Where's The Best BBQ?

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SQUEAL RATING

1 squeal, Didn't do the pig justice!
2 squeals, Time to kick it up a bit!
3 squeals, Good tasting BBQ
4 squeals, Surpassed expectations, lip smacking good!
5 squeals, Hit the squeal meter! Absolutely the best BBQ you have ever tasted !!!

Saturday September 04 2010

The BBQ Song - Press Play

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BBQ Poll

How Do You Like Your BBQ sauce

	I like the vinegary Carolina Style
	I like the sweet Kansas City style
	How about you Carolina Mustard lovers?

Best Chicken I've had so far - Stonewalls in Braselton Georgia

Where is the best BBQ? Right now sitting on top of the squeal meter is Harold's BBQ in Atlanta with a 4.9 on the squeal meter along with Cabin Creek BBQ Co. in Nicholson, Georgia

Best BBQ sandwich I've had so far - Tomlin's BBQ in Dillard Georgia

Best Ribs I've had so far - Fatt Matt's in Atlanta Georgia

Tell your friends about www.wheresthebestbbq.com

Best Beef Brisket I've had so far - Cabin Creek BBQ Co. in Nicholson Georgia

Best brunswick stew I've had so far - Harold's BBQ in Atlanta Georgia

God Bless America ! Pray for our troops overseas

Learn how to BBQ like a pro with "Competition BBQ Secrets" buy it HERE.

Where's The Best BBQ?

Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book

If y’all haven’t figured it out yet, I have a serious passion for going out and finding good BBQ and sharing it with all of you. But sometimes you come across something else that can really enhance your BBQ experience and knowledge. I recently bought Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book. This is not just a cook book, but it is really a great read into the history and award winning techniques that Chris Lilly, the executive chef and co-owner of Big Bob Gibson’s Restaurants in Decatur, Alabama shares in his book.

Big Bob Gibson’s is on my bucket list of restaurants that I have to visit to help complete my BBQ journey. Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ team has won ten world BBQ championships and six world titles at Memphis in May and a slew of other awards. If you’re a regular viewer of the food network, you have seen Chris in some of the BBQ specials where he has been featured.

The book is very nicely illustrated with the beginnings and history of Big Bob Gibson’s restaurant and is packed full of great recipes for BBQ sauces, rubs and stews and more. There is even a recipe for Alabama’s BBQ white sauce which is a mayonnaise based BBQ sauce. It is a great read and is full of very nice color pictures and the awards page is really quite impressive to check out. I have sampled a few of the recipes, and they have turned out very good. Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book even breaks down the different kinds of woods that there are and the flavor that comes from using assorted hardwoods for smoking.

Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy and 1 extra to give out as Christmas presents. You’ll want to go out and fire up the smoker after reading this book!

I give Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book a 5 on the squeal meter. This book is going to kick up your BBQ knowledge and ignite the BBQ passion inside of you as it did me.

There’s a picture of the book in the pic section so you know what it looks like.

Fresh Air BBQ, Bogart Ga.

Going up to Athens, Georgia on Atlanta Highway in Bogart Georgia is a little BBQ restaurant called Fresh Air BBQ. My wife and I pulled in to give it a try. For a Tuesday evening I was very surprised by how busy the restaurant was. There were a lot of regulars and a few out of towners like myself. The building itself had the look of an old BBQ shack although there was no smoke in the air when we pulled up.That's something that just makes going out for BBQ a little more appetizing to me.

I ordered the BBQ plate with Brunswick stew and slaw; my wife ordered a half chicken with beans and slaw. My plate was piled high with chopped pork and a little of their vinegar based BBQ sauce on it. I thought it was a generous amount of food for your dollar. The pork was moist and tasted good. The Brunswick stew had a good base to it and was delicious, as well. The slaw was on the sweet side, but it was served in one of those small containers so it was more of a taste instead of a generous helping. The half chicken my wife ordered was served with the vinegar based BBQ sauce, but the chicken was a little on the dry side. The BBQ beans were a little thick and lacking in flavor.

I was told that they smoke their meats with oak, although I couldn't really pick up any smoke flavor in the meat or the chicken. A lot of folks stop here for their tailgate parties on the way to see the Georgia Bulldogs as there were a few family and tailgate specials on the menu. The restaurant was comfortable with plenty of seating as most of their customers were there for carry out meals. The decor was done up in old paintings and antique looking signs to give you the feel of days gone by while eating your BBQ. The workers told me this is one of three locations for Fresh Air BBQ with the original location in Jackson Georgia.

All in all on the squeal meter I would have to give Fresh Air BBQ a 2.5 on the squeal meter.

The Iron Pig in Jefferson Georgia

For this week’s BBQ adventure, I decided to try a restaurant not too far from my house. The Iron Pig in Jefferson Georgia is a true BBQ compound. When you drive up to The Iron Pig the first thing to catch your eye is the big black locomotive smoker in front of the restaurant. In addition there is the cinder block smoker that is screened in and housed by itself across from the little shack where they sell their BBQ. This place has a very “BBQ” feel to it with all the smokers and relics, along with the picnic tables for dining. The owner told me that a few other BBQ enthusiast have been there and have taken pictures and mentioned his restaurant in their BBQ books. I posted some pictures under the BBQ pics section for you to see. This is an outdoor restaurant only, but on a nice spring day it was perfect to stop in for some BBQ. I ordered a pork sandwich with Brunswick stew.

My pork sandwich was nice and warm and served with their tangy vinegary BBQ sauce. The Brunswick stew was a nice portion and had great texture, but was on the spicy/peppery side. All in all, it was a pretty good lunch.

If you’re in Jefferson heading out to the flea markets or to The Real Deal to shop for furniture, stop by The Iron Pig and give it a try.

I give the Iron Pig a 3 on the squeal meter

Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell Georgia

This week’s BBQ adventure was a restaurant that I had read a lot about, from their homemade sauces to their homemade fresh baked bread. Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell, Georgia was this weeks destination, and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. As a former chef, anytime I hear about a restaurant that makes a lot of their own ingredients in house, it really peeks my interest.

The restaurant had a unique upscale shack appeal to it. As soon as you walked in, there was a bar that had refreshments iced down in a canoe. There was also a stage where performers play country music on the weekends (we missed them since they don’t start up until around 10:00PM).

When we were seated we looked over the menu where there were some nice offerings. Swallow at the Hollow offered up a few different things on their menu. Besides the ribs, chicken, turkey and sausage, they also had smoked portabella mushrooms served with gouda cheese on the menu. You could get this as a meal or served up like an old style club sandwich. Since my wife is all but burnt out on BBQ, I knew this would be a nice change of pace for her taste buds.

We decided on their appetizer of a homemade bread basket. It was served with a couple of large pieces of Texas toast, a few slices of their plain white bread and a few homemade biscuits. Everything tasted very fresh, and we all enjoyed it. For dinner I decided to get the full rack of ribs while my wife ordered their smoked portabella mushroom with gouda cheese and another in our party ordered their spicy smoked sausage. I ordered mine with sides of butternut squash with garlic butter and baked beans.

While we were waiting for our dinner, I decided to taste their BBQ sauces that were on the table. They had a spicy thin vinegar sauce, a Carolina mustard based BBQ sauce, and a sweet K.C. style sauce that was very unique and flavorful. All of the sauces were good and well balanced.

When my ribs arrived, they were hot off the grill and were smothered in Swallow’s K.C. style sauce. They were fall off the bone delicious. The butternut squash was wrapped in foil and was bubbling in its own savory sauce that was absolutely delicious and a wonderful treat this time of year.

My wife’s portabella mushroom was as she put it…“great” and she too loved the butternut squash and side of fried green tomatoes.

My nephew’s wife raved about the spicy smoked sausage and home made mac n cheese and their fresh salad.

As we were enjoying our meal the owner, Mr. Greenwood visited with us and gave me his insight on how he liked to prepare his BBQ. He explained his appreciation of the old fashioned pit style and not these new mechanical methods which make a lot of today’s BBQ meats taste like they came from a smoke infused rotisserie.

All in all Swallow at the Hollow was a true culinary delight with the fresh baked bread and well prepared vegetables and of course the BBQ. I also have to mention the great service we received as well!

I give Swallow at the Hollow and 4.25 on the squeal meter and if your looking for good BBQ and live country music make the trip to Roswell and check out Swallow in the Hollow.

A few pics are in the pic section.

www.theswallowatthehollow.com

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