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The Georgia Pig in Brunswick Georgia |
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My family and I recently went down to the Georgia Coast and of course I had to search out a BBQ restaurant for us to check out. We were headed down interstate 95 to Brunswick. When we got off the interstate there was a nice looking BBQ shack called The Georgia Pig. It was a cool looking shack with all kinds of pigs and BBQ signs hanging from it, so I was sure I found my spot. We unloaded the kids and all stepped into The Georgia Pig to see what they had to offer. Well, as soon as you enter the building you were at the counter to place your order. I researched the menu and saw there was no chicken, but they did have pulled pork, ribs and chopped meat. Chopped meat? What in the world do they mean by “chopped meat”? I had to investigate this further. I asked them to explain “chopped meat” to me. I was sure it was brisket, but boy was I wrong. The lady/manager told me they smoke a top round and then chop it up and she assured me it would taste better than any brisket that I‘ve had. Well to me, I just figured they were too cheap to buy brisket and my instincts were right. I should of listened to myself. I had to call her bluff, so I ordered ribs with “chopped meat” and Brunswick stew. My wife had their pulled pork, and we got the kids BBQ sandwiches. We tried to sit outside, but the flies were horrendous, so we had to vacate our picnic table and go inside which wasn’t much better. The restaurant was very old and dated. And let me tell you, I have been in a lot of dives since I started this site, but this place was worse than most. Our food came out, and it wasn’t very appealing at all. Lets just say I took one for the team here. The ribs and “chopped meat” were covered in their very tangy-sour-ketchup based sauce. My wife’s pulled pork tasted more like it was boiled rather than smoked. The ‘chopped meat” was also covered with their sauce, and I just didn’t care for the taste of it at all. In my opinion, their Brunswick stew was nothing more than a vegetable soup with pulled pork and their very tangy-sour-BBQ sauce mixed into it. None of us could finish our meal and we left very dissatisfied. The thing that I hate the most is that this place is right next to the highway near the Georgia-Florida border, and you know a lot of yankees are stopping here to get some good old southern BBQ-which to me, doesn’t exist here. My goal at this site is to visit all of these restaurants and give you an honest opinion about how I felt about each restaurant and their BBQ using my experience as a former chef and a KCBS BBQ judge and competitor. I’m always out to promote the wonderful art of BBQ, but It’s hard to even give this place and oink, let alone a squeal. Pics are in the pic section |
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Stinson's Bar-B-Que in Lumber City Georgia |
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They say you can judge a good BBQ restaurant just be looking at the wood pile behind the restaurant. While I was driving in South Georgia through Lumber City, I came across Stinson’s Bar-B-Que. The first thing I noticed was the oak stacked behind this old southern restaurant. My family and I had to stop and check it out to see what this charming restaurant had to offer. As we stepped into Stinson’s, we were immediately in love with the smell of smoke coming from the pits located in the back of the restaurant. We placed our order of BBQ sandwiches and Brunswick stew, and I was then introduced to the owner and true pit master, Mr. John Stinson. Mr. Stinson is a true pit master. By that, I mean he cooks his BBQ the old fashion way. I have only read about true southern BBQ, but Mr. Stinson took me into the back of his restaurant and showed me his pits, four in all, where he has mastered his profession of true southern BBQ. Stinson’s BBQ has been in Lumber City for over 30 years, and like he says, you must be doing something right to still be going at it 30 years later. You see, to achieve true pit BBQ, he has a fire pit burning behind the restaurant and then takes the coals and places them into his cinder block pits and lets the hot coals smoke his butts and hams. By doing this the fat from the meat drips onto the coals and then smokes the meat with it’s own juices. Today, this is a rare treat and it was a sight to behold for me. I’ve seen it done at church socials and a few other events, but never commercially. When he raised the lids to his pits, one was filled with about 20 butts and the other one was filled with about 15 hams. It was really a treat to take in the sight and smells coming from his smokehouse. After the smoking process, he mixes and chops the butts and hams together, producing a leaner product than just using the butts. I have to agree after eating one of his BBQ sandwiches. It was lean, moist and delicious. He mixes the pork with his very mild mustard BBQ sauce and I couldn’t even tell it was a mustard based sauce. I asked Mr. Stinson if he uses any rubs or injections, and he told me that hides the true flavor of smoked pork. I have to agree, after judging in BBQ contests where all the ribs and butts are covered with rubs, it was a nice treat to just taste pork in it’s natural flavor. He let me enjoy a few of his ribs also, and they were cooked to perfection. His mustard based sauce just added to the enjoyment of my meal. I also enjoyed his Brunswick stew, which was a real stew served with corn, huge chunks of potatoes and tomatoes. The stew had a great base to it and was rich in flavor. It was real stroke of luck that I stopped in to check this place out. I felt like I stepped back in time with a seasoned and very proud BBQ pit master. I like it when an owner comes out and sits with me while I’m trying his food. That shows me a proud and confident restaurant owner that stands behind what he serves. Not only did Mr. Stinson sit with me, but he come out with articles that had been written about his restaurant and he showed true southern hospitality that the south is all about. The attention to detail is what really sets Stinson’s Bar-B-Que apart from most I have visited. Lumber City is about 50 miles south of Dublin at the intersection of Hwy. 19 and Hwy. 341 in Georgia. If your anywhere near there, take the time to stop by and try true BBQ by a true pit master! This was a stop I will never forget and the whole reason I started this sight...To find great BBQ throughout the south. I give Stinson’s Bar-B-Que a 4.8 on the squeal meter! Pics in the pic section |
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The Shed in Ocean Springs MS. |
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This article is from a good friend of mine, Brad Kuss. Brad is from Louisiana and also shares my passion for BBQ. He is a certified KCBS judge and he stopped by The Shed in Ocean Springs Mississippi on his way back to Atlanta. The Shed has been featured on a few BBQ shows as well as Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. This is Brad’s account of his visit to the famous BBQ joint… Get out your Mapquest (or Garman) and punch in The Shed, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. What can be said about The Shed? Location? No. The attraction of the Gulf Coast casinos and brilliant dining you might expect? No. How about a step back in time to the ‘60’s coupled with a Jimmy Buffet-style of abandoned paradise; eclectic staff, attire, and attitude; and, of course, the reason for coming – good BBQ? The tie-dyed t-shirted staff and servers will welcome you with a mellow feeling from the minute you enter the trophied front entrance. From a back-entrance welcome by Jim “Happy Legs” Groves to the last finger lick of sauce too good to let go “dumpster diving,” this little Valhalla is a BBQ seeker’s paradise. Now you might ask, being the newcomer as was I to the Shed, just who was this tall thin gentleman Jim you just met? Well, he is the first of the “original” Shedheads as his business card proudly proclaims. The card he presented me actually states Jim is the official Headshed dancer, a member of the Shed competition team (any serious BBQ fan knows just how serious a competition team can be), and simply denotes him as a “friend”. Friend, and friendly is a good combination to describe the atmosphere of the Shed from the time you enter until you complete your meal experience. After sitting down with a baby-back plate complete with outstanding sides of baked potato salad and fresh, crunchy coleslaw, the social end of joining the ranks of the “shedheads” commences. At my table I was joined by a young couple from Dallas, Texas, on their way to a Destin vacation and was flanked by a Carolinian and her local Mississippi guide. The wait for my meal was short, and everything was served up hot and fresh. I quickly realized I was not just stopping by for bbq, I was jumping into a social event unique to the Gulf Coast. There was actually an excitement amongst the crowd to be dining here this morning you could sense. My ribs were off the chart for taste, and (though not held to Kansas City BBQ Society standards, which require that the meat stays on the bone) they melted right off the bone. A thick rub and sweet heavy tomato-based sauce, pleased me and my Texan neighbors. I did ask for the spicy sauce to “take them up a notch.” My Texan tablemates were also pleased with their sampler of ribs, pork and sides yet did comment they thought the price a bit high, but I did note that their carry home box was stuffed for the remainder of their trip to Florida so I don’t believe they left on an empty belly. While enjoying my meal I read the Story of the Shed, which is printed on the face of the menu and entails how the owner Mr. Brad Orrison started the establishment from bits and pieces of his “dumpster diving” days after graduation from Ole Miss. With help from family and through his collections efforts for the building materials he salvaged he started his dream of the Shed. A melancholy note to the untrained eye is a horizontal green dashed line spray painted on the window next to where I sat marking the water level that was inside the Shed after an angry lady named Katrina left her mark on the Gulf Coast in 2005. Happy to say, that grim reminder is dried up and gone and good times prevail Tuesday through Sunday 11 am until 9 pm, and until 10 pm on Friday and Saturday. A simple call for quick directions is available at 228-875-9590 The staff is courteous and conscientious in attending to their patrons’ needs, and the overall experience of a stop at The Shed is a must. Very family friendly, you feel comfortable to let the kids explore while you finish up your meal or grab another tea. Just two hours east of New Orleans, it is worth the drive. Blues is pumped in the background to a mix of BBQ aromas and flavors that you will not soon forget. Weekends are reserved for bands on the outside bandstand and dancing, so call ahead to see who may be entertaining. The Shed has plenty of windows to look out on the grounds, which are complete with an exterior gravel dance floor, and fire pit for the social life that cranks up for the weekends and chilly evenings. The Shed has a definite Margaretville air to it, with the Gilligan’s island feel about, complete with string lighting overhead, but make no mistake about it, this is a serious bbq haven for the experienced and rookie purveyors of pork. The house specialty is the traditional whole baby back rack with 3 sides and bread @$29.99 or the billed Rack of Baby Backs that “fall off the bone” @ $22.99. Standards of pulled chicken, pulled pork, and brisket also round out the well filled bill of fare. Kids plates are offered @ $5.49 for a meat and 2 sides. I also recommend stopping by the sauce counter and bringing some of the varied sauces the Shed has to offer. The business opens at 11 a.m., and within minutes the lines are formed and moving non-stop. Locals arrive early and the small parking lot is soon filled with tags from all over the country, and don’t be surprised to see our country’s finest (Navy pilots), flying in from Pensacola via Keesler to take advantage of this true American tradition – BBQ! Make the trip out the back door with the kids to see the full size Clydesdale replica that you don’t find at every BBQ stop along the way. A 4 on the squealer is warranted for this award winning barbeque and blues joint! http://www.theshedbbq.com/ordereze/default.aspx pics are in the pic section |
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