Atlanta is a BBQ Wasteland

[destro800]

I really am beginning to believe this.

I have lived here for a while, and the best I can come up with are:

1. Fatt Matt's (yawn)

2. Daddy D'z (ehh, didn't it burn down?)

3. The place by the Federal Pen (Harold's??)

Anyhow, these three places are all, in their way, OK -- but for the most part they are pretty uninspired.

Please, someone help me out here -- there have to be some good Que I am missing...I'll drive 20 miles outside the Perimeter, if that helps!

[tryska]

daddy dz is still there and it's still pretty good too.

champs in smyrna has good brisket, apparently, but i really like their babyback ribs the best.

[destro800]

Smyrna, eh? I'll have to check it out. Any idea how to get there?

[Lawen]

I'm not a big fan of Fat Matt's either and haven't tried DaddyD'z but if you're looking for good 'Q you should try Pig 'N Chik. It has been getting good reviews, usually from reviewers who agree that Atlanta is a BBQ wasteland. There's one on Roswell Rd and if I'm not mistaken, another recently opened in Brookhaven. The other place I recommend is, surprisingly, a bar/restaurant. Park Tavern, on the Monroe side of Piedmont Park has damn fine pecan-smoked BBQ, good onion rings, and a nice view of the park. It's not a BBQ joint by any stretch, but I still like their BBQ better than most "real" BBQ places in town.

If you want some REAL good 'Q though, come down to Newnan with me when the weather warms up in the spring. My dad slow smokes pork shoulders for the better part of a day and also makes the best Brunswick stew I've ever had.

[tryska]

yeah i've heard lots about pig n chik myself, but have never been there.

champs shares a parking lot with Wendy's and Eckerds (i think? some drugstore) on South Cobb Drive at it's junction with Windy Hill.

Their key lime pie kicks butt alongside the babyback ribs.

[destro800]

Pig N Chik is a done deal. I will get my ass up to Brookhaven ASAP.

Park Tavern? Really? I have always avoided that place. Not sure why, I just assumed the food there was not that great. I will def. check it out when the weather warms up...

Newnan sounds great. I wish I could figure out a way to ventilate my loft -- then I'd give smoking my own shoulder another go!

[Lan4Dawg]

a bit South of Atlanta proper but you might give Melear's a try. It is near Union City & it has been forever since I have been there but have fond memories of the place from when my parents lived in Fairburn. Last I heard--a couple of months ago--they still had pretty good cue and a wonderful spicy barbecue sauce.

Spiced Right up in Lilburn does a decent job on ribs but everything else is serious "hit & miss" so I do not recommend it.

Has anyone been to Dusty's, over by Emory, recently? It always got raves by those who like a "North Carolina style 'cue". I have been told that most of those who enjoy it are simply home sick for their North Carolina background. It has been forever since I was there so I really can not remember whether it was worht it or not.

Is Daddy'z the place down by Oakland Cemetery that got great reviews a while back? I have been meaning to get down & try it on my next trek to Oakland but can never remember the name when in that direction.

[tryska]

i think so - it's on Memorial about a mile east of spring street.

i jsut went there yesterday - the spicy sauce is damn good. i really dig their ribs. for me the portion size was fine, but my coworker seems to think it's small. but bear in mind i got takeout.

[Lawen]

Melear's near Unior City closed 3-4 years ago. I was a big fan too, something like 7 bucks for all the pork, stew, white bread and pickles you could eat, and another buck for an everful cup of iced tea so sweet it made your teeth ache. A friend and I had heard they were closing, took our $10 each (a week's food budget back in college) and went down the last weekend they were open. I ate so much that I was sick in the parking lot afterwards.

[therese]

We like Dusty's. My husband's from Texas and I'm from Virginia (have also lived in Kentucky and, obviously, Georgia), so it's not a question of being homesick for North Carolina: it's just across the board well-prepared food. The pulled pork is my favorite, and the Brunswick stew is better than most. I don't do ribs, so can't comment on them.

I'm not a barbecue freak, so wouldn't bother with Dusty's if it didn't compare favorably with other food available nearby (we do live in the area). Swallow in the Hollow (up north of town somewhere) is supposed to be very good, particularly for ribs, but I've not been so can't comment.

I will say that the best barbecue around here is usually prepared at home or by caterers who bring the big smokers to your party or whatever. I had some great pulled pork at a Thanksgiving potluck that had been catered---I'll see if I can get the name of the guy that did it.

[Huevos del Toro]

...I wish I could figure out a way to ventilate my loft ...!

Here's one way you could ventilate your loft!

[maf]

I agree that Fat Matt’s is mediocre at best, and Harold’s does not deserve its reputation unless you are just there for the cracklin’ corn bread. Dusty’s is pretty good; I like the vinegary sauces. The beat Que I’ve found so far inside the perimeter is at Aleck’s, which is on MLK near one of the colleges (I’m not from Atlanta, but you go West on MLK off 75/85 and it’s on the right. Great sauce and smoky meat, although the place probably isn’t the most sanitary you ever saw. Haven’t been there in a while, so I can’t swear its still there, but it looks like one of those places that will go on forever.

Outside the perimeter, I recommend Hudson’s in Douglasville, although maybe not strictly w/in your 20 mile radius. North Georgia style (vinegar). I have also heard rumors for years about a great place in Austell (which I was told was called Austell BBQ), but I haven’t found it. I always pictured Austell as compact, but when I went there it was the same sprawl as everywhere else. The local phone book was no help, so I drove about aimlessly for a while and found nothing but Olive Gardens and Ruby Tuesdays.

While I’m sure Lawen’s offer is superior, if you make it to Newnan I would suggest a trip to Sprayberry’s, which is another of the perennial top ten in the state. On 75 South, try Fresh Air in Jackson. Although I think it’s overrated, it’s an institution, and everyone should try it once just for the sawdust floor.

[destro800]

I will look for your MLK suggestion. That is in my neck of the woods. Fresh Air is good. Thank god I was on my way to somewhere else, though.

Also,

Just discovered:

Ashby Street Rib Shack

Oh boy. This is the real thing. You'll have to stake this place out, if you are serious, but I think its worth it.

Head down towards Morehouse/Spelman. I don't have an actual street address, because I don't think they are an actual business with a fixed location in time and space -- at least not in the Cartesian sense -- but, like, here is how I get there:

From Northside drive, heading south (down) take a right on Ralph David Abernathy (west). Drive 2 or 3 miles, throw the AUC, past the Publix, and take a right on Ashby.

Go no more than a half black and keep your eyes open for the yellow cinderblock 'shack' on the left side of the street. Park wherever you can. You will smell this place before you see it. If you do not catch the waft and tang of burnt wood and dripping fat a block or so before, then the prevailing winds have had a change of heart, or the shack is not open.

There is nowhere to sit. Most walk up to the ratty screened-in area on the side of the shack, place their order, and return to their cars (sometimes more than 15 mins or so -- all the while yelling out their windows to the newcomers 'It's worth it!') Someone will come out to take your order, if you are patient. In the meantime, if it is the weekend, feel free to browse the awe-insipring collection of bootleg 'booty-themed' porn DVDs set up on the table next to the 'front door'.

I got the ribs, with the 'hot' sauce on the side. Two pieces of white bread to mop up the juice. A side of baked beans. The ribs were in the dry style, which is a good thing -- too many bad memories of suburban BBQ joints with drowned Baby Backs. Ugh.

Not the best BBQ I've ever had, but, for Atlanta, pretty damn good.

Edited January 13, 2004 by destro800 (log)

[tryska]

hey this place is in my neck of the woods too.

how much was a plate?

btw - i still dig daddy dz - but they tend to be on the expensive side.

Edited January 13, 2004 by tryska (log)

[Lan4Dawg]

I wonder if Ashby Street Rib Shack is a successor to the old Auburn Avenue Rib Shack. Aub Ave had phenomenal ribs forever & finally closed a few years ago. The original owner's daughter--who had inherited the place--mentioned that she was looking for a new home. I might have to give the Ashby St place a try.

I am sorry to hear that Melear's closed. I swear that some one told me they had eaten there only a few months ago. Of course I have noticed that as I get older "a few months ago" becomes a longer & longer period of time.

[grubnotes]

Hometown BBQ in Lawrenceville was recommended to me recently and is by far the best i've had. so good it doesn't need sauce at all. actually, i'd say their sauce is just okay, as it's more of the ketchupy/sweet style and i prefer vinegar-based. the stew is certainly passable. but the cue. lord, the cue. really, i'd pay a couple of bucks just to get to smell a plate for a while. they set up in a little trailer in the parking lot of the Prescription Shop on weekends (map. odd hours, as is requisite for these kinds of operations. it's more like 30 miles, but it's really worth the drive.

[Lan4Dawg]

Hometown BBQ in Lawrenceville was recommended to me recently and is by far the best i've had. so good it doesn't need sauce at all. actually, i'd say their sauce is just okay, as it's more of the ketchupy/sweet style and i prefer vinegar-based. the stew is certainly passable. but the cue. lord, the cue. really, i'd pay a couple of bucks just to get to smell a plate for a while. they set up in a little trailer in the parking lot of the Prescription Shop on weekends (map. odd hours, as is requisite for these kinds of operations. it's more like 30 miles, but it's really worth the drive.

what kind of "odd hours" do you mean? I live in that direction and will make it a point to stop by for some cue but do not want to drive out of the way for nothing.

[Felonius]

My vote goes to Sprayberry's in Newnan.

I've never found any exceptional BBQ in Atlanta proper. Fat Matt's seems about the standard level of Atlanta BBQ - average at best.

[CarrotStick]

As someone who grew up on Sprayberry's and visited on a trip home over the holidays, I have to say that they are not what they used to be

I had a chopped pork sandwich and brunswick stew at the original location (not the one by the interstate). The pork was dry, the sauce tasted of nothing but vinegar and the stew was bland. My husband had unbearably greasy onion rings. Service was pleasant, but I no longer dream of Sprayberry's.

[grubnotes]

By "odd hours" I mean that on fridays (i believe), they're only open in the evening (5-8 p.m.), and then they're open most of the day on saturday and really just for lunch on sunday. saturday seems like the best day to stop by, as you have the best chance of finding them open.

[Felonius]

As someone who grew up on Sprayberry's and visited on a trip home over the holidays, I have to say that they are not what they used to be

I had a chopped pork sandwich and brunswick stew at the original location (not the one by the interstate). The pork was dry, the sauce tasted of nothing but vinegar and the stew was bland. My husband had unbearably greasy onion rings. Service was pleasant, but I no longer dream of Sprayberry's.

Bummer. I haven't been for several years, so my recommendation may need to be retracted.

[Clement]

I've got to weigh in. Spiced Right in Lawrenceville has always been a family favorite and I can't say I've ever had a bad meal there. They have a great lunch buffet too for around $5. Stick with the pork and the beans.

Lately, when I've been at home (I live in NYC though I'm from Atlanta) we order from Pig n Chick and I think it's equally as good as Spiced Right. Even the sauce is as good.

[CoolPapaBell]

Swallow at the Hallow—best

Pappy Red’s

Spiced Right—best sauce by a mile

Sprayberry's—very good stew, okay ‘cue

Buckner’s—family style not actually ‘cue place in Jackson, but among the best

Pig N Chik—best chicken

Melear's--worth the drive to Macon...or Jackson

Edited January 31, 2004 by CoolPapaBell (log)

[Milt]

Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell has the best ribs, in my opinion. Likewise, for beef brisket I recommend Champs Bar-B-Q in Smyrna. Old South Barbeque in Smyrna does a decent job with pork.

[tryska]

yay! someone who knows champs!

personally i prefer champs baby back ribs to Old South - but old South has it's merits.