu (pdf)

While on my latest escapade to New York, some friends and I made reservations at Blue Smoke -- a relatively upscale barbecue joint in Gramercy that literally stands above a renowned jazz club, the Jazz Standard. I never made my downstairs, but I still liked the vibe of the restaurant -- basically, provide all the elements for our customers to ensure there's at least something for everybody approach. Blue Smoke tries to include the best aspect of the barbecue from each region of the country (Texas, Memphis, Kansas City, Carolinas, etc) to accommodate its customers' needs.

We were seated above the main dinging room on the restaurant's second story balcony and we ordered some drinks from Blue Smoke's extensive and eclectic drink menu. While waiting for my beer, I sampled the sauces and was very pleased by the variety of the two. They both reminded me of my trip through Kansas City: fairly thick tomato-based sweet sauce with a hint of liquid smoke (makes me think KC Masterpiece) but a decent amount of spice that kicks in at the end. Our first order: pork belly on toast, or what Blue Smoke likes to refer to as PBJs. The plating of the dish was a nice touch comparative to more traditional barbecue joints I've frequented. I thought the belly was smoked nicely, and there was a good concentration of fat that matched well with the crushed peanuts and light dressing prepared with the dish. It resembled a PBJ, but with thick cut of bacon fat to get a customer like myself excited. I assume the greens were just for decoration, cause I saved up all my room for the barbecue to follow.

For entrees, I settled on the Rhapsody in Cue: baby back ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken and sausage so I could sample as many of Blue Smoke's smoked meats as possible in the most cost advantageous way ($24 is pricey). My friends (or couple, or married couple, or lovers?) decided to split a rack of Memphis Baby Backs which we hoped would provide enough food for the three of us. While I waited and the alcohol started to ease in, I decided to experiment once more with the barbecue sauces. Instead of the master cleanse, I wish somebody somewhere would finally invent a barbecue sauce cleanse. Maybe I'm looking for the easy way out since I've started, quit, restarted, and quit p90x more times than I care to count. That workout system works for 99.99% of its customers. Not 3rd Degree Berns.

There she is. Good Old Rhapsody in Cue to the left. The chicken was smoked very well, even though I would have preferred the option so I could have only sampled the dark meat. The pulled pork had the best flavor of the plate. I really enjoyed the the few dry strands that I was able to separate from the already sauced mound of pork. The sausage was the least memorable item on the plate while the ribs unfortunately tasted as though they had been glazed throughout the smoking process. I would have preferred ribs that had a dark and thick adhesive bark attached to the meat.

The heavy glazing application was even more evident on my friends' order of baby backs. The meat had spent a long time in Blue Smoke's pit, and subsequently, the fat had been well rendered which made made the meat moist and juicy and easily able to pull off the blade with a slight tug. A slight application of Blue Smoke's Magic Dust took each bite up a notch, and I regretted not taking that action sooner.

Blue Smoke also prides itself on its extensive list of sides so we were hoping jalapeno corn bread, mac & cheese and collared greens would nicely complement our meal. The collared greens were fairly tasty (slightly sour) while the mac & cheese started off incredible in my opinion. Ultimately the thick cheese base resembled Velveeta as the plate cooled, quickly diminishing my affection towards the dish. The jalapeño cornbread appeared to win-out as our highest approved side dish.

When considering eating out in New York, I found it difficult to get excited by this meal that was priced at such lofty levels, especially since I didn't believe the quality of meat mirrored that cost. Don't get me wrong. The food and presentation was strong, it was just significantly overpriced for comparable options, even in the city. There are alternatives inside/outside the city for barbecue (especially if one doesn't have established plans to attend a live jazz session immediately afterwards), so I'd suggest Dinosaur BBQ or Fette Sau: both are more affordable although they're more difficult to reach from Midtown -- but the big kicker is that their food is both a lot better while the atmosphere are more relaxed settings for barbecue consumption.

Bernstein + Isenhour reunions are typically the best, evident by our campaign flyers (enclosed) when were both graduate students at Texas (UT). Our classmates fortunately knew better than to vote for us in the 2005 elections. Despite a short stay in Texas, our alliances still remain with the SEC (although Isenhour loves the Pony's at SMU) and we'd never care about anything in the Big XII outside an enjoyable Bob Stoops big game loss.

Fette Sau BBQ (9/10) - 76 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

2010-04-10T11:14:00.002-04:00

M-Su: 5p-2a
(p) 718.963.3404
http://www.fettesaubbq.com/

*** (4/10/10) Something very troubling has started to evolve on the barbecue sabbatical -- barbecue hasn't been tasting as great as it did towards the beginning of the journey. Perhaps I've recently frequented worse establishments; maybe I've subconsciously built up previous meals that has subsequently and unintentionally elevated my standards to levels that are almost impossible to meet or exceed. A follow-up meal to Fette Sau, what I previously chalked up as one of the best barbecue joints across the country, would provide both the sanity check I desperately needed and the chance to gorge on a hearty meal with friends.

Our group of seven put the ordering in my hands and it went as follows:
1) Baby Back Ribs - Half Rack (I just noticed that the word 'half' is one of those words in the English language that looks absurdly misspelled)
2) Beef Ribs (Boneless) - Half Pound
3) Pork Belly - Half Pound
4) Pulled Pork - Pound
5) Brisket - Pound
6) One Sausage (not pictured)

Although our meal still easily dominated 93% of the food I have tried over the previous year, it was not as delicious as it was back in October. The one major change that jumped out to those in the group that accompanied me back in the Fall was the substantial difference in the consistency of the pork belly. During our first experience, the pork belly was pure slow smoked fat that could have been easily spread on a piece of toast. That might sound grossly unappealing to some, but trust me, it was amazing. I have since tried to smoke pork belly on my own at home to try to replicate that taste. During this experience however: the pork was mostly protein that was difficult to chew -- definite disappointment. The ribs were also slightly under-smoked and could have spent a little longer in the smoker to breakdown the meat a little better while the brisket was fairly dry. The flavor of the barbecue and crust was still incredible and our group consumed every last morsel. I expect barbecue outfits that hold the 10/10 ranking to produce the same quality day after day. Fette Sau will definitely have another chance to make it up to me.***

(10/14/09) Back earlier in the Summer when I was talking with Timmy's friend General Burnsides at a local bar - Neighbors - about barbecue, he recommended a number of places in addition to OB's in McDonough. Of all his recommendations, he gave his highest backing to a place called Fette Sau in Brooklyn, NY. I checked the website, and it looked legit. Most people from New York recommend one of the following: Dinosaur BBQ, Daisy Mays, Blue Smoke, or Hill Country (the latter from my Jewish Wash U friends who wouldn't know the first thing about smoked pigs). But of those who confirm that they've heard of or have tried Fette Sau, claim that it's easily or supposed to be the best in town. Since I was already in the New York area, my only concern was convincing friends to come along for the ride to Brooklyn. Nikki, Matt, and Emmelene were in for trip. We boarded the L train at 14th and took it to the first stop in Brooklyn. From there, its a three block walk until the neon-lit Fette Sau sign grabs your attention and you notice a solid crowd of barbecue-goers eating meat and drinking beers in the open-air walkway into the main section of the restaurant.

Once you're in the main dining room, you notice a line of people snaking across the right wall waiting to place their orders for food. A beverage station, specializing mainly in whiskey, was constructed in the left corner and it was serving patrons who were waiting in a different line. The wall to the left was decorated to illustrate all the different cuts of meat from cows, pigs, and sheep.

Our group was extremely hungry and ready to sample almost every meat offered by Fette Sau. We decided on one pound of brisket, a pound of pulled pork, 4 baby back ribs, 1 sausage link, one boneless beef rib, and a half pound of pork belly. The meat behind the counter looked incredible. Every cut of beef as well as the pork belly and spare ribs had a solid black crust on it -- from the oak, cherry, beach, and maple woods used in their Southern Pride smoker. I could only begin to imagine the rich flavor of it in contrast to the moist slowly cooked meat underneath. The sides looked fairly decent, so we decided to get an order of coleslaw and a small cup of baked beans. I kept snapping pictures of the carver in action, and at one point after my flash went off, he turned around extremely aggravated with the facial expression that read: "I'm ready to punch you in the mouth." The food looked too incredible for me to get excited over his emotions, so I kept a low key profile and got the food. Matt disappeared and returned with a glass of whiskey and a quart of beer in either a honey or pickle jar.

The sliced and pulled meat looked incredible as everything across the board looked perfectly smoked and prepared. The pulled pork was positioned in the middle of the tray. To his left was the smoked sausage who was peeking out from underneath the baby back ribs. Upper left of the ribs position was the smoked pork belly and to his right was the sliced boneless beef rib. Finally, the sliced brisket was positioned to the right of the show.

There were three sauces on the table for us to try. First, an extremely vinegary sauce that had zero viscosity. It was fairly bland and not something I was trying to incorporate into the meal. The second sauce looked like a sweet mustard barbecue sauce, but after trying a bite and realizing it was almost all entirely horseradish, I coughed all over the place and distanced myself from the bottle as far as possible. The third sauce was a more basic sweet barbecue sauce that tasted good but it was neither great nor memorable.

Besides the sausage, which I'll get to in a minute, everything was great. The meats that were exceptional: boneless beef rib, pork belly, pulled pork, and baby back ribs. The brisket was better than average, but the sausage tasted just like a hot Italian sausage one would put on spaghetti. Would definitely pass on it on a subsequent visit. The pork belly was other-worldly. It took the fat concept from a Gates' burnt end sandwich and took it to the next level. It was basically chunked pieces of pork fat with a nice smoky crust on the outside edges. At one point in the meal, I stacked brisket, beef rib, and pork on a sandwich, and then used a few pieces of pork belly as a condiment on top. Even without sauce, the sandwich was packed with so much flavor that I could eat one every day for 8 months before I could imagine getting sick of the taste. The ribs had a great crust on the outside, and the tender meat underneath had a great smoke ring and could effortlessly be tugged away from the bone. The flavor of the beef boneless rib was great, potentially the best beef rib I've ever tried (even if it was prepared away from the massive cow rib bone). Brisket was a little too dry for my liking, but the flavor was enjoyable.

The coleslaw was definitely a positive for the restaurant too; it had a good mix of vinegar, sesame oil, large cut cabbage, and apples. The beans were decent although there was a good mix of smoked pork in the mixture. Our table dominated the entire platter of food and all left knowing that we had just conquered one delicious and memorable pile of meat.

If I had to rank the meats from best to worst at Fette Sau:
1. Baby Back Ribs
2. Beef Boneless Rib
3. Pork Belly
4. Pulled Pork
5. Brisket
6. Sausage

Anyone in the Northeast needs to make the trip to Brooklyn to experience Fette Sau, especially if you love barbecue or whiskey.

Community Q BBQ (8/10) - 1361 Clairmont Rd, Decatur, GA 30033

2010-04-09T15:37:00.004-04:00

M-Th: 11a-8:30p
F-Sa: 11a-9:30p
Su: 11a-7p
(p) 404.633.2080
http://www.communityqbbq.com
Menu

*** (4/9/10) After devouring Fox Bros highly acclaimed short beef rib, I felt David Robert's recently opened Community Q deserved both a revisit and a chance to demonstrate his short beef rib product. Community Q has made some minor improvements since January: a wooden fence separates its 'pseudo-front patio' from the parking lot while its official signage now proudly hangs on the front facade.

Community Q smokes its ribs for 14+ hours in its pair of Southern Pride smokers fueled with hickory wood. Like Fox Bros, the rib had a nice crust but the one attribute that really pushed it over the cliff was how sweet the pieces of fat tasted in the meat. As an aside -- I love the flavor of fat in meat. If I order a ribeye in a public setting, I'll sneak bites of the marbleized pure fat from the cut when I'm fairly confident that no one will see. The rib had a great flavor and I quickly made my way through the entire blade. Much to the chagrin of The Food Abides' pride in his tongue for barbecue, Community Q's rib was superior to Fox Bros'.***

(1/20/10) A former co-owner of Sam & Dave's in Roswell, GA, David Roberts parted ways with Sam Huff leaving Sam to operate Sam's BBQ1 while David turned is attention to another barbecue venture in the Atlanta community. Community Q is his newest creation and the restaurant has definitely generated some serious online buzz. I corralled a small gathering so we could gauge the quality of the food for ourselves. To my delight, I was excited to learn that I'd be dining with one of the locally 'in'famous Woodward students who was expelled from The Academy in 8th grade for dropping LSD on the Washington DC school trip.

-- Please note that Community Q is lacking a lit sign above the restaurant, and each party in our group consequently drove right past the restaurant on its first attempt --

It was only 7:30pm when we arrived, but the restaurant had already completely sold out of both beef and pork ribs and only had a few smoked chickens left. Since we had four people in our group, we decided to strategically order so we could have a wide variety of smoked meats to sample across the table. It was decided that we'd make the most of this trip (sans ribs) with an order of a smoked half chicken, a few orders of brisket, a pork sandwich, and a few sides: mac & cheese, potato salad, rub coated french fries, and Brunswick stew. Community Q was reasonably priced, and I was definitely pleased to see that all prices on the menu were inclusive of tax.

We took a seat at the table, and I sampled the two sauces provided in the clear and yellow bottles. The clear bottle housed a sweeter Kansas City-based sauce and the yellow bottle approximated a strong vinegar-based Southern style sauce. I was more excited about the Kansas City style and thought it would more appropriately complement my meal. I first sampled the beef brisket without the sauce, and the bark had a great smoky sweet flavor. As I dug deeper into the meat and brought full slices to my mouth, I was less impressed and wished that the smoke had better penetrated the brisket. The meat pulled apart extremely easily, a consequence that typically results from being cooked too long. It was extremely moist, but the taste better resembled a cut of meat that was instead steamed than being meticulously smoked. While the chicken was cooked extremely well, I couldn't help but notice that we were only provided a quarter bird. We definitely ordered enough food so I felt that it wasn't worth the effort to raise this point with the staff. I'm hoping that they catch on and correct this issue.

My ladyfriend's pulled pork sandwich looked incredible. A huge mound of pork glistened from underneath the slightly toasted Texas Toast and I stared at the sandwich long enough to alert the table that I was primed for a huge bite. The sample I was offered managed to exceed my already high expectations, and I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of the outside and inside of the slow cooked pork shoulder. The meat was slightly salty and was perfectly cooked. I would definitely order this sandwich on a subsequent trip to Community Q in hopes that they could replicate this masterpiece.

All the sides I tried (decided to not sample the potato salad) were executed well. The penne mac & cheese had a great concentration of hot oil (perhaps from the cheese/cream cheese), the rub on the fries was unique and provided another layer of flavor, and the Brunswick stew had a subtle kick. Community Q BBQ definitely delivered this night, and considering that this barbecue joint had just recently opened, I'm excited to go back in a few weeks/months to sample the ribs and order my own pork sandwich (at the expense of the sub-par brisket).

Fox Bros. BBQ (7/10) - 1238 DeKalb Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

2010-04-08T18:04:00.003-04:00

M-Th: 11a-10p
F-Sa: 11a-11p
Su: 11a-10p
(p) 404.577.4030
http://www.foxbrosbbq.com/
Menu (pdf)

*** (4/8/2010) The Food Abides recently forwarded a picture of the short beef rib at Fox Bros, a specialty of this barbecue outfit that is only available each week on Thursday and Saturday. In addition to being about as wide as my fist, the beef rib appeared to have a well-formed black crust and smoke ring that was enticing enough that I made a return visit to taste a rib for myself. The rib was nothing short of gargantuan. Unsure how to best attack it, I started by pulling away pinches of the crust that were slightly dusted with Fox Bros seasoning. The crust was sweet while the flavor of meat confirmed that it had a nice smoke flavor (all Fox Bros' meat tastes slightly oversmoked in my opinion) and the fat had been well-rendered into the beef. The seasoning complemented the flavor of the smoked meat, but the flavor got a little monotonous towards the end of this dining experience. Nonetheless, I still made my way through the entire rib until I was basically examining the bone for any potential remaining residue. I'm a gluttonous eater, so this dish definitely fit my billing. In retrospect, the rib was executed well but I'm still not as big of a fan of the barbecue at Fox Bros' in comparison to what appears to be most the locals in the Atlanta area. ***

(9/8/2009) Sharing the common concern regarding the lack of good/great barbecue in the city, Jonathan Fox progressed from a typical backyard barbecuing experimentalist to an official barbecuer caterer on Wednesday nights at Smith's Olde Bar on the corner on Monroe Drive and Piedmont Avenue. Mr. Fox honed his skills and developed a following that warranted recently opening a restaurant called Fox Bros. BBQ. Its located on DeKalb Avenue a few blocks south of Little Five Points. The restaurant's following grew and it is now evaluating expanding into a second location.

I visited Fox Bros. within the first few days of moving back to Atlanta in August, and I remember being impressed by the authenticity of the barbecue. Fox Bros. specializes in Texas-style barbecue and offers brisket, ribs (not beef however), and pulled pork whereas the typical local barbecue restaurant serves finely chopped pork with a strong vinegar and cayenne-based sauce. Now that I have had the pleasant experience driving across the country eating a wide array of barbecue, I wanted to return to Fox Bros. to see how it held up against the rest.

I took a seat inside to shield myself from the 83 inches of torrential downpour in Atlanta. I briefly browsed the new revamped and aggressive menu although I knew I was going to re-order the 3 meat plate. During my first experience, I was informed that Fox Bros. considered chicken wings as one of the available meats in the platter so I obviously jumped on that. As an aside: the only food I like eating more than barbecue is chicken wings. A fraternity brother had once curiously asked one of my ex-girlfriends what it was like dating me. Her response: "He eats chicken wings with two forks." How profound. I had read that the brisket was great at Fox Bros. so I ordered the brisket, pulled pork, and baby-back rib plate. Oh, and they served fried pickles and jalapeños too. Got that money combination as an appetizer. The waitress was definitely impressed by my aggressiveness towards eating.

Learning from a past mistake, I definitely did not even contemplate ordering the jalapeño poppers without Fester's permission (once got into a 'scene' at Ri Ra over jalapeño poppers - no joke - ask Angela "Pookins" Glynn). If I'm/we're lucky, Fester will write a guest post to discuss this night and any and all stories regarding the Pizza Pirates. In brief, the Pizza Pirates order delivery pizza and decide which guy will take the door while the others hide in the bushes near the driveway. When the delivery man approaches the door with their pizza in hand, the other Pizza Pirates who are waiting deafeningly quiet in the bushes sneak (choice words) into his car and steal whatever pizzas he has remaining in the heat wave.

The fried pickles and jalapeños were both great as far as fried vegetation is concerned. The batter was light and peppery and didn't make the food taste greasy at all. The saltiness and garlic flavor went great with the spice from the jalapeños. The spiciness was definitely there but hot enough too hot to scare people who dislike spice.

Then the brisket, pork, and ribs came with a side of potato salad and fried okra. The potato salad lacked any substantial flavor (no dill, onion, mustard, etc.) and the fried okra was really good despite that I had already reached my fried food quota for a day. The brisket was very disappointing. It was dry, lacked any moisture whatsoever, and tasted like it was exposed to too much hickory flavor. It was 3:30pm on a Sunday so perhaps I got the meat they cooked for the 12pm - 2pm crowd. Fox Bros. does however cook great ribs. The meat was cooked perfectly and the outside of each rib had a great sugary coat. If I ever recommend this restaurant, I'll definitely give a disclaimer to only order the ribs.

If there was a rib competition within the city limits, I would have a difficult time deciding between Fox Bros. and Maddy's. Maddy's serves enormous juicy ribs with an above average sauce while Fox Bros. serves ribs that have a great crust and flavor. It would seriously too difficult to crown a winner without having both ribs in front of me for a side-by-side comparison.

NYC Bound - Any Recommendations?

2010-03-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

Going to be up in NYC for the remainder of the week and through the gentile-friendly weekend. I am planning to make return visits to Fette Sau (been hearing that I might have potentially caught them on an abnormally great night) and Dinosaur BBQ (didn't take pictures on a previous trip but loved their pork and ribs) while I already have reservations at Blue Smoke for another night during the week.

Does anyone have a strong opinion regarding any additional places that I should frequent while I'm in the area (RUB, Virgil's Barbecue, Georgia's Eastside Barbecue, Daisy Maes, etc.)?

Perhaps I can take them all down.

Crazy Ron's BBQ (3/10) - 6187 E Ponce De Leon Ave, Stone Mountain, GA 30087

2010-03-22T13:50:00.010-04:00

M-Tu: Closed
W-Th: 11a-8p
F-Sa: 12p-8p
Su: 11a-4pm
(p) 770.413.5900
http://www.crazyronsbbq.com/Site/Home.html
Menu

When I randomly stumble upon barbecue, a sudden rush of adrenaline pumps through my body and I get nervous that my heart might skip a beat. When that barbecue joint and its sign is in the shape of a of a choo-choo train and the place is named after some guy called Crazy Ron, I instinctively jerk the wheel, careening my car off the road in dramatic fashion so I don't miss the train. Crazy Ron's BBQ epitomizes the side of the road barbecue shack -- a stand-alone trailer/train-car positioned directly in front of a large smoker and stack of wood . Crazy Ron's has been in business for the past 10 years and I was hopeful that I'd be impressed with its product and "one bite (would) put me in rehab" just like its sign claimed it would.

Without much choice, I had to place my order to go, so I decided on a traditional pork sandwich and quarter dark chicken although Crazy Ron had a fairly large selection from which to choose. By the time I unwrapped my sandwich, the bottom bun was a soggy mess after it had ample time to absorb a large proportion of the sauce slathered over the barbecued chopped pork. Ron might actually be crazy, because I believe he has figuratively pissed all over Ray Kroc's grave. The barbecue sauce is literally identical to the sauce served on McDonald's McRib, and trust me, I love a McRib. It's one of those forgotten and cherished items from my childhood that somehow vanished out of all our lives without much notice -- silly string, Planter's CheezBalls, Gak, StringRacer, and Mr. Wizard's World. The sauce just didn't work on a slow smoked pork sandwich, and tasted slightly better on my quarter dark chicken. The bird had a decently strong smoked flavor but could have used a bit more time on the smoker to soften up the poultry.

For those who love Crazy Ron's sticky and sweet McRib-tasting sauce smothered across their barbecue, Crazy Ron has opened up a more traditional and legitimate brick-and-mortar location off I-20 in Conyers, Georgia. Just make sure you call ahead because it appears Crazy Ron is having difficulties hammering down his days and hours of operation. Please let me know if the ribs are worth ordering, otherwise this might be my only experience at this joint.

Ron appears to be a very sincere and hospitable guy -- not so much crazy about him after all except when he tries to turn the interview on Taste of Newton's Irene Smith and has the audacity to ask that woman if she knows how to cook.

Garden Produce and Country Store (6/10) - 567 Stephenson Rd, Stone Mountain, GA 30087

2010-03-22T00:18:00.007-04:00

M-Th: 11:30a-8p
F-Sa: 11:30a-9p
Su: 1p-6p
(p) 770.413.0338
Menu

Garden Produce and Country Store is a lesser known outfit tucked away in a fairly rural residential neighborhood a few miles south of Stone Mountain. This hybrid between a barbecue joint and a country store might have gone unnoticed if I hadn't recently caught wind of its growing word-of-mouth reputation -- especially about this joint's supposedly spectacular ribs. All my efforts to research this place -- history and hours of operation -- were fairly futile, so my intrigue only grew until I'd finally have the opportunity to experience the barbecue for myself. Basically all I knew before I departed on Sunday was that enthusiasts of the Garden Produce and Country Store emphatically love the ribs and appreciate that the restaurant/store grows its own produce.

When I saw the interior of this restaurant, I understood why most customers called in to-go orders. A few tables lined the front porch while one interior table is available for those who opt to eat indoors. The place was genuinely a local neighborhood country store with the capacity and means to also serve barbecue. In addition to the barbecue rib platter I was destined to order, I looked over the menu and decided to sample a pork sandwich. I took a seat, put on the NCAA tournament, surveyed the jarred jams, preserves, pickled vegetables, and apple butter that lined the cabinets on the wall, and finally organized the available condiments on my table so I could sample each with the barbecue.

While waiting for my lunch, I learned that Garden Produce and Country Store smokes all its barbecue with wild cherry wood. Harder woods (Mesquite, Oak, Hickory) have much stronger poignant flavors that when used incorrectly, oftentimes overpower the overall flavor pallet of the meat being smoked. Fruit and nut woods on the contrary (Apple, Cherry, Orange, Pecan) are more delicate and sweet, and meats can be exposed to the smoke from those woods for much longer durations of time. There's definitely a trade-off when making the decision to determine which wood to match with each meat -- how long to smoke vs how strong of a smoke flavor do you want to penetrate the meat. Like the Brick Pit, another barbecue joint that smokes its ribs with soft woods (pecan with a little oak), Garden Produce and Country Store smokes its ribs an impressively long period of time -- approximately 16 hours.

The softer and sweeter notes from the smoke were evident in each bite of the rib meat. The ribs had a nice basic seasoning on the crust -- salt and pepper the most identifiable of spices, that ultimately tasted sweet as a result of the fat being fully rendered from the long smoke. Although the ribs were cooked well, I believe they would have been more enjoyable had there been a stronger more noticeable smoke flavor to complement the pork.

The pork sandwich left a lot to be desired. The meat was piled high on an oversized sesame seed bun while the meat was basically swimming in a large quantity of sauce. Due to the subtle flavor of smoke in the pork, all I could really taste in the sandwich was the sauce -- which happened to be a little too sweet for my liking. To put into context, it reminded me of the first time I tried Thomas Sauce after I had only experimented with A1 throughout my childhood. I was used to stronger spice and vinegar variations, and found the transition to a more sugary and sweet concoction a little confusing.

In hindsight, I really enjoyed my first mission to Garden Produce and Country Store although I didn't leave as impressed with the quality of barbecue as others. The place definitely has a buzz growing about its product, and considering the limited (if any) advertising it employs, I think the place has to be doing something right. The staff was extremely friendly and I appreciated that they also take great care in their product while cultivating their own produce. Although I'd probably shy away from another pork sandwich, I could easily be convinced to make a return visit to sample the joint's sliced barbecued brisket or to order more spare ribs or rib tips.

Barbecue Sabbatical in 4 Minutes

2010-03-16T18:58:00.013-04:00

Double your dosage of Adderall, this video is lengthy. And apologies in advance if the 'pans and zooms' make you ill -- the barbecue should not.

Sprayberry's Barbecue (5/10) - 229 Jackson St., Newnan, GA 30263

2010-03-15T18:11:00.005-04:00

M-Sa: 10:30a-9p
Su: Closed
(p) 770.253.4421
http://www.sprayberrysbbq.com
Menu

With regards to barbecue, Sprayberry's has always been my first love. As a I child, I remember my family never passing up the opportunity to pitstop for pork sandwiches whenever we were in the area. Then when my high school girlfriend moved down to Newnan, knowing that great barbecue was literally right down the street definitely sweetened the pot to provide further incentive to make the 40 mile trek. So after sampling barbecue across the country in hopes to refine my palette while searching out the best of the best, I've always remained curious to how I would evaluate Sprayberry's Barbecue, my definitive childhood favorite, against the competition. Although this was going to be my fifth meal of the afternoon, just like tradition, I couldn't drive up I-85N without making my customary stop at Sprayberry's on Jackson St, the original location that's been serving barbecue since the 1920's.

In my opinion, Sprayberry's is the quintessential barbecue joint with a subtle hint of southern hospitality. In contrast to the barbecue meat markets in the Hill Country of Texas, Sprayberry's is a bit more formal sit and wait to be served operation staffed by very friendly and relatively young employees whom I presume attend high school in the area. In addition to barbecue, customers can cap off their meals with an assortment of desserts -- cobblers, pies, as well as a a wide variety of flavors of ice cream.

I didn't have room for any of that nonsense so I placed an order for my standard fare -- a pulled pork sandwich. Sprayberry's takes great pride in its barbecue sauce and it is most likely my favorite of the vinegar-based variety. Rather than being provided in bottles on the table, Sprayberry's is unique in the sense that it presents its barbecue sauce in shallow dishes to provide the customer the option between spooning it over barbecue or dunking food directly into the dish like au jus -- the latter my preference. The pork was unfortunately not as well smoked and flavorful as I remembered. The bun was also rather thick, providing a rather 'breadier' consistency than more soft and buttery rolls. The cole slaw was bland and I didn't really do myself a favor by piling it high on the pork.

I owe myself another visit to Sprayberry's Barbecue to eat a sandwich on an empty stomach. In the meantime, this was a very disappointing way to end my day. I've either been fortunate enough to sample really great barbecue over the past year or the quality of Sprayberry's has plummeted -- most likely a result of the place relying too greatly on its reputation.

Hawg Heaven BBQ (7/10) - 218 North Hwy, Hogansville, GA 30230

2010-03-14T21:11:00.002-04:00

(p) 706.637.8990

Hogan's Heroes: A one-time Hogansville, Georgia staple that once specialized in providing family-style Italian food. Special ingredient: methamphetamine. That's right. The Fed's finally busted the owner of the restaurant for constructing a full scale meth lab in a back supply closet. The restaurant/location subsequently laid dormant for the next 8 years before Mr. Williams recently acquired the property, and with the help of his family, spent the next few months renovating the restaurant so he could launch his own barbecue joint - Hawg Heaven BBQ.

I was fortunate to be waited on by the owner's daughter, as she provided great insight regarding the history of the joint and the tedious process of converting an abandoned restaurant into a full service operation. She detailed how her family manually refurbished the entire interior applying new wood and tin to the walls while contracting a Hogansville native who constructed customized stained-glass windows to provide that extra flare to spice up the place (if the place needed anything beyond cutouts of John Wayne and a Tara Reid lookalike straddling a hog).

The waitress then recommended that I order a pork sandwich and a pulled pork quesadilla. Ever since I first embarked on this barbecue sabbatical, I have scoffed at the idea of ordering anything other than traditional preparations of barbecue and subsequently took multiple passes on loaded baked potatoes (here and here) and pork covered nachos (here). For whatever reason, I was ready to step up my game and finally take the next step.

I first sampled the quesadilla and it definitely surpassed my expectations. The hot and buttery tortilla shells encased cheddar cheese, pulled pork, and a light coating of Hawg Heaven's barbecue sauce. Each bite packed enough flavor that an extra dip into sour cream, ranch dressing, or salsa would have just been pure overkill. This was my fourth stop in as many hours, so I definitely took a conservative approach with my condiments. The pork sandwich was executed well -- the meat was tender and well smoked. As I finished my meal, it was difficult for me to deduce whether I thought the pork sandwich played second fiddle to the pork filled quesadilla although the quesidilla will definitely be ingrained in my memory for years to come.

For a newly opened barbecue joint located 40 miles south of the perimeter, Hawg Heaven BBQ produces quality barbecue in a restaurant very conducive to socializing and drinking beers with close friends. Hopefully the place can pull in some customers from the surrounding communities who might also enjoy biweekly poker tournaments (Tuesdays and Fridays) or live music from local musicians.

Speedi-Pig Barbecue (6/10) - 715 Glynn St S, Fayetteville, GA 30214

2010-03-13T15:45:00.002-05:00

Su: Closed
M-Sa: Opens at 11a
(p) 770.719.2720
Menu

I was hoping the Speedi-Pig would be a breathe of fresh air after the subpar experience at Melears Barbecue up the street. The indirect smoker out front provided the sense of comfort I was hoping for as I continued on my barbecue tour. As I approached the restaurant I took notice of signs that littered the parking lot advertising a $0.99 Piglet sandwich, an option I presumed would be similar to a slider.

I took a seat at the counter and broke into conversation with the waitstaff -- a pair of middle aged women who had worked at Speedi-Pig for the past seventeen years. Not surprisingly, they suggested I order the Piglet especially considering that this was my third meal in the past couple hours. They explained that the Piglet was a limited option originally to be available in February -- due to the recent recession, Speedi-Pig kept it on the menu indefinitely to help their customers afford the barbecue. Although I had envisioned a scaled down sandwich, the Piglet was actually an incredible value. The meat was piled high and was comparable in size to most sandwiches I have tried across the South. The pork was smoky and most importantly, served sans sauce. When I told the waitresses that I thought their hotter variety of barbecue sauce was fairly tame, they came back with a tiny plastic cup of their Hotter Than Hell sauce. The sauce definitely bit my tongue, but was a wonderful complement for the sandwich. I was extremely impressed that they offered this for $0.99 -- definitely the best value I've seen to date. As I finished my Piglet, a woman and child came in and ordered 7 of them.

The ribs on the other hand appeared as if they had been braised and glazed in sauce too long throughout the tail end of the smoking process. The presence of a smoky flavor in the ribs had been washed away by the strong concentration of barbecue sauce applied. The meat pulled really easily off the bones, a slight disappointment considering I prefer to be able to slightly tug the meat off each blade. As I finished my meal, I was offered a sample of the Brunswick stew, a sign that the women took pride in the product. It was one of the better Brunswick stews I have had in the state. On a return visit, I'd load up on Piglets and a bowl of stew and not waste my appetite on the ribs. The staff was also extremely friendly and made this trip an even better experience.

Kenneth Melear Barbecue (2/10) - 420 Glynn St. S, Fayetteville, GA 30214

2010-03-13T13:39:00.002-05:00

M-Th: 5a-9p
F-Sa: 5a-10p
Su: 6a-9p
(p) 770.461.7180
http://www.melearspitcookedbarbecue.com/
Menu

A decent number of barbecue joints in Georgia love advertising their name in huge black bold letters in between Coca-Cola logos on their facade (see Fresh Air, Old Clinton). Kenneth Melear's Barbecue's storefront fit right in with that scene, and just like the song of the Sirens, I was drawn into what I hoped would be a promising meal of good slow cooked smoky barbecue.

After spending the last year in Washington DC and witnessing Obama Nation ad nausuem, it was quite refreshing to see my old pal Bushie erected in the corner. The only thing that could be sweeter than that would be if the place had a hornets/wasps nest attached to a ceiling. So far, so good. The rest of the decor was typical, lot of china/porcelain pigs, boss behind the counter on the phone with his feet up on his desk, articles about the restaurant covering the walls, etc.

I sampled the varieties of sauce as I waited for my pork sandwich and bowl of Brunswick stew and preferred the spicier of the two. It was evident that the sauce was packing a lot of heat as peppers had crystallized upon drying on the tip of the bottle. My food arrived and the pulled pork looked as if it had sat in a bucket of sauce for a week (consistency also looked like Ramen Noodles). The Brunswick stew looked just like illustrated porridge from Goldilocks -- inedible. From first look, I wanted very little to do with this place and knew that if I wasn't documenting my journey, I might have just walked out. The pork was decent, not a hint of smoke whatsover but not sure what else could have withstood the sauce bath it was resting in. I decided I might as well cover it with more to at least make it spicy.

The quality of the food was poor enough for me to wonder how this place has stayed in business since the late 50s. I don't believe the barbecue industry has revolutionized at all, but if it has, it definitely left this place in the dust. I left happy knowing that Speedi-Pig Barbecue was located just a few hundred yards from Melear's, because I left in a hurry to see how the competition stacked up.

Dean's Barbecue (7/10) - 9480 S Main St, Jonesboro, GA 30236

2010-03-13T09:56:00.006-05:00

Su-M: Closed
Tu: 1030a - 4p
W-Sa: 1030a - 7p
(p) 770.471.0138
Menu

I awoke after what I believe was a 13 hour Xanax-induced slumber and figured I owed myself a quick roadtrip down to south Atlanta, beyond the perimeter, to sample some barbecue joints that don't receive a lot of publicity from those who live within the city limits. My body was famished and I figured I could sample four to five restaurants over the remainder of the day. I typically conduct minimal research before such an excursion and this occasion was no different. I first looked at the Barbecue Map, but when I ran a few barbecue-related internet queries, I came across ChoppedOnion -- another food-related blog that listed numerous barbecue joints in the direction I was headed. His post highlighting his experience at Dean's Barbecue got me the most excited so I added it to the agenda and headed there first.

Dean's is a quaint one room restaurant that also houses additional benches for its customers who prefer to eat outdoors. It was raining fairly hard to so I quickly made my way inside, noticed that they only served pulled pork and Brunswick stew, ordered both, and took a seat. I had noticed that Dean's advertised a "Hot Deal" but considering I had other places to try later in the day, I was content on keeping my order plain and simple. As is customary for each of my respective barbecue visits, I sampled the sauce prior to eating any of the barbecue. The sauce was fairly thin, but didn't have the same intense vinegar concentration I anticipated that is traditional to most barbecue in the state. I was impressed with its sweeter flavor and knew I'd most likely cover my sandwich with sauce.

For $3.50, the sandwich was a bit on the smaller side. To put into perspective, the bun was slightly smaller than what one would get at Chick-Fil-A -- trust me I'd know, Mom made me work there for a Summer instead of sending me to camp after I got into some trouble. Although the pork already had a good dose of sauce on it, I doubled-down and applied even more. The sandwich was very delicate and basically melted in my mouth. The experience was even somewhat refreshing. I could envision finishing a sporting event, heading over to Dean's for some sustenance, and then ordering approximately 5 sandwiches to refuel my body. The flavor of the pork had a subtle smoky undertone and basically tasted how I envisioned it to based on its appearance. The Brunswick stew was less successful unfortunately, most likely because it had the consistency of pureed gazpacho and I prefer the chunkier variety where I can actually identify the ingredients in my bowl. While the soup was enjoyable, it was definitely not memorable nor would it tempt me to return to Dean's for a second serving anytime in my future.

Dean's Barbecue was a good experience. I was saddened to see that the joint has decided to post a "HELP!! We need customers now to avoid shutdown" sign to indicate the difficult financial turmoil it's currently experiencing, especially considering Dean's has been in service for over 60 years in the Jonesboro community. Sadly enough I did laugh at the use of the double-exclamation point as I thought about Elaine and Jake Jarmel on my drive to my next stop while also being a little perplexed to why the restaurant never came to the consensus to either spell it "barbecue" or "barbeque" on its main signs over its 60 year past.

Pig-N-Chik BBQ (5/10) - 5071 Peachtree Rd, Chamblee, GA 30341

2010-03-10T23:52:00.022-05:00

M-Th: 10:30a-10p
F-Sa: 10:30a-11p
Su: 11a-10p
(p) 770.451.1112
http://www.pignchik.net/
Menu

A purveyor of the Barbecue Map recently commented that throughout my recent travels, I had yet to try the best pulled pork in the area at Pig-N-Chik BBQ. Considering that I live approximately three miles from the nearest location (three total in the greater Atlanta area -- original located on Roswell Rd inside the perimeter), I shot up Peachtree this week for a plate of this revered barbecue. The joint was packed full of Atlanta-based sports decorations, predominantly professional but also a few high school jerseys/flags were spattered throughout, instead of patrons (but it was also later than the typical lunch crowd). Additionally, there were advertisements to inform customers that the Pig-N-Chik hosts Team Trivia and Texas Hold'em Nights on Monday and Tuesday nights, respectively, for those looking for a wild night out on the town (if your town is Chamblee/Ashford Dunwoody).

I was packing a pretty aggressive appetite this afternoon so I ordered the two meat plate -- my hand was subconsciously forced to order the pork and chicken since the place is called the Pig-N-Chik (plus the bird and pig head logo is legit) -- with sides of mac and cheese and a non-mustard based potato salad. Since I was given the option for how my chicken was served, I opted for dark meat as it typically contains most moisture after a long smoke. While I waited for my meal, I sampled each sauce to determine which one I'd apply the most generously to my food if need be. Between the sweet sauce, the mustard-based sauce, and the spicier vinegar & pepper-based variety (pictured left to right), I ultimately decided that the spicier, although it was a bit too thin and vinegary, suited my mood best.

I initially pushed the chicken to the side to get after the pulled pork, and I was pleased to recognize that I received a decent combination/ratio of outside bark to inside goodness in my serving. The pork had a decently strong smoked flavor, but I ultimately decided to give it a decent size bath of the spicier sauce to take it up a notch. I then transitioned my attention over the quarter chicken and was initially very pleased by the flavor of the bird. Smoke had fully penetrated the dish, but I quickly found that the bird started tasting a bit too greasy for my liking as it sat on my plate. The drumstick was also bit overcooked and dry.

The meal worked fairly well but for my money, I'd rather drive down the road and eat at the Old Brick Pit for barbecue that tasted a little fresher if my memory serves correct. Even though I didn't love this meal during my only experience at Pig-N-Chik, I can understand why others from Atlanta are seriously infatuated with the pulled pork as it was the highlight of my lunch. If any of you are stuck at home or not in the mood for the crowds during Poker or Team Trivia, Pig-N-Chik might deliver to your house if you have a hankering for barbecue.

Updated Best of Awards

2010-03-01T22:38:00.008-05:00

While I was employed and working strenuous hours, I often thought about what I would do if had the sudden flexibility outside of the office to do as I pleased. I knew that I wanted to see the country and get involved in the community of barbecue enthusiasts who are so passionate about their individual and unique craft. Having a passion to better understand different region's techniques and culture, in addition enjoying the 'sport' of eating, augmented my desire to travel the country. I decided to ultimately take advantage of the situation, and I have since embarked on several road trips through the South, the Midwest, Texas' Hill Country, and a few parts up the Mid-Atlantic. I have found a renewed sense of excitement about evaluating each restaurant’s work and then document each experience to share some details of my trip.

After travelling to over 75 barbecue restaurants across the country since July 2009, I wanted to rank each barbecue/experience based on the respective barbecue as well as various attributes and any other notable side dishes. I tried to keep each category to 3-5 finalists, but in the case where I thought other restaurant's product was worthy of inclusion,, I listed them as all.

In all seriousness, I hope others will be resourceful and take my recommendations and reviews into consideration if they ever choose to coordinate a barbecue road trip of their own with\ friends. The 3rd Degree Barbecue Sabbatical Road Trip Map might be a helpful tool.

Best Overall (of the 10s)

1. City Market (Luling, TX)

2. The Joint (New Orleans, LA)

3. The Brick Pit (Mobile, AL)

4. Papa's Barbecue (Perkins, OK)

5. The BBQ Shop (Memphis, TN)
6. Fette Sau (Brooklyn, NY)

Best Region

1. Texas
2. Memphis
3. Kansas City
4. Lexington, NC

Best of Atlanta

1. Big Shanty Smokehouse (Kennesaw, GA)
2. P'Cheen's aka Mike's Bone Lick BBQ (Atlanta, GA)

3. Community Q Barbecue (Decatur, GA)

4. Maddy's Rib and Blues Joint (Decatur, GA)

5. Spiced Right Barbecue (Lilburn, GA)
6. OBs Real Pit Out-N-Back (McDonough, GA)
7. D.B.A. Barbecue (Atlanta, GA)
8. Fox Brothers BBQ (Atlanta, GA)

9. Beetles BBQ (Woodstock, GA)
10. KC Pit BBQ (Roswell, GA)
11. One Star Ranch (Atlanta, GA)
12. Beaver Creek Biscuits and Barbeque (Lithia Springs, GA)

Brisket
1. City Market (Luling, TX)
2. Papa's Barbecue (Perkins, OK)
3. The Joint (New Orleans, LA)
4. Urban Barbecue Company (Rockville, MD)
5. Black's Barbecue (Lockhart, TX)
6. Big Shanty Smokehouse (Kennesaw, GA)
7. Kreuz's Market (Lockhart, TX)
8. Snow's Barbecue (Lexington, TX)
9. D.B.A Barbecue (Atlanta, GA)

Pulled Pork

1. Dinosaur Barbecue (Harlem, NY) (need pictures before I can post)

2. The Brick Pit (Mobile, AL)

3. The Joint (New Orleans, LA)

4. The BBQ Shop (Memphis, TN)

5. Leatha's Barbecue (Hattiesburg, MS)

Spare Ribs
1. The BBQ Shop (Memphis, TN)
2 (tied). The Brick Pit (Mobile, AL) / City Market (Luling, TX)
4. Big Shanty Smokehouse (Kennesaw, GA)

Baby Back Ribs
1. Leatha's Barbecue (Hattiesburgh, MS)
2. The Joint (New Orleans, LA)
3. Fette Sau (Brooklyn, NY)
4. Papa's Barbecue (Perkins, OK)

Beef Ribs
1 (tied). Fiorella's Jack Stack (Kansas City, MO) / Community Q (Atlanta, GA)
3. Fette Sau (Brooklyn, NY)
4. One Star Ranch (Atlanta, GA)
5. Fox Brothers BBQ (Atlanta, GA)

Sausage
1. Kreuz's Market (Lockhart, TX)
2. The Salt Lick (Driftwood, TX)
3. City Market (Luling, TX)
4. Charles Vergo's Rendezvous (Memphis, TN) - Love the sausage and cheese plate.

Chicken
1. Snow's Barbecue (Lexington, TX)
2. Leatha's Barbecue (Hattiesburg, MS)
3. P'Cheen's aka Mike's Bone Lick BBQ (Atlanta, GA)

Sauce

1. Center Point Barbecue (Hendersonville, TN)

2. City Market (Luling, TX)

3. The Brick Pit (Mobile, AL)

4. The BBQ Shop (Memphis, AL)

5. The Joint (New Olreans, LA)

6. The Salt Lick (Driftwood, TX)

7. Dreamland Barbecue (Tuscaloosa, AL)

8. Beetles BBQ (Woodstock, GA) - Apple Smoked Tomato and Cowboy Country

Ambiance:

1. The Salt Lick (Driftwood, TX)

2. Smitty's Market (Lockhart, TX)

3. The Shed Barbecue (Ocean Springs, MS)

4. City Market (Luling, TX)

5. The Brick Pit (Mobile, AL)
6. Wyatt's Country Barbecue (Atlanta, GA)
7. Swallow at the Hollow (Roswell, GA)

Great Spontaneous Finds
1. Papa's Barbecue (Perkins, AL)
2. Willie Ray's Barbecue (Beaumont, TX)
3. Martin's BBQ House (Fort Mitchell, AL)
4. Johnny Boy's Ribs (La Plata, MD)
5. Dale's Barbecue (Boaz, AL)

Biggest Disappointment
1. Big Bob Gibson's Barbecue (Decatur, AL)
2. The Shed Barbecue (Ocean Springs, MS)
3. Dobb's Barbecue (Dothan, AL)
4. Allman's Barbecue (Fredericksburg, MS) - rather, anything Fredericksburg BBQ related.
5. JJ's Rib Shack (Atlanta, GA)

Miscellaneous Mentions
Fried Okra - Fox Brothers BBQ (Atlanta, GA)
Fried Green Tomatoes - Center Point Barbecue (Hendersonville, TN)
Fried Chicken - Gus World Famous Fried Chicken (Memphis, TN)
Potato Salad - The Joint (New Orleans, LA)
Pork Belly - Fette Sau (Brooklyn, NY) (during 1 of my 2 experiences)
Tabbouleh - Papa's Barbecue (Perkins, OK)
Best Smell - Macon Road Barbecue (Columbus, GA)

Beaver Creek Biscuits and Barbeque (6/10) - 1451 6 Flags Rd, Lithia Springs, GA 30122

2010-02-20T13:15:00.003-05:00

Although the surrounding area of Lithia Springs, Georgia has now been substantially developed into commercial real estate, the area had historically been predominantly farmland owned by a gentleman by the name of Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner also owned and operated a commissary/convenience store to serve the local farming community since the early 1950's, but the shop, Beaver Creek Biscuits and Barbeque, was ultimately sold and converted into a barbecue joint. It was sort of an eye-opening experience driving out the few miles off of I-20 into the eastern part of the city to which I'm practically a complete stranger. Litter literally carpeted both shoulders of the 2 lane highway, an eyesore and reminder that the city of Atlanta places less emphasis on maintaining the less privileged communities. Beaver Creek looked well kept in stark contract to its squalid surroundings, and I was excited to try their barbecue considering I knew very little about this place. I thought to myself that the name was also quite odd for a barbecue joint and was probably better suited for a bakery nestled along the slopes of a Colorado ski resort.

The team that acquired the store decided to forever memorialize the namesake "Turner" and named its barbecue operation after him. Additionally, the barbecue sauce was named after a local indigenous Native American tribe to the area, the Seminoles. The naming convention made a little more sense when I entered the store/joint and noticed a decent sized collection of arrowheads in a display case. My excitement for this meal intensified when I saw that Beaver Creek provided two varieties of barbecue sauce, the traditional Seminole Red Sauce and the other geared towards its customers who prefer things a bit spicier (like Nikki, my Puerto Rican friend who was born in the Bronx).

One of the owners of the restaurant was behind the register when I went to place my order. He strongly suggested that I order the pulled pork sandwich and depending on how strong my appetite was, a spare rib. I was very pleased that this place allowed me to order ribs a la carte as too many times on the road I have to make a commitment towards an entire serving of ribs. Considering that I also had a quarter chicken and a half slab of ribs from JJ's Rib Shack with me, a pork sandwich and rib was going to be just enough food to round out my afternoon of gorging on barbecue.

The sandwich was very well done. It had great consistency and a solid smoke flavor that verified that the meat was traditionally smoked with wood. Almost as important, it was also served on a very soft almost-buttery flavored roll that rounded out the sandwich very nicely. The traditional Seminole Sauce ("red sauce") had a slightly peppery flavor without too much vinegar while the Hot Sauce had a highest viscosity of any sauce I had yet to try on any barbecue. I presume it was mayonnaise-based, but it had a high concentration of cayenne that took the intensity of the sandwich up a peg. To put the sauce into perspective, it was very similar to the spicy mayo that sushi restaurants include in a hot tuna roll but with a little less rooster sauce or red chili oil. It was nice on a few bites, but I liked bouncing between the two in between bites.

My smoked spare rib was served in the midst of a little bath in the Seminole Sauce. I would have preferred to sample the meat on its own but the pork sandwich already confirmed that a Beaver Creek's barbecue had a strong smoky flavor would be present in each bite. I thought the rib was cooked fairly well, but I would have preferred both some bark on the rib (perhaps they don't use a rub) as well as a little more rendering of the fat. The meat could be pulled off the blade with the slightest of ease.

Probably the greatest attribute about this joint was the sincerity of the staff as well as the pride they had in their product. The owner welcomed almost each customer by name and he also graciously offered to take me on the 'behind the scenes' tour of the joint. I met the pitmaster while he was in the midst of loading up his wheelbarrow of hickory, and I was also able to peer into the smoker. I bought a t-shirt and was surprised to see that they stored their supplies and miscellaneous gear in an 18-wheeler parked out the rear of the restaurant.

As I wrapped up my experience at the restaurant I started to snap pictures of the interior of the restaurant to finish documenting the experience. A female customer curiously asked me what I was doing when she inadvertently stepped into the picture. She whispered to me that I should also hit up a few other barbecue establishments in the area, but because she didn't know exactly where they were located, she rattled off each location's phone numbers that she knew by heart -- this lady is a dream. Rather than shoot down the customer's recommendations when the staff later asked me where she suggested I eat next, they instead gave me detailed instructions to direct me to my subsequent destinations if I chose to continue on my barbecue tour. Deciding to call it a day, I thanked them for the meal and told them I'd head back out to these parts on another occasion.

JJ's Rib Shack (2/10) - 2979 Campbellton Rd SW, Atlanta, GA 30311

2010-02-19T18:06:00.004-05:00

When I committed myself to this spiritual journey to try as many different barbecue joints, I wanted to fully immerse myself in many different barbecue styles. To fulfill this goal, I'd have to experience these places first hand by searching out some below the radar establishments that some barbecue enthusiasts might claim serves 'the best' the best cue. Many barbecue restaurants around southwest Atlanta ("SWATs" I believe) are called 'rib shacks' and they hardly get a strong backing or recognition in the great Atlanta barbecue debate. This is why when a commenter stated that customers at JJ's Rib Shack off Lakewood Freeway (opposite direction from the Amphitheater from I-75/85) often have to wait over 2 hours for barbecue, my interest was piqued and I knew that I'd have to go and ultimately share my experience with my readers. Before I departed this morning, I tried to research this joint to no avail. Supposedly JJ's opens at 12:30pm, has a devout local following, and is often frequented by many R&B or rap artists from the Atlanta scene.

I arrived right at 12:30pm in hopes of beating the crowd before a long line developed. There was no line when I entered but rather a small gathering of customers had already found seating throughout the restaurant while they waited for their orders. I took notice of the autographed posters of Big Gipp, Outkast, Goodie Mobb, and other performers behind the counter, and I ordered a half slab of small end ribs and a quarter dark chicken. I took a seat at the far end of the counter in hopes of receiving my order within a few minutes. I doubted that the hearsay about the long waiting times would apply this early in the afternoon.

A pair of women then entered the restaurant and immediately started up a commotion in what was an otherwise fairly calm room. From what I could initially gather, they were both teachers and didn't want to wait for their order while their pupils were back in the classroom. While trying to divert my attention anywhere other the potential ruckus that could have escalated into an all-out fight at any moment, I noticed a thick plume of smoke starting to blanket the front parking lot. I figured it would be best for my sanity if I took a break from waiting and explored the back grills, the obvious source of the smoke.

A number of men were congregating under the covered patio that housed the three open pits. JJ's was essentially a glorified backyard barbecue; the open grills were fueled by charcoal briquettes and a few sticks of wood just like a traditional weekend cookout. But instead of sitting around drinking beers with friends telling stories and watching sports aka enjoying myself, I was forced to sit inside this joint for what seemed like forever without an alcoholic beverage in sight while listening to two women constantly bicker at the server while watching a syndicated game show hosted by Jeff Foxworthy while waiting... and waiting... and waiting...

By the time my number was called, I had been at JJ's Rib Shack for an hour and fifteen minutes. I took my boxed food and left the premise essentially as fast as I could. I headed northeast towards I-20W to my next location -- Beaver Creek Biscuits and Barbeque near Six Flags -- where the staff exhibited the complete opposite customer service and hospitality than the servers at JJ's Rib Shack. They allowed me bring in my food from JJ's and eat it along side an order of their barbecue at one of their tables. The barbecue chicken from JJ's highlighted my order and the dark meat was quite tender and well cooked. My half slab was served already cut into individual ribs and smothered/swimming in sauce most likely to mask the charcoal flavor that penetrated the ribs. After viewing the smokers and the heavy concentration of charcoal briquettes, the ribs tasted exactly how I anticipated. They were grilled rather than slow smoked and the heavy application of sauce overpowered the flavor of my meat. Fortunately, their sauce was incredible and I found myself mopping it up with provided slices of white bread

Independent of how infuriating the service was at JJ's Rib Shack, I thought the flavor of the barbecue deemed the experience a disappointment. In hindsight, it blows my mind that JJ's doesn't place any emphasis on greater efficiency and instead seems enjoy knowing that its customers have to wait an extraordinarily long time to be served. Essentially, customers cannot be employed and eat lunch at JJ's. You'd think a profit motivated owner would want to tap into the working lunch demographic but obviously that's not the case here.

The Swallow at the Hollow (3/10) - 1072 Green Street, Roswell, GA 30075

2010-02-16T18:18:00.003-05:00

M-Tu: Closed
W-Th: 11a-2:30p, 5p-9p
F: 11a-2:30p, 5p-10p
Sa: 11a-10p
Su: 11a- 9p
http://theswallowatthehollow.com/
Menu

The Swallow at the Hollow might take the cake for the most aesthetically pleasing barbecue joint in all the land. The building is slightly tucked away off a side street, and the brick chimney / tin roof combination creates a rustic and authentic ambiance that is ideal for taking it easy with friends over a table of smoked meats. Had the weather permitted, I imagine that there would have been a fairly large crowd gathered outside, creating an atmosphere quite similar to the Salt Lick in Austin (Driftwood), Texas. Instead, it was cold and wet, so I briskly made my way indoors to round off my afternoon of heavy barbecue consumption.

The interior perfectly matched my expectations.An acoustic band was playing in front of a packed house, and I got to enjoy the show from my barstool with a Terrapin Rye Pale Ale in hand. I took in the scene and watched the cooks behind the counter reheated smoked meats over direct flame prior to service to better anticipate what kind of barbecue would be served. I perused the menu and carefully negotiated a way for me to order a combination of meats without paying for the full price cost for their combination platters. The waitress put me down for a sausage, a side of brisket, and a side of pulled pork.

I thought everything was looking well at The Swallow at the Hollow and I was excited to end the day on a high note. Then it all came crashing down. My sausage in the rawest of states was dropped on the direct heat grill. As it was searing over the heat, I watched as the cook smashed it with a spatula, compressing the link to draw out the interior juices onto the fire.

1. Who wants delicious grease pulled out from their sausage? Definitely not this guy. And what was the point? To hurry the cooking process? You can't hurry good food.
2. Although I am a fan of all salted and cured meats, I thought it was obvious that sausages ordered at barbecue joints should not be better served over a plate of linguine and marinara sauce. The sausage was spicy and edible, but definitely out of place.

I then transitioned my attention towards the other two meats and I immediately came to the realization that my meal was not going to improve. The brisket was monochromatic, especially dry, and devoid of any bark or crust. The meat would easily crack in half in merely picked up a slice from the end. The pork was also dry, possessing the texture of a dish that might have been left out a bit longer than preferable. The smoky flavor of both meats was noticeable, but not enjoyable enough to overcome the consistency of the food.

Had the food been great, I could easily imagine getting excited about a return visit to The Swallow at the Hollow. The place has a unique name, a great vibe, live music, a decent draught beer selection, and an overall great look for a barbecue joint. As cliche as the saying is, it's true -- 'you can't eat atmosphere'.

Beetles BBQ (7/10) - 156 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock, GA 30188

2010-02-15T18:37:00.007-05:00

M-Sa: 11a-8p
Su: 12p-8p
(p) 770.592.8295
http://www.beetlesbbq.com/
Menu

Bill Beadle, the proprietor of Beetles BBQ in Woodstock, Georgia, is quite an eccentric guy whom I imagine rolls with the punches that life unexpectedly gives him. As his story goes, in 1973, he was driving through Tennessee when his car was hit by a Super Beetle VW. He had a sudden epiphany that went something like "Why don't I start smoking meat out of a Beetle VW." Except for his KGB t-shirt, I thought Mr. Beadle was the real deal.

He followed through on his dream and crafted his "Beetle Car-B-Q" (the blue print of his design was plastered to the wall and pictured to the left) in a Beetle that is now parked out in front of his restaurant. A customer at Beetles BBQ informed me that Mr. Beadle tows the portable car smoker to festivals to feed the masses. She loved it. She was an elderly woman who stated that although she hates barbecue, she loves Beetles BBQ.

I asked Mr. Beadle what he recommended I order off his menu to which he responded that his ribs were definitely the best in the state. I respected his bravado but was skeptical about whether he could deliver on his lofty claims. I put an order in for ribs and pulled pork, and while waiting for my food, I made my way down the line of five available sauces on the table so I could be prepared to dive in when my food arrived. No joke, some of his sauces were downright divine. I was generally disappointed by his mustard (too strong) and fire (tasted too much like Texas Pete) variations, but Beetles definitely delivered with its Apple Smoked Tomato, Cowboy Country BBQ, and Carolina Vinegar sauces. The Carolina had a better thicker consistency than I expected, and all had unique flavors.

Even before my first bite, my body and spirit were conflicted about how to best approach the barbecue. My stomach was at full capacity after my previous meals at Old South Barbecue and Big Shanty Smokehouse, but the plate looked too appetizing for me to pass up fresh pork and an incredibly appetizing looking half slab of unsliced baby backs. The meat was hot so the aroma of smoked meat hit me pretty square in the face. I went right into the unsauced pulled pork and was immediately fairly unimpressed by its flavor. The texture and consistency was as expected, but the lack of smoke in the meat made me instinctively reach across my plate for some of his sauces to complement my meal. The combination of his pork with any of the three sauces that I enjoyed took the meal up a notch. Then again, there's not much in this world that I wouldn't smother in barbecue sauce.

After a few bites of pork, I transitioned my efforts towards the slab or baby backs and I ripped a blade away with my hands. I was a little saddened by the lack of meat on the ribs (must have been a little skinny piggy) but Mr. Beadle definitely made the most out of with what he was working. The ribs were cooked well and they had a slight glaze of Cowboy Country BBQ sauce on top. On a return visit to Beetles, which I hope to make in the near future, I would opt only for an order of ribs. I bought two bottles of sauce (Cowboy Country and Apple Smoked Tomato) and was happy to know that I got the 10% discount on my entire meal and purchases due to my membership in the Atlanta BBQ Club (discount membership here). Overall, I enjoyed this experience but the ribs and the sauces definitely made up for what was lacking in the pulled pork.

As I was leaving the restaurant, a heavy set fellow who claimed he played football for the SD Chargers back in his prime entered the scene and said that Beetles BBQ was most likely the best in the state. He said the only place where he'd had better was a joint called Two Bells that ran a small barbecue outfit in the early 80s near Macon, Georgia. He learned about Two Bells while he and some colleagues were driving towards the Georgia coast to gamble when the smell of Two Bells barbecue entered his car and hit him in the nose. Upon his visit, he convinced the staff to let him do an all-you-can-eat to which he finished 5 and a half plates of meat. He supposedly did well gambling that weekend (up $2,100), and on his return home, he again stopped by Two Bells to purchase $550 worth of barbecue (80+ lbs of meat) to bring back home to his coworkers, friends and family. If anyone has information or a back story about this Two Bells business I'd be grateful to hear it. Hopefully the recipe/staff have moved on to other ventures that are still operational and cooking up delicious barbecue.

Big Shanty Smokehouse (9/10) - 3393 Cherokee St Kennesaw, GA 30144

2010-02-14T23:33:00.007-05:00

M: Closed
Tu-Th: 11a-8:30p
F-Sa: 11a-9p
Su: 12p-5p
(p) 770.499.PIGG (7444)
http://bigshantybbq.com/

The Big Shanty Smokehouse is the quintessential side-of-the-road barbecue joint. I would have loved to have found this restaurant by circumstance -- driving down Cherokee Street in the Early Fall with my windows down until I was lured in by the unmistakable aroma of hickory smoke. And just in case I was wasn't able to specifically track the smoke's source, a big black smoker with white fire effects painted over it would have confirmed I'd found the goods. Big Shanty Smokehouse is building quite the reputation/following in the Atlanta community, specifically through Urbanspoon readers. Chic and Sissy Dillard, along with the help of their daughter, have owned and ran the joint for two years. Chic had previously consulted other restaurants in the area prior to recently venturing out on his own. He takes his barbecue seriously, and that was good to me as his customer, because that meant he was open for business on Valentines Day.

They were both very friendly and sincere (I liked how they had matching red Valentines Day chef coats as well, because to be honest, I'd love to be married to a woman who would love to cook barbecue with me on Valentines Day) The menu was fairly traditional so I decided to try the Steve's Sampler -- homemade sausage (which is a rarity for most barbecue joints coast to coast), brisket (quality brisket is almost impossible to find in Georgia), pulled pork, and spare ribs. Chic suggested that I order the day's special -- smoked beef tenderloin -- but I decided that since I was all the way out in Kennessaw, I was going to get his usual servings.

I almost peed my pants when I first saw the brisket that I had been served. For the first time since I started eating barbecue in the state of Georgia, I was about to try a couple slices of brisket that looked like authentic Texas meat. The brisket looked so amazing that I'm sure it could hold water against the best of Texas brisket. The dark crust looked incredible, and the fat that ran throughout the moist cut of meat looked perfectly rendered. My first bite affirmed that this place was the real deal. I piled some pulled pork, half a slice of brisket, and the meat from the rib high on a slice of bread and took it right to the face. It was a girl's dream.

The ribs also had a great crust and consistency. The meat was moist and could be easily pulled from the blade with a slightest of ease. At this point in my meal, I knew that I was enjoying the best barbecue meal I had yet to try in the entire state of Georgia. I could visit the Big Shanty on numerous occasions to only snack on brisket and ribs and I would be beyond content. But I still had an order of pulled pork and large homemade sausage to try and I wasn't slowing down.

A light sauce had been applied to the pork prior to it being served, something I sort of look down upon during my visits to barbecue joints. I look forward to trying each meat dry to really sample the meat in its natural state. Then if I determine that the restaurants sauce complements the food, I'm freely able to add as much sauce as I want. The pork was still enjoyable, and I especially enjoyed eating it piled upon rib and brisket meat on a slice of bread. In hindsight, I should have ordered the chopped pork instead of pulled. Chic claims that the chopped is chunkier and has a lot of outside bark mixed in with pork.

Chic and Missy make the sausage out of brisket and rib meat, and they do a damn impressive job at it too. While the sausage had a great flavor, it didn't taste anything like the authentic sausages I had eaten while travelling along the Hill Country in Texas. My only criticism for the sausage was that the casing wasn't firm enough to snap in each of my bites.

Big Shanty Smokehouse set the bar really high in the Atlanta and Georgia barbecue circuit, and I'll be quite impressed if they ever get beat out by another local joint. As I went to thank Chic and Missy for the memorable experience (treating myself to a great barbecue meal on Valentines Day), he offered a sample of his smoked beef tenderloin. Not to my surprise, it packed a ton of flavor and was better than I had previously imagined when I walked into his restaurant 15 minutes earlier.

Old South Barbecue (5/10) - 601 S Burbank Circle, Smyrna, GA 30080

2010-02-14T20:10:00.002-05:00

To fully conquer the greater Atlanta barbecue scene, I knew I'd eventually have to canvas the Smyrna (Windy Hill), Marietta, Woodstock, and Roswell areas. Since I had already given my ladyfriend four pounds of the best beef jerky known to man (Maui style from Celestino's) for Valentines Day, I was cut loose to eat barbecue while she studied all afternoon for her law school classes. I departed in late morning and set my sites on Old South Bar-B-Q -- a joint located at the corner of Windy Hill Road and South Cobb Drive.

Old South operates in a quaint by the side of the road stand-alone building. They take their food seriously and are proud to display a local publication's determination that Old South served the best barbecue in Cobb County in 1995. Opposite the medal, signed photographs of a local Ms. Teen winner and an Elvis lookalike might be well positioned to subliminally suggest that their barbecue is good enough for a king and a queen.

Old South's open pit is visible to customers once they enter the main dining room, and I was rather surprised by the lack of organization of the meats on the racks. I presumed that the smoked meats would be organized by cuts, keeping the juices from each cut separated from its peers. I took a seat at a table, took in the sites and sounds of the place, and got excited for my order of one rib, a pulled pork sandwich, and a cup of Brunswick Stew. I anticipated that sides would definitely out of the question as I'd have a strenuous day ahead of me stuffing my face with barbecue.

The Brunswick Stew had a very strong traditional flavor, and I enjoyed the consistency and floating corn kernels throughout. The pulled pork was served between thick slices of toast that I thought carried too strong of a taste that seemed to mask the smoked flavor of the pork. When pulled from the sandwich and sampled on its own, each bite of pork lacked a strong distinguishable flavor. I presume that the monster slices of toast absorbed much of the moisture and flavor from the pork.

The smoked spare rib had a beautiful crust that reassured me that I was wise to save the rib for last. The exterior flavor was indeed flavorful, but the inner meat was entirely too tough for my liking. As I tugged at the meat, whole sections separated at points of least resistance. The restaurant's sauce was unpleasantly sour and consequently made my eyes squint and cheeks pucker with each bite. The quality of the food was good but felt like the execution fell short of expectations.

KC Pit BBQ (7/10) - 6317 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, GA 30328

2010-02-10T16:55:00.004-05:00

After a quick meal at Old Hickory Hut and Slopes BBQ I wanted to take my barbecue momentum to one more joint in the Sandy Springs area. KC Pit BBQ moved locations over the past year and aggressively moved into what appears to be a once-swanky sports bar / jazz lounge / night club. In terms of the magnitude of size, KC Pit BBQ might be the largest barbecue joint I've seen -- rivaling Kreuz's warehouse in Lockhart, Texas. The interior has a banquet hall, an outdoor patio, a full size circular bar, a 10' water feature behind the hostesses, private dining cabanas along the far wall, and a stage equipped for an entire jazz ensemble. Ownership must have been quite incentivized to move into this place. Since I was dining alone, I was unfortunately not seated in a private cabana.

I noticed a nice array of bottled barbecue sauces from the Kansas City area: notably Jack Stack's, Arthur Bryants, Gates, and KC Masterpiece. I became excited that I could possibly have a local outlet to try authentic Kansas City barbecue, especially when I found burnt ends on the menu -- the quintessential Kansas City barbecue dish. A decent crowd started funneling into the restaurant and my excitement was definitely piqued for some quality meat. I ordered the two meat + one side combo -- burnt ends, spare ribs, and candied sweet potato (which I falsely assumed would be served whole in the skin).

The ribs, albeit not appearing like traditional slow smoked barbecue, still looked incredible. The deep red glaze took me back to my days before I knew about the delicious delicatessens native to Thailand and Vietnam when I used to rely on Chinese food to satisfy my ethnic food kicks. The sweet sugary glaze on the ribs deeply penetrated the meat, just like Chinese spare ribs that I enjoyed during in my childhood. The meat was cooked well and pulled from the blade with a slight tug. The meat also kept well and tasted great the following day.

Although my order of burnt ends were flavorful, they were not as I had envisioned based on my brief experience eating barbecue in Kansas City. If a colleague asked me to describe traditional burnt ends, I would plainly state that one is served a hefty serving of shavings from the fatty sides of a brisket. KC Pit BBQ's interpretation of burnt ends is almost quite the opposite. They cube the outsides of a brisket that had previously been trimmed of fat prior to it being smoked. Their burnt ends also tasted as if they were flash grilled over direct heat prior to service. They were slightly dry, predominantly devoid of fat, and had a grilled resonating flavor. I thrive on fatty meats, so one can deduce how unsettling this experience was. In all, KC Pit BBQ cooks some fairly incredible ribs and they take their barbecue sauce seriously too. It had smoky notes, just like KC Masterpiece, with a pinch of spice to keep things interesting.

If you're ever in a bind and in need of a restaurant that can accommodate in excess of 700 people, this could be your quick solution.

Slopes BBQ (5/10) - 200 Johnson Ferry Rd, Atlanta, GA 30328

2010-02-08T12:50:00.001-05:00

Slopes BBQ is a Georgia-based barbecue joint thats been franchised at six unique locations across the greater Atlanta area. After my less than stellar experience at the Old Hickory House, I searched for a nearby Slopes restaurant and was relieved to find that one of the locations was a few miles down the street. Although the restaurant stood on the corner of a strip mall, it had the sight and smell of a legitimate barbecue joint and I was ready to rebound with a plate of ribs and chopped pork.

As I waited for my food, I took a quick tour of the place and tried to take in what seemed to be an endless assortment of piggy-esque decorations. I grabbed a bottle of the hot barbecue sauce and tasted a few squirts. The sauce tasted exactly like spicy Coke. I asked the waitress if Coke was a major componant in the recipe and she retorted that I was mental. To ensure that a kid hadn't tampered with this bottle, I grabbed a second one and the flavor was indeed identical. Although there has to be an explanation for the similarity in flavors, the taste of Coke was unmistakable and it was not doing it for me. This was a rare occasion where I'd opt for the regular traditional barbecue sauce to complement my meal.

The pork was moist, but it unfortunately lacked a solid hickory smoked flavor that I had expected based on the wonderful smell in the restaurant. The fried okra was the exact same that I've tried at basically every barbecue restaurant in the city. Whoever distributes these frozen bags of breaded okra must be making a killing around these parts.

The ribs were fairly well cooked but lacked any bark or solid smoke (just like the pork) that I had anticipated. My biggest disappointment with Slope's ribs however had more to do with the composition of the ribs. 50% of each blade was an inferior cartilage filled rib tip -- the picture to the right illustrates how each of my ribs split in half. I definitely prefer meatier ribs with a greater contribution coming from the rib meat.

In retrospect, the meal was fine but none of the components excited me enough to warrant a return visit. The team that ran this location was extremely nice and I was pleased to see that I shared similar political views with management when it comes to the UN. This was the second best bumper sticker I've seen yet.

Old Hickory House (1/10) - 5490 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Dunwoody, GA 30338

2010-02-08T10:29:00.001-05:00

Yikes. Due to the overwhelming support and high praise posted in favor of the Old Hickory House on multiple message boards covering the Atlanta barbecue scene, I made some time over the past weekend to try the restaurant's barbecue. Although it was a little past noon, I overheard a few orders, none of which were for barbecue, and saw that most of the customers were indeed eating biscuits, gravy, eggs, and other breakfast items.

In my days since I started my attempt to tackle the nation's barbecue scene, I have yet to witness such blasphemy in a barbecue joint. The last time I was in Austin, a group of friends and myself traveled over an hour to rural Lexington, Texas (Snow's Barbecue) to eat barbecue in the morning. We found ourselves in good familiar company with others who knew that barbecue consumption knows no time. So Old Hickory House was a barbecue joint, right? The open pit behind the counter lead me to believe so.

I found the combination plate of ribs, beef, and pork + 2 sides reasonably priced... well until I surveyed my plate. Oh where to start.... Perhaps I should just sum it all up: dry, miserable texture, flavorless, smokeless. This place reminded me of a Waffle House except I honestly think Waffle House could turn out better barbecue than what I was eating. Just a look at the picture of the pork to the right turns my stomach.

The ribs were decent at best and I thought the Brunswick Stew was average compared to what I have tried across the southeast US. I asked for a to-go box purely out of sensitivity towards my waitress's feelings but my leftovers went right into the trash. If you find yourself in a situation where you're stuck in the Old Hickory House, follow the locals' lead and try the breakfast. This was probably the worst barbecue meal I have tried over the past half-year. Anything that is in a close race with Fincher's Pig Sandwich needs to reevaluate its product. The restaurant's lack of self-awareness shocks me. Old Hickory House would lose in a blind taste test with a boot. Any visitors who get tricked to "Put Some South In Your Mouth" might never come back.

Spiced Right BBQ (08/10) - 5364 Lawrenceville Highway, Lilburn, GA 30075

2010-01-30T19:52:00.006-05:00

Spiced Right has been serving the Tucker-area residents slow smoked barbecue for better than the last 20 years. The restaurant is located a few miles outside the perimeter off of Lawrenceville Highway, and because I hardly frequent this area, I decided to head out in the late afternoon so I could stockpile on a large quantity of food that I could snack on over the next 24 hours.

I was pleased to learn that Spiced Right offered the basic staples one would expect in a traditional barbecue joint. I was opportunistic on my trip out to the area that I'd be able to sample the restaurant's pork, ribs, and brisket. I placed an order for the 2-meat dinner plate (brisket, pork, corn souffle, and corn slaw) and courageously ordered an additional half-rack of St. Louis-style spare ribs with french fries and fried okra.

The ribs had a beautiful bark that encrusted a moist and well cooked meat. Even before I lifted my first rib to my mouth, I was excited for the flavor to follow. The meat of the ribs required only a slight tug to pull it from the blade, a great indication that the meat wasn't over- or undercooked. The flavor of the ribs was great and there was a sweet and smoky flavor throughout. There was also a thick black bark along the outer edge of the thick-cut beef brisket. The beef was fortunately cut against the grain, but the meat too easily shred with the slightest effort. The outer bites that contained traces of bark were delicious and sweet while the inner meat lacked the same depth of flavor and smoke.

The pork was tender and tasted very fresh, and there were salty and smoky notes throughout. Spiced Right provided three slight variations of barbecue sauce -- smooth, mild, and hot -- and all better resembled a Kansas City-style thick tomato based sauce than the heavier vinegar concentrated sauce that is typically served in the south. I knew that I would enjoy the Hot variation the most when I saw red chili flakes suspended throughout the bottle.

Although I barely made a dent in my aggressive order, my consumption at the restaurant didn't correlate to my enjoyment of this experience. I thought the Spiced Right team did a very good job with the meal and I wanted to walk around back to discuss with Bo regarding his approach to smoking barbecue. Bo gladly walked me through the smokehouse to show off the two Southern Pride smokers. He provided some pointers to smoking meat, advice that I am sure he takes to heart considering he's been mastering his trade at Spiced Right for the past 15 years, I was glad to get insight from the man behind the delicious outer crust and tender ribs and pulled pork that I had just ate.

One Star Ranch (7/10) - 25 Irby Ave., Atlanta, GA 30305

2010-01-18T16:52:00.008-05:00

To celebrate the passing of the recent frigid stormfront that decided to park itself atop the eastern seaboard over the past month, I took myself out to a barbecue lunch at another Atlanta barbecue joint that I had yet to frequent. One Star Ranch has operated in Atlanta in excess of 20 years (formerly named the Rib Ranch) and although its located right in the middle of the Buckhead bar district, I can't recall ever seeing it on any occasion out and about during some of my typical late-night debauchery. It was the middle of the afternoon, the temperature approximated 65 degrees, and I headed straight to One Star Ranch to try its Texas style barbecue.

I was excited to see an outdoor patio for dining. Since I was eating alone however, I thought it'd be more appropriate to settle up at the counter and eat in the company of a bartender or waiter whom I hoped would enjoy talking about barbecue, Atlanta, or Texas. The inside decorum definitely screamed that both the place had history and the owner loved Texas. The references to the Lone Star state were numerous: beef ribs on the menu, cow skulls on the wall, numerous Texas state flags, Texas' anti-littering campaign "Don't Mess With Texas" bumper stickers, Lone Star beer signs (although there was no evidence that Lone Star beers were sold on site), and UT Longhorn stickers.

I typically have zero interest in the beef rib. While one beef rib generally weighs in at over two pounds (inclusive of the massive bone), the meat usually tastes braised and lacking a natural smoky flavor. The braised consistency and flavor hardly works, but my interest in One Star Ranch's beef ribs was definitely piqued when a gentleman standing near the register swore that they were by far the best item on the menu. The employee at the restaurant, Patrick, echoed the customer's recommendation and stated that the ribs were indeed the direction I should follow. Per their collective recommendation, I chose the Normal Rib Combo (1 beef rib, 2 spare ribs, + 2 sides -- Brunswick stew and cole slaw).

The ribs looked gorgeous. The size of the spare ribs paled in comparison to the beef rib but looked equally as impressive in sight alone. Both styles of ribs appeared as if they had been perfectly slow smoked before hitting a hot grill for the final stage in their preparation. The searing of the outside of the spare ribs resulted in the outside glaze having a sweeter caramelized flavor at the expense of a slightly tougher external consistency. The trade-off worked well in my opinion but I wouldn't be surprised if traditional barbecue enthusiasts were less impressed with One Star Ranch's alternative final approach. I then turned my undivided attention away from both the spare ribs and the sides and focused all my effort and energy on the massive beef rib.

My first few bites initially confirmed my apprehension that the meat would taste braised and lacking a solid smoky flavor. I was able to put my fears to rest once I dove a little deeper into the meat and started picking away at the meat nearest the bone. The combination of meat and fat provided an incredible flavor that I had previously never experienced in a beef rib. I didn't divert my attention away at all until all the meat had been meticulously pulled away and devoured from the bone which I had to eventually remove from the plate so I could attack my sides.

The beef rib definitely exceeded expectations while the spare ribs and sides were comparative to the other meats I have sampled along my journey. I'm excited to sample the sausage, pork and brisket over the upcoming weeks on a subsequent trip to One Star Ranch, and if those meats are executed well, I'll definitely increase my score for the Atlanta-based barbecue joint.

Dixie Bones Barbecue (6/10) 13440 Occoquan Road, Woodbridge, VA 22191

2010-01-06T18:36:00.004-05:00

My time in Washington DC came to a close, so I mapped a route back to Atlanta that would allow me to try five to six new barbecue joints from DC, throughout eastern Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina that I had been excited about trying. The impending snow storm that was threatening to dump a couple feet of snow in the area however led me to revise my journey to the most direct route back to Atlanta. The only barbecue stop that was salvaged from being deleted from the trip was Dixie Bones, located a unimpressive 20 miles south of the District. Although I knew very little about Dixie Bones and Woodbridge, Virginia, I was excited about the idea of getting off the congested freeway known as I-95 for a few miles.

In an inconspicuous manner, I entered the restaurant and took a seat at one of the four chairs at the counter. Unbeknownst to me, my burnt orange UT cap grasped the attention of the staff who all individually approached me solely to say "Roll Tide". I had just entered the dangerous waters of a Bama barbecue restaurant. Dixie Bones = Alabama Barbecue Joint... it made too much sense. The owner of the restaurant, Nelson Head - a relocated Alabama native, took a seat next to me and talked about barbecue and the upcoming BCS Championship Game for approximately 20 minutes. Nelson couldn't have been nicer and down to earth. He expressed his ultimate desire to expand his barbecue empire, but acknowledged that he was weary whether his following would falter once his joint would become a chain. In the barbecue world, stand-alone restaurants typically reign supreme. Only a few exceptions come to mind -- Rudy's Barbecue and Cooper's Barbecue (both joints in Texas).

Like other Alabama barbecue joints, Dixie Bones offered stuffed barbecue potatoes and white barbecue sauce. Nelson had great pride in his food and told me that I couldn't go wrong with whatever meats I decided to order. I decided to go with the three meats I enjoy the most: brisket, pork, and ribs. I dove into the brisket first and was intrigued by both the look and feel of the meat. The brisket was very soft and moist, but looked like it had been stewed rather than smoked. The taste echoed my impression, and I hoped for a stronger smoke flavor in the meat. The pork was executed a lot better. A stronger smoky flavor penetrated the pork and Dixie Bone's spiciest of sauces complemented the flavor very well. I ate all my pork at the expense of filling up on the brisket.

The ribs were cooked well (neither under/overcooked) but lacked a great flavor that I had anticipated after speaking to Nelson over the previous 20+ minutes. I honestly wanted to love the food but nothing I ate truly excited me. In retrospect, I can only state one Alabama barbecue location that I have loved (The Brick Pit in Mobile) over the past 6 months. Perhaps I'm just biased against the way Alabamans prepare their barbecue.

Branded '72 Pit Barbecue (7/10) - 387 East Gude Dr., Rockville, MD 20850

2010-01-06T17:42:00.006-05:00

Branded '72, an established Rockville, Maryland barbecue joint, prides itself on serving traditional Texas barbecue -- an attribute that my readers should know I love. During my last night in Washington DC, I decided that I owed myself a goodbye present in the form of a good barbecue experience, and I consequently made the 25 mile trek up to Maryland suburbs. I was happy to see the Texas and US flags hanging proudly up front as I approached the front door. The restaurant was separated into three sections: a dining area to the right, a bar to the left that housed an accompanying stage for live acts (which was in use this night), and a long buffet-style counter in the rear.

When one asks me about what makes Texas style barbecue unique, I typically begin by discussing that the meat (brisket, sausage, and pork/beef ribs) is smoked in a closed pit with oak wood and is ultimately served dry to the restaurant's patrons. Branded '72 follows that model very closely but strays a little off course by smoking with hickory rather than oak and serving pulled pork and smoked corned beef.

I walked to the rear and was very excited about the opportunity to try the corned beef. I love salted cured meats to the same extent I love barbecue. I was afraid by combining the two I might succumb to the same sexual arousal that George Costanza experienced when he mixed pastrami, sex and tv. Upon request, the server behind the counter sliced a massive piece of corned beef and dropped into my outstretched palms for me to try -- delicious. I ordered the three-meat plate -- corned beef, pulled pork, brisket with sides of collared greens and mac and cheese and loaded a few cups of Branded '72's sauces (roasted habenero, original texas, and rockville red).

I took a seat at a booth near the bar and dove into my food while listening to the blues trio lay out some soulful tunes. The first few bites of smoked corned beef were incredible. The fat was beautifully rendered and the moisture in the meat was perfect. Unfortunately, there's a limitation to how much corned beef I can consume in one sitting and I reached that threshold fairly early into the meal. The pork and brisket were both very good (brisket was a little dry for my liking) and had a great smoked flavor throughout. The mac and cheese was served luke-warm and the sauces were not pleasing to my pallet. Had I known about this place sooner, i would have definitely made the effort to get out to this joint more often.

Daddy D'z (2/10) - 264 Memorial Drive, Atlanta, GA 30312

2010-01-04T16:41:00.004-05:00

After a lengthy hiatus from eating and subsequently documenting my barbecue sabbatical, I realized that I owed it to my barbecue loving brethren to hit the road to continue my search for the best food. Daddy D'z, a barbecue and blues joint located in Southeast Atlanta next to Oakland Cemetery on Memorial Drive, has quite a local following after earning numerous crowns as the city's best barbecue. While Daddy D'z may have at one point served superior barbecue, this barbecue joint definitely missed the mark on the day I visited.

My ladyfriend's roommate, Allie -- daughter of the Showerdome, had previously driven past the restaurant and her interest was definitely piqued. She raved about the sweet smells of smoked wood and stated on numerous occasions that she wanted to accompany my journey when I'd eventually make it to Daddy D'z. We pulled up and I was able to experience what Allie had raved about. The aromatic smells awakened my appetite and I loved the decorations around the restaurant's exterior. The interior was separated into two adjacent hallways: the first housed a stage for live blues performances while the second served as the main dining room. Overall, the place was basically in a state of disrepair and I expected nothing more a barbecue restaurant on Memorial Drive.

After a long break from barbecue, I was ready to jump in full tilt. Allie ordered the combination plate while I requested a plate that would allow me to try ribs, pulled pork, and chicken. For sides, I settled on collared greens and sweet potatoes. My food appeared and based on my first impression, I was definitely expecting to be disappointed. The ribs looked and felt undercooked, the quarter chicken appeared baked rather than smoked, the smell of smoke was mysteriously missing from all the meats and in its place was the sour smell emitting from the collared greens. No matter at which angle I positioned my plate, the smell dominated our table and my sense of smell throughout the course of the meat.

It didn't take but a few bites for me to hypothesize what might be the story behind this disappointing experience. Daddy D'z has most likely been plagued by a downturn in business and has decided to make the unfortunate business decision to cut its costs in production. If the restaurant either purchases a lower quality of meat or decides to use less wood in the smoking process in order to save money, it will most likely enter the dreaded downward cycle of producing a worse product which will cause customers to turn elsewhere for comparable food. The food was on the verge of inedible. Allie, disappointed and frustrated, agreed with my thoughts about all the different meats. The one upside to our trip was that we were able to try smoked pork egg rolls, which were average at best.

Capital Q (6/10) - 707 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001

2009-11-11T22:21:00.004-05:00

I headed into DC this past week to visit my trusty barber, Louie, at Farragut West. I decided that since I was already in the city, I'd walk down to Chinatown to try a barbecue at Capital Q -- a joint opened approximately 10 years ago by a native Texan. That's right, a Texas-influenced barbecue joint in Chinatown. That makes about as much sense as a restaurant that serves both sushi and Philly cheese steaks. I had passed off eating at Capital Q numerous times in the past due to a predetermined assessment that the place most likely served bad barbecue, but I thought the place deserved a fair unbiased chance so I decided to walk across town. I made better time than I imagined and was excited that the place was ready for business when I arrived at a few minutes before 11 am.

It was easy to determine that this place's motif was strictly 'everything Texas'. A longhorn head positioned in the center of the wall in between some notable Texans would that would be looking over me while I ate -- Bushie aka "W", Trent Lott, and Rick Perry to name a few. I love the pride Texans have for their homeland and I was happy that this place was all about it.

In addition to the barbecued meat items that were available a la carte (brisket, ribs, sausage, pulled pork, chicken, and turkey), Capital Q served 'alternative' options -- barbecue tacos and demographically friendly "Chinese Cowboys" (meat over rice). This place even served barbecue stuffed potatoes, a dish I had yet to see above the Mason Dixon line. I surveyed the meat under the heating lamp, and decided on a rather expensive three-plate dish that came with two sides (came to about $18 with DC's absurd 10% sales tax). Although it was quite early, my body is almost always in the mood for slow smoked meat, so I decided to order brisket, ribs, sausage (basically a staple in the longhorn state) with sides of cole slaw and collared greens.

The food at first glance definitely looked authentic and well smoked. The brisket had a fairly deep smoke ring, the sausage had the beautiful reddish coloration, andmy order of ribs looked pathetic. The carver gave me a cut from the very end of the slab, and I had to endure the unpleasant experience of walking back up to the guy to ask whether they minded giving me better ribs from the middle of the rack. Fortunate for me, the staff acted as if they were in agreement and gave me two large and meaty spare ribs as consideration.

For some odd reason, some slices of brisket were well smoked and flavored while others fell short of the bar. The great slices had a deep oak and hickory smoked flavor with a decent amount of fat while the others tasted dry and flavorless. The slices that were great were heaped over slices of sausage -- to replicate the sandwich at Mustang Creek which I have yet to try. The sausage, on its own, was exceptionally moist and its casing popped each time I bit into one -- another great attribute. I want to note that I was quite surprised that the sausages weren't sliced in sharp angles like typical Texas sausage to maximize surface area -- not a make or break at all but just odd. I poured on Capital Q's sauce over the brisket & sausage mixture, folded the bread over the top, and dove into one delicious sandwich. Capital Q's barbecue sauce was very good, both the mild and spicy varieties, and tasted almost identical to the sauce served at Rudy's.

The ribs were decent. While they were very tender and moist, the smoky flavor unfortunately didn't penetrate well into the meat. The lack of bark on the outside also contributed to a fairly disappointing and unexciting rib-eating experience. Furthermore, the ribs were also a bit fattier than what I was expecting.

The sides were both awful -- "sour" is a huge understatement to describe the collared greens and the cole slaw had too much mayonnaise.

Capital Q could easily score a 7+ on a subsequent experience, but there were too many areas for improvement for it to earn anything better than a 6 during my recent visit.

Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company (7/10) - 3471 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201

2009-11-09T16:01:00.003-05:00

Trusty old Rocklands. I first learned about this barbecue joint back in 2005 when I first moved to the DC area and worked in Alexandria. A coworker of mine named Coffey, a 45 year old Associate who penned himself "Coffeycups", wanted to eat barbecue for lunch 4 days a week (at a minimum). Considering that I worked with a good number of sassy Asian and Indian ladies, I was typically the only person who would accompany him on these somewhat daily barbecue outings. Thinking back on that year, I suppose that the consistency of eating barbecue wasn't the most unappealing aspect to the rest of our team...

It's rather difficult to grasp the concept of Coffeycups in one setting but I'll try. Coffeycups smoked 3 packs-a-day, constantly discussed either his intimate family situation regarding his custody battle over his 8-year old son or his weekend excursions to sing karaoke at the Holiday Inn bar, left work everyday at 3pm to catch his train home to Fredericksburg, poured the crumbs from the bottom of a bag of chips onto a table before using the side of his hand to swipe them into his other palm for consumption, ate candy off the floor, wore tight longsleeve FILA mock-turtleneck t-shirts to work while the rest of us wore business formal attire, and claimed he could bench press over 400 pounds (by the looks of his gargantuan hands, I never doubted that claim). In the end however, it was our common love for barbecue that overpowered all his less appealing traits and really bonded Coffeycups' and I. Coffeycups was eventually let go but I continued on the barbecue craze without him.

Rocklands has several locations in the greater-Washington DC area, and I can honestly say that in aggregate, I've eaten at the Alexandria, Georgetown, and Ballston (Arlington) locations in excess of 60 times --never been to the Rockville, MD location. The Alexandria Rocklands (Duke Street and Quaker Road) is definitely the most sterile. It's a long narrow building with metal tables and a counter from which to order. The Georgetown location (Wisconsin Avenue in upper Georgetown) is the most intimate & authentic of the Rocklands I've tried (not surprising that it was the original founded in 1990) while the new Arlington location (Washington Boulevard) is the larger and full-service of the three. All of the Rockland's locations have bowls of peanuts near the counter for customer consumption as well as an entire bookcase stacked full of eclectic and novelty hot sauces for sale. The meats at Rocklands are smoked with a combination of red oak and hickory woods.

In addition to the normal amenities that the other Rockland's has to offer, the Arlington location has a nice mural painted on its side, cleavers for door handles, a full-service bar inside with three flat panel televisions, and outside tables for use if the weather permits.

Rockland's sauce is self-served out of an electric cauldron (crockpot) that is stationed next to the fountain drinks. The sauce is predominantly tomato-based with a good portion of vinegar mixed in. Additionally, a good amount of sautéed onions strips bathe in the sauce -- I carefully ladle the sauce without onions since I personally don't care for them in my meal. The sauce is rather good on its own, but I have found through my own careful diligence and experimentation an incredible combination that takes my meal to the next level. One-part J.T. Pappy's Hot or Medium Cajun sauce combined with one-part Rocklands' barbecue sauce. I first discovered this combination at the Georgetown location, where the owners allow its customer to open bottles of the retail sauces from the sauce bookcase for consumption in the restaurant. During my last trip to the Arlington location, a worker told me as I was walking out that all sauces in the bookcase are now there solely for purchase, while the already opened sauces on the tables in the restaurant are the bottles for sampling. I was lucky he didn't force me to buy the sauce I had just opened.

After eating at Rockland's at an alarming rate over the past couple of years, I have my order down to a near science. I definitely order one beef brisket sandwich, and depending on my appetite and daily preference, choose from either the a pulled pork sandwich, barbecue chicken sandwich, or pit sirloin sandwich. In the past, I've been less impressed with the rib sandwich and the sausage sandwich and stick to what works. I do however refuse to be tricked into turning a $5 sandwich into a platter for an addition $4. $9 for a sandwich and two normal-sized sides has to be the worst value of all time. None of the sides are great either and I've tried a lot of them (slow learning curve to fully ingrate in my mind that the platter upgrade is too expensive).

On this day, I decided on a pulled pork sandwich and a beef brisket sandwich. The pork is well smoked and flavored and better than the average pork sandwich that I have tried along my journey. The brisket sandwich is my favorite of the bunch, but it doesn't taste like tradition brisket that you would eat in Texas. The is cut extremely thin, (almost like the roast beef at Arby's) and is grilled over an open flame behind the counter prior to serving.

Before I tried Urban Barbecue Company in Rockville, MD, I would have claimed that Rocklands' served the best most authentic barbecue in the area. The food is very good, well smoked, and basically none of the meats you can order off the menu will disappoint, just don't expect to be able to order a combination meat plate because its not offered at Rocklands.

After eating these two sandwiches, I returned to Rocklands' the following day for a half chicken. That could be my new go-to meal considering I can walk to Rocklands in 4 minutes from my apartment.

I just read that the Rocklands' team did a little barbecue journey of their own back in 2003. I look forward to reading their reviews and insights.

Also, Monday is buy a beer and get a free pork barbecue sandwich night. See you there.

Allen and Son Barbecue (7/10) - 6203 Millhouse Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27516

2009-10-31T12:54:00.005-04:00

Back when my original barbecue tour inspirations were in its infancy stage, Richie Y called me over to his place to watch a program on barbecue that he recorded that he knew I'd love. The PBS documentary was entitled Smokestack Lightning, and it was a visual continuation from Lolis Eric Elie's highly entertaining book with the same name that highlights his travels across the country eating barbecue (besides its entertainment value, the book proved to be very motivational as well). The show was a couple hours long, highlighting the importance and culture of barbecue across the nation.

One of the locations depicted in the show, was at a small North Carolina barbecue joint located outside Chapel Hill called Allen and Son Barbecue. The barbecue looked incredible and the owner's commitment to his technique and process furthered my will to find my way to try his food.

The drive to Allen and Son in the middle of October took me through what I would arguably claim as one of the most beautiful parts of the country; the heavy foliage of trees draped against the rolling hills painted the entire spectrum from greens to reds across the landscape. It was only suitable that Allen and Son was also tucked away in heavy shrubbery. The restaurant was quaint and the worn sign on its facade echoed its history and tradition smoking barbecue.

I ordered a large pork sandwich while fighting the urge to try some of the pies and cobblers displayed in Allen and Son's dessert rack. As I picked at the pork, the waitress warned me that the barbecue sauce was not for the faint at heart. Basically, any place whose traditional barbecue sauce is spicy starts me off on the right foot. The pork while very moist, was also noticeably quite salty. I love sodium more than the next guy so I was excited to dive into the sandwich.

The sauce's consistency was unlike anything I had tried to date. It had a little kick, not sure the advanced warning was warranted, but looked more like an oil-based salad dressing than a barbecue sauce. It did however have a unique good flavor which added to the positive experience at the restaurant.

Hursey's Barbecue (2/10) - 1834 S Church St., Burlington, NC 27215

2009-10-30T20:22:00.008-04:00

Hursey's was a late addition to my North Carolina barbecue tour; a recommendation that came to me from a high school friend who has lived in the state since his days as a strapping undergrad at Davidson. The smell of hickory guided me towards the restaurant as I guided my car through the streets of the bustling town of Burlington. The triple smokestack on the front of the restaurant confirmed that I had reached my destination.

Hursey's is supposedly one of the only Eastern NC barbecue restaurants in the western side of the state (or west of Raleigh). The waitress was very friendly, and offered to provide a wide variety of foods for me to sample over lunch. To be perfectly frank, the only items that looked remotely appetizing on the plate was the chicken (which wasn't even barbecued) and the fries. Between mushy barbecued pork, white finely chopped coleslaw, and Brunswick stew with 18 variety of beans in it, and my previous experience at Lexington #1 and Smiley's, I was not optimistic in the least.

Then I glanced over at the ribs. The sauce was gelatinous to both sight and touch. While I was hoping for a powerful and delicious flavored glaze, I was disappointed by its taste as well. The meat from the ribs were overly tender and lacked flavor from a long hickory induced smoke.

I asked the waitress if she minded if I took a tour of the pits and she happily obliged. Hursey's operates two large pits which are fed with the hickory wood that is preliminarily burned in the middle chamber. Hursey's has mastered the process which it abides to on a daily basis:
1. Place meat on grates.
2. Scatter hot coals beneath the pork sporadically throughout the course of the day to maintain optimal heat level.
3. Extinguish hot coals at the end of the night before heading home for the evening.
4. Allow pork to cool overnight in the pit prior to the following day's service.

I believe Hursey's process of burning wood down into hot coals prior to scattering the hot embers beneath the pork deprives the meat from fully absorbing a strong smoke flavor. Albeit each person is entitled to their own subjective opinion, I prefer adding wood chunks/logs in their respective raw (uncooked) state to the indirect fire during the smoke. Hursey's method produced a boring and bland product. I was saddened by this experience since I had high expectations for this visit. Despite consecutive negative barbecue experiences on this trip, I decided to carry on and try one more North Carolina barbecue establishment that I had seen on Smokestack Lightning on PBS.

Smiley's Barbecue (2/10) - 917 Winston Rd., Lexington, NC 27295

2009-10-30T17:57:00.005-04:00

While I was in Lexington, NC, it made sense to try another restaurant to provide a comparison to Lexington #1. Smiley's Barbecue is much smaller than Lexington #1 and also provides a more convenient curb-side service for customers who prefer to remain in their respective vehicles. In a day when I was to spend upwards of 800 miles in the car, I opted for a opportunity for a nice stretch before acquainting myself with the employees of a barbecue restaurant before eating some good solid barbecue.

Unless that barbecue is in the form of a sandwich being served at Smiley's. My sandwich was served immediately after it was prepared in the kitchen, and the bottom had already begun disintegrating due to the amount of barbecue dip (what North Carolinians call their barbecue sauce) that had soaked into the bun. I peered inside and saw my new commonly found enemy, Carolina slaw. Grotie.

The pork had little flavor while the sour cole slaw overpowered every bite I took. I paid for the meal and left a little over a third of the sandwich at my seat. As I entered my car back outside in the parking lot, I heard a yell in my direction. The manager had made his way towardsthe front of my car with his two cronies, two of the waiters from inside, standing directly behind his shoulder.

"Was everything ok with your food? You barely ordered anything and you left a lot of your food behind. Let me know if something wasn't right."

I kept my momentum towards entering the car, and I quickly responded with the first logical thing that came to mind -- "I'm on a barbecue tour and don't want to get too full."

If that was my only meal of the day, I probably wouldn't have finished my sandwich either. Lexington, NC barbecue left a terrible first impression and I couldn't have let town quicker. Next stop - Hursey's Barbecue.

Lexington #1 (3/10) - 10 Hwy 29-70 South, Lexington, NC 27295

2009-10-30T17:40:00.005-04:00

To the chagrin of many of my colleagues, I had visited approximately 60 barbecue joints over the past couple months and had yet to try North Carolina barbecue. Carolinians love their barbecue and claim that its the best in the land. To further complicate matters, the style of barbecue typically differs by which half of the state you're in. West of Raleigh is known for its Western NC style of barbecue while anything east of Raleigh is known for its Eastern NC style barbecue. While the entire state smoked pork, the western side typically smokes shoulders and hams while the eastern side typically smokes the entire hog. The western side also uses a more traditional tomato-based sauce while the eastern side uses a higher concentration of vinegar in the sauce. If you ask Western NC style fans where to head to try great barbecue, they'll undoubtedly tell you to visit any of the restaurants in Lexington, NC, a town that is self-proclaimed as the barbecue capital of the world, while most likely telling you to try Lexington #1 Barbecue. I was hoping the food would talk for itself.

Lexington #1 is a large building built along the slopes of a hill against business route 85. It is an impressive and glorious site. The parking lot was completely packed, and I imagine this is typical for a restaurant with such a great reputation. The line inside was 10 people deep, but I was able to by-pass the crowd by taking a seat at the counter. The hospitality evident and heart warming as Rick Monk, who was stationed behind the counter, welcomed 94% of the incoming patrons by name. Rick's father Wayne opened Lexington #1 back in the early 50's and the place has been family operated and owned ever since.

I asked Rick for a small plate of pork and he said that he wanted me to try a few other dishes out of the kitchen. I was served hush puppies, fried pork cheek, smoked turkey, smoked pork, and a side of slaw. The slaw that is served in North Carolina is absurdly blasphemous and hardly edible. The cabbage is finely chopped before being dosed in vinegar and an obscene amount of ketchup. The sour flavor masks the flavor of the pork and is even less edible on its own. I cannot imagine how locals in North Carolina proudly pass this off as good cole slaw because it's putrid - plain and simple. The pork was finely chopped and rather dry, the pork cheeks tasted like bagged pork rinds in a convenient store, and the turkey was the best dish I tried this afternoon. In a blind taste test, I cannot imagine anyone preferring Lexington #1 over any other run of the mill barbecue restaurant. I suppose you either like North Carolina style barbecue or you don't. I forgot to take pictures of my food so I found a an image online that looks identical to what I was served.

Smokin' Stokes Barbecue (5/10) - 1622 Augusta St., Greenville, SC 29605

2009-10-30T17:01:00.002-04:00

My original plan was to make my way up the eastern side of the country on my way back to Washington DC over a three-day voyage -- stopping through Charleston and making my way up towards Scott's Variety Store before an official North Carolina tour. I spontaneously decided to make the direct trip up I-85 from Atlanta while stopping at four places over the course of the day. Since I would be travelling through Greenville, SC, I added Smokin' Stokes Barbecue to the itinerary and stopped at approximately 11am for an early afternoon lunch. It was immediately obvious that this place had experience in the business, both officially and competitively. Advertisements for Cheerwine were also on the wall, and I later learned that the previous owner of the restaurant used to be a Cheerwine distributor back in his heyday.

I knew that I had multiple stops planned over the upcoming 300+ miles on the road so I decided on a large pork sandwich with a side of fried okra. Peering over the counter, I could see the Southern Pride smoker, a deep fryer, and a couple banners that had little if anything to do with Smokin' Stokes Barbecue. My food arrived in a few minutes and I took a seat in the dining hall next to an old timer who appeared to weigh an impressive 105 lbs.

The fried okra was as expected -- pre-made by a distributor -- and the pork in the sandwich at first glance appeared very dry and not fresh. I pinched a little sample of the pork and it had a fairly solid taste -- little salty, little smoky. I lined up the sauces -- mustard, mild, cheerwine, hot -- and squirted little dollops on my fingertips. Mustard = not good. Mild = good flavor but lacked the heat or kick that I believe complements barbecue so well. Cheerwine = tasted like Mr. Pibb barbecue sauce. Although I didn't really like the flavor, I still couldn't stop myself from constantly trying it over and over again. To date, it is definitely the most unique sauce I've ever tried. Hot = mild sauce + spice = perfect for my sandwich.

The sandwich was good and was definitely improved with a healthy coverage of hot sauce but was still nothing too exciting. The most memorable experience at Smokin' Stokes was the cheerwine barbecue sauce and it was something I can say that I'm happy I've tried in my life. I look forward to another trip through South Carolina where I can sample more of what the state has to offer but Smokin' Stokes won't be on my agenda.

D.B.A. Barbecue (07/10) - 1190 N Highland Ave NE., Atlanta, Ga 30306

2009-10-30T13:25:00.003-04:00

Amidst preparations for my recent interviews in Atlanta, I decided to take a break and head out in Virginia Highlands for barbecue. Taylor had met the owner of D.B.A. Barbecue's matriarch and she was quite proud of her son's new barbecue venture. I had passed the restaurant's bright yellow sign on Highland Avenue multiple times and decided to see how the restaurant held up against the local competition. I walked into the restaurant and opted for a seat at the bar next to the other patrons eating barbecue, drinking adult elixirs, and watching the Yankees/Angels game. The restaurant was nicely decorated and upheld, which was more a of a surprise given the joint served barbecue than it only being opened for 4-5 months.

I reviewed the menu for combination plates that would provide the right trio of meats that I craved for dinner -- typically ribs, brisket, pork. D.B.A. offered a three-meat plate, but my decisiveness sputtered as I attempted to narrow down the options of meats down to three: baby back ribs, spare ribs, chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket, and turkey were on the table. While asking the bartender what he recommended, the gentleman to my left pointed up at the Daily Special sign and convincingly suggested that I order the All You Can Eat Spare Ribs. He said they were great and definitely worth the price of $15. I was torn, and I let the comrade to my left know why -- "I'm driving around and I want to be able to try the greatest variety of barbecue at each place as possible." The bartender, Matt, reached out to shake my hand and said, "I own this place, and I guess I better make sure your food is great." Talking to Matt, who opened D.B.A. in July, provided an incredible opportunity to better understand the financing and operations behind opening and running a barbecue restaurant. He talked me through the process of converting the restaurant from a wine bar to a full-serve restaurant and all the subsequent custom renovations and costs that intrinsicly are part of the process. Although Matt was not a Louisiana native, he loved the state and decided to integrate the culture into his restaurant's food and decorum -- blues posters lined the walls and an Abita Beer logo was painted on the wood wall aside the door that led to the outside porch. I liked what he did to the place and was ready to start eating.

I ultimately decided to order the spare rib special while placing a three-meat combination plate to-go for my ladyfriend and her roommate to enjoy back at the apartment. The first half-slab had a serious thick and dark bark on the outside. The color was so black that I was curious as to what the inside meat could possibly look like. The ribs tasted great. The thick oaky taste took me back a month to my days touring Smitty's, Black's, and Kreuz's in Lockhart, Texas. The flavor from smoking meat with oak wood is unmistakable and I was pleased that somebody had the courage to introduce this style to the southeast. The owner unfortunately was not a barbecue fanatic. Matt thought a barbecue restaurant could do well in the Highlands and convinced Drew, the ex-chef from Kevin Rathbum's Steak & The Alfred, to head the cooking and join the team. Drew smoked the ribs perfectly, as the inside meat was tender and flavorful while the outside bark had a solid peppery and smokey flavor. My only criticism of my experience was that the restaurant would be better served buying and serving higher quality meat. My spare ribs were extraordinarily fatty, to the point where no edible meat whatsover could be found in the tips, and I hope through time that D.B.A. starts buying better ribs.

After my meal, Matt toured me through the kitchen showing his indoor smoker that was designed by Mike Mills from 17th Street Bar and Grill as well as Drew's outdoor smoker where D.B.A. smokes its larger cut of meats. I thanked Matt for the food and the insight into his operation, and took an extra-half slab of spare ribs in addition to the three-meat combo (pork, baby back ribs, and brisket) back to the girls at home.

Despite being uncomfortably full, the sight and smell of barbecue without fail always awakens my appetite in the matter of seconds. The brisket looked incredible. The baby back ribs looked like a miniature rack of the spare ribs that I just devoured. The pulled pork had a good combination of inside meat and outside crust. I dove straight into the lady's brisket. It tasted great, basically identical to Black's barbecue in Lockhart, except that it was sliced in the most absurd way. Anyone in the business knows to cut against the grain, and I suppose the folks at D.B.A. take the whole brisket and start slicing into it whichever way they place. In any case, it was still delicious. The baby back ribs tasted great as well, but the flavor of oak-smoked pork does not sit right with me. It is too pungeant of a taste, and I believe the restaurant should either scratch it from its menu or change to a less powerful wood source. The sides of mac & cheese and creamed corn were both great as well, and I would definitely recommend that any barbecue goers in the Atlanta area should check out D.B.A. and order as they please because almost everything I ate there was delicious. I'm sticking with an 08/10 score for the time being, because there is definitely room for improvement that I'm sure the restaurant will work out over the upcoming years while breaking in the place -- better quality ribs, less smoky pork, and a properly sliced brisket will do.

Sam's BBQ-1 (5/10) - 4944 Lower Roswell Rd Marietta, GA 30068

2009-10-19T01:44:00.006-04:00

I left Williamson Bros. and headed east across Roswell Road towards Sam and Dave's BBQ-1 which is located right next to Sparkles Roller Skating Rink and an adjacent ice skating rink. Sam and Dave's BBQ-1 had been open for five to six years, but something didn't sit right when I first took glance at the facade of the restaurant. It appeared that Sam muscled Dave out of the business, and the joint is completely Sam's show to run now. Dave's name had been etched from the glass, but Dave's name was still carved into the wooden bench to serve as a memento for how sweet the times used to be.

Sam, the new sole owner, is fairly competitive in the barbecue circuit, and trophies, ribbons, and magazine clippings line the walls. One magazine illustrates a Sam as a caring pet pig owner. From first look, I would estimate that his pet, Annabell, has to lead a somewhat stressful life. She can't get lost in the crowd nor can she make friends with the other swine. Seriously, any misstep could land her in the pits. And I'm curious how difficult the emotional strain must be on Sam every time he eats a pork sandwich and he thinks about Annabell.

A pork sandwich was delivered to my table and the portions were fairly large. The pork in the sandwich had a strong smoky flavor and I was excited to see that I was served portions of the shoulder that contained a good combination of the meat towards both the inside as well as the outside including the crust. The two bottles of BBQ1's sauce that was available on the table were both decent, but I quickly got a hold of the restaurant's habanero spiced sauce once it was offered. I liberally applied the sauce to the end of my sandwich, and then covered my next bite with its rub dust. I gripped the toasted and buttered Texas Toast and took a bite. Texas Toast + Chunks of Smoked Pork + Habenero Spiced Barbecue Sauce + Rub Dust + Pickles = Great Sandwich on paper. I definitely was a fan of all the individual components that complemented the sandwich.

I then ordered a short beef rib per the employee's recomendation. The rib approximated two and a half feet long, probably weighed in at a pound and a half, and it was delivered wrapped in aluminum foil. I was unsure how to best attack the rib. I slowly peeled back he layers of beef and took notice of soft outside crust that looked perfectly smoked. The inside layers of meat near the blade lacked a solid smoky flavor and instead tasted like the meat had either been parboiled or steamed. I still continuously pulled back layers of beef to dip in the spicy barbecue sauce and was torn whether I even enjoyed the flavor. Some bites tasted great while others left me wanting me to call it a day.

In all, the pork tasted good but the beef short rib was a disappointment. I'd consider revisiting if I heard/read incredible reviews about Sam's pork ribs but this visit that was most likely my last.

Williamson Bros. Barbecue (3/10) - 1425 Roswell Rd., Marietta, GA 30062

2009-10-18T21:59:00.004-04:00

During a recent stay with Murph in New Orleans, I came across a bottle of Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q seasoning salt in his kitchen. I knew it was Murph's (the guy's only possessions are whey protein, sliced deli meats, and 2 glasses) so I inquired deeper. It happens to belong to Murph's roommate, Mike "Moose" Moustoukas. Moose is from Marietta, a town slightly northwest of Atlanta, and swears by Williamson Bros. food. He gets excited that I'm travelling around and tells me to check out Williamson's when I'm back in Atlanta. I'm heading back to DC shortly, so during my last few days in Atlanta, I made the excursion to see if Williamson could live up to the hype and unseat P'Cheen's as the best in town.

Williamson Bros. was started in 1989 by two brothers from Alabama who wanted to capitalize on the lack of solid barbecue in the Atlanta area (familiar theme). I arrived on a Sunday afternoon and found myself amongst the masses of God fearing folk who must have just left Sunday services at their local churches for lunch. A solid crowd coupled (well, maybe 4x) with the amazing smell of smoked meat, a strong recommendation from Moose, and a Neilson Report sign on the wall that declares that Williamson Bros. has the fourth best selling barbecue sauce in 2009 indicated that I was in for a great meal. I walked through the crowd past the restaurant's open pit that was located behind the hostess' stand, and took a seat at the bar.

The open pit looked marvelous. Logs were ablaze underneath racks of pork shoulders, ribs, and other large cuts of meat. The fat from the shoulders on the shelf were visibly dripping below both onto the slabs of ribs and the open fire below, and an employee who oversaw the operation was keeping a keen eye open to ensure that a grease fire didn't consume and overcook/burn the meat. Watching the pit whet my appetite and my only concern was what I should order for lunch.

I took a seat aside an elderly couple who said they ate at Williamson Bros. every opportunity they got. The woman had a plate of chopped pork in front of her and recommended that I order the same. I in turn ordered a quarter of dark meat chicken and a pulled pork sandwich. While waiting for my food, I noticed that the Williamson brothers, Danny and Larry, were inexplicably proud of their 7th and 5th grade report cards, respectively -- when they mostly earned Bs, Cs and Ds and were mostly criticized for their lack of commitment towards learning social studies -- and consequently decided to hang their framed report cards on the wall. Barbecue is quite the scholarly industry.

The sandwich appeared very appetizing but managed to disappoint in almost every way imaginable (the bread was good, congrats). The meat, while lacking any substantially smoked flavor, was completely smothered in the restaurant's barbecue sauce which happened to be worse than the pork. It was sweet, lacked any identifiable flavors or spices or any creativity that would allow me to distinguish it from any other mass produced barbecue sauce. I guess that's why it was ranked 4th in sales. Competitive barbecue teams probably manipulate Williamson Bros' sauce (using it as a base) into something that's a little more special and interesting. I asked for Williamson Bros' additional sauces, and the waitress returned with a garlic, a chipotle, and Carolina mustard varieties. The chipotle spiced sauce had a strong kick and was definitely my preference of the group. Still, no awards or positive reviews coming from yours truly.

The quarter dark meat chicken was also smothered in the regular sauce and was overcooked and dry. I took one look at the drumstick before deciding against trying to cut into it. It blew my mind that this cut of meat got through multiple levels of oversight. If I ran a place, food like that would have no business being served to my customers.

I largely assume that due to its large lunch crowd and the restaurant's ability to rest on its reputation, Williamson Bros. is either unable to keep up its quality control because of the high demand and large crowds or it doesn't feel the need to turn out top notch barbecue day-in and day-out. At some point in the past, I believe that Williamson Bros.' barbecue was probably great -- but then its popularity increased, crowds grew larger and larger, and it was then unable to meet the increased demand and quality took a turn for the worse.

I have witnessed this problem time and time again over my travels -- see The Shed Barbecue and Big Bob Gibson's Barbecue -- and my favorite meals are often in the small intimate locations where the pitmasters have better control of the product coming out of their smokers.

Bill who owns and operates The Brick Pit in Mobile, Alabama said it best (quote not verbatim but you should get the gist), "I always have to cook my best and make sure that every meal is close to as perfect as possible. I'll never know whether my next customer has traveled great lengths to eat here because he/she got a recommendation or a referral from a friend or one of my long time customers of the restaurant." Williamson Bros. needs to take heed to that advice. A 3/10 is quite a poor score, but Danny and Larry are evidently accustomed to falling behind their peers.

P'Cheen (Mike's Bone Lick BBQ) (8/10) - 701-5 Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312

2009-10-14T15:33:00.016-04:00

The biggest lesson I've learned regarding exploring new barbecue joints is to never plan a trip on either a Sunday or a Monday as those are the days of the week most places are closed. So I was a little surprised to receive a message from a friend on a late Monday afternoon telling me to check out a local restaurant in Atlanta that solely serves barbecue on Mondays. Although he had never tried the barbecue at the restaurant, he claimed that their regular offering was top notch and well worth the price. He pointed me to another barbecue blog who had documented a recent visit to P'Cheens, and so I moved quickly to convince a friend to accompany me on this trip.

P'Cheen is located south of Virginia Highlands on Highland Avenue and a few blocks west of Little Five Points in a community called The Old Fourth Ward near Inman Park. The area is definitely up and coming and a lot of new and trendy restaurants, bars, and apartments, town homes, and houses have been constructed in the area during recent years. We parked on the street right outside and were walked to a table by a waiter right in front of the Jets Dolphins game. The ambiance was nice. A horseshoe wrap-around bar separated the two halves of the restaurant, and a number of booths and couches lined the outside walls. Although the audio for Monday Night Football dominated the airwaves inside, one could still hear some indie tunes softly playing from uninhabited DJ booth in the corner. Taylor and I ordered Sweet Water 420's on draught while we surveyed our menus. Only after the waiter arrived did we realize that we had two distinctly different menus; mine was dated and no longer reflected the menu de jour. Quickly scanning Taylor's menu, we decided to start with the smoked pork nachos and follow that up with the three meat combo (baby back ribs, half chicken, and andouille sausage + sides of collared greens, jalapeño mac & cheese, and smoked gouda grits.)

Ever since visiting Germantown Commissary and seeing those plates of pork cheese nachos, I knew I had to try a plate for myself somewhere. P'Cheen's version sounded incredible. Nachos, pepper jack cheese, chipotle sour cream, fresh jalapeños, etc. all sounded incredible. The presentation was even better than I imagined, and a light addition of chives and seasoning were sprinkled over the top of our dish. I tried to slow down my pace but I had two factors working against me: Taylor was going to start eating into my share and the chips would start to get soggy. I might intern at P'Cheens just to get the full lowdown on how they make these chips. The pork had a solid smoky flavor that did not overpower the rest of the flavors. The jalapeños had a strong spicy bite but did not burn out our taste buds.

After we finished the nachos, the waiter brought the three meat combo and rang the bell over the bar to announce that we did in fact order the three meat plate. Their excitement over two men splitting a plate was dumbfounding. The food looked great. The meat on the ribs looked like it had slowly pulled back from the bones and a nice crust had developed on the meaty topside of the miniature slab. I cut a rib and got excited over how juicy and well cooked the meat was. The flavor did not disappoint either. The chicken was extremely moist and tasted great with or without any barbecue sauce (to be discussed shortly). I was happy that we were served the back half of the bird since dark meat is generally more tender than the breast section. The sausage was good but had too strong of a cajun influence to be enjoyable at a barbecue venue. I would have also preferred to have the sausage grilled or pan fried rather than smoked to better preserve the inner juiciness. While my preference from best to worst went from Ribs - Chicken - Sausage, Taylor thought the sausage was the best meat he ate -- not to be taken as an insult as Taylor loved the sausage. P'Cheens served four sauces, none of which were too impressive: traditional sweet barbecue, NC vinegar based sauce, pepper vinegar based sauce, and a sweet mustard based sauce. I preferred the sweet mustard and the pepper vinegar over the two alternatives. Sauce is typically an afterthought if the flavor of the meat can speak for itself.

To finish on the sides, the collared greens had the most flavor while the jalapeño mac & cheese lacked any substantial flavor at all. The cheese lacked a distinguishable flavor and other than the three jalapeños that were perched on top of the dish, I unsuccessfully was able to taste of find evidence that proved whether jalapeños were even cooked into the dish. The smoked gouda grits were better advertised than executed, but were still enjoyable enough to complement the barbecue and a hearty glass of Atlanta's own Sweet Water beer. Before we departed, Mike LaSage visited our table and gave us a friendly hi-five while he mistook us for another group of guys he thought had been in the restaurant the previous week. Despite the mistaken identity, he was friendly and talked about his preference for Cajun and barbecue cuisine although he was raised in Florida. There is great food in Louisiana, as long as you're south of I-10, so I can't fault him for that.

If you're looking for me next Monday, I'll most likely be back at P'Cheens trying to introduce their barbecue to different friends and my family (unless Taylor wants to join for a second round too). Hopefully Mike pursues opening his own restaurant where he not only serves barbecue daily, but also expands the menu a little further to benefit yours truly.

PS - Anyone who thinks Mike's Bone Lick BBQ's logo is better than the 3rd Degree Berns touring logo is an absolute idiot. His looks like a fetal pig ready for dissection in a 7th grade biology class.

*** Update ***

P'Cheen has posted my review on their facebook page. Thanks to Shaheen for pointing this out already.

Bone Lick Park (6/10) - 75 Greenwich Ave., New York, NY 10014

2009-10-14T13:38:00.002-04:00

I landed in New York last Wednesday in preparation for a Thursday interview. First step, shave the beard and get a haircut. Per Nikki's roommate's advice, I got cleaned up at a place off Perry and 7th Avenue. The bill came to $30+ but I only had $27 in the wallet. I offered an Amex but the place only accepted Mastercard/Visa. Oh so unfortunate for them. Nikki stole my debit card (Mastercard) when I was in Austin the previous weekend so the place's only option was to either hold me ransom or accept the $27. The latter was easier so they let me go on my way. I decided to spend my recent gains at this barbecue joint I passed on my way to the barber -- Bone Lick Park on the intersection of Greenwich, 11th St., and 7th Avenue. Although I have previously passed this place multiple times without hearing any sort of recommendation or warning about the food, I decided there was no better time to step in and try a bite of barbecue.

The inside decorum was decent: a huge Coca-Cola sign is lit behind the counter, the booths look like a 1950's diner, and a stack of cherry and apple wood were piled near the doorway. The waiter strategically placed me at a table by the window and was a little surprised when I ordered a pulled pork sandwich before looking at the menu. I asked if I could sample a bite of brisket, and he complied after pretending to ask his manager in the back for permission.

The portions on the sandwich were very generous. The pork was moist and was pulled into thick chunks. A sauce covered the meat and an extra layer of dry rub was then applied over that. I pulled an unsauced piece of pork from the bottom of the pile and pulled it to my face. It was genuinely nicely smoked and flavorful. The place smokes with apple and cherry so the smoky flavor was a little more sweet and less bitter than the hickory and oak smoke I had become accustomed to trying. The coleslaw tasted very fresh so I piled that upon my sandwich as well. Nikki, Megan, and I had dinner plans in a few hours, but I was hoping I could sneak a pork sandwich into my plans in advance of our meal. The bread tasted like an onion roll, very soft and buttery, and complimented the meat nicely. The sandwich was great and worth it.

The brisket was also nicely smoked and had a nice smoked flavor to it. If I returned to Bone Lick Park in the future, I'd consider ordering brisket on my sandwich rather than pork for the sake of comparison between the two.

Hill Country Barbecue (5/10) - 30 W 26th St. New York, NY 10010

2009-10-13T16:48:00.006-04:00

After recently returning from a trip from the real Hill Country near Austin, Texas, I thought now to be an opportune time to write about Hill Country Barbecue in New York City, a joint that pays homage to Texas: barbecue served in a makeshift meat market & live music. I corralled some troops and we made our way across Manhattan to try the barbecue at Hill Country.

The business model at Hill Country is to replicate the typical barbecue restaurant from Texas. Upon walking into the restaurant, the hostess handed each of us a meal ticket to use when we ordered our meat and sides from the counters upstairs. She sat us in the downstairs dining room. The walls were decorated with prints from Texas (I especially liked the photograph of the staff at Kreuz's), an empty stage was positioned alongside the far wall (for live music) and our drinks were served in mason/pickle jars. Although I had yet to try the food, I appreciated the authenticity of what this place was trying to accomplish.

We brought our meal tickets upstairs and approached the meat counter to the left. As customers request their meat of choice from the options listed on hanging chalkboards, the pitmasters pull the respective meats out of the smoker and place the sliced cuts atop butcher paper. The meats are ultimately weighed on metal scales and a barcode indicating cost per dish is printed on a sticker and adhered to each the ordering card. Clint and I teamed up and selected regular sausage, jalapeño cheese sausage, lean brisket, pork spare ribs, and beef shoulder -- enough food to garner an adequate opinion of the barbecue. We then transitioned to the right and ordered sides.

Our order looked delicious as it sat piled high on the butcher paper. The jalapeño and cheese sausage, shipped from Kreuz's in Lockhart, TX, was great. The meal then took a turn for the worse. The brisket was fairly bland and and could have used a stronger smoke flavor. To Hill Country's credit however, the meat was moist and had a great deal of rendered fat throughout each slice. The ribs had a nice crust but also proved to be less than great. The boneless beef shoulder was a glorified slice of roast beef and lacked one redeeming quality.

The low point of the meal -- in addition to the slices of roast beef Hill Country claimed was beef shoulder -- was the barbecue sauce. I know that many Texans don't put an emphasis on sauce if they use it at all, but what Hill Country provides is dissimilar and worse than anything I've tried in the Lone Star State. It tasted like Worcestershire sauce. Texans should be mortified that a condiment served at a barbecue joint taste like something developed by the Brits.

Although the food was disappointing, I still liked the concept attempted by this restaurant, and I really enjoyed walking around looking at the photographs. I feel that this place has great potential to improve with time, but it definitely needs a few years and some adjustments before it gets there. The only way I'd return for a second visit in the near future is if I heard from reliable sources that I ate on an off day or if Hill Country undergoes drastic changes towards its approach to barbecue.

** Update **

Hill Country will be opening a second location in the Washington DC area in 2010.