Mickey Pigg's, Alto, GA

Mickey Pigg's BBQ, Alto, GA. When we started out this morning, I didn't have a clue which bbq joint I'd hit today, but I had it on my radar. We were headed up toward Mt. Airy, GA to pick up a new trailer to haul the Harley on, and I had Googled my projected route as well as searched my memory banks for possible joints. A q joint in Alto wasn't even on the radar. The only thing I knew about Alto was that there was a State Prison there, and that is one place I'd prefer to avoid!!!

After stopping and getting some apples at Jaemor, we headed on up GA Highway 365 toward Mt. Airy. We saw this joint on the right hand side of the road, and it had great curb appeal. After getting the trailer business taken care of, I asked the fellow who sold me the trailer if he could recommend a good bbq joint in the area. Mickey's was one of two he suggested.

MP's has been in business since around 1994. The Smith family, originally from New York, moved to Florida and then back up to the Helen area later on. That makes them "halfbacks" any way you look at it, but they recognized that being in GA, you gotta be a bbq lover.

When we got back down to Mickey Pigg's we headed up to the joint. They were doing some outside smoking probably for the luring effect, but the aroma was inviting. The ambiance of MP's is really cute. It isn't real big, but it has a good feel. It isn't anything like an old sawdust floor joint, but it does have a homey feel. Deb and I started off with some home fried potato chips, and they were very good. When our order came, and it came fairly quickly, Debbie's pork salad was very generous in portion size as was my bbq sandwich and cup of Brunswick stew.

The bbq was clean and somewhere between pulled and chipped, so it worked fine as far as consistency was concerned. The Brunswick stew was an interesting mix. It was a pork base which was not as tomato based as some stews which actually made it very good. They have two basic sauces: original and hot. The original is very much a good, smokey flavored sauce with good texture, taste, and consistency. The hot was very good as well.

One of the most impressive things about Mickey Pigg's is that they also have a thriving bakery. Their cakes are really beautifully decorated, and rumor has it that their cheesecake is about as good as you will ever have. While I can't put Mickey Pigg's into the "legendary" category yet, they are well on their way. If you are heading up toward Clayton, Dillard, or southern NC, don't be afraid to give MP's a try!!!