Harry's Pig Shop, Athens, GA.

Harry's Pig Shop, Athens, GA. I'm still looking for the best barbecue joint in Athens. I've had a couple of suggestions, and today I visited one. While it was good, I'm going to shoot straight and say it's got some ways to go to rank with Georgia's best joints. The best thing about doing bbq joints is that you get to sometimes enjoy the experience with friends. Today's Harry's visit found me with 5 FCSS colleagues including Candy and Joey pictured out front.

Harry's Pig Shop, Athens, GA. I'm still looking for the best barbecue joint in Athens. I've had a couple of suggestions, and today I visited one. While it was good, I'm going to shoot straight and say it's got some ways to go to rank with Georgia's best joints. The best thing about doing bbq joints is that you get to sometimes enjoy the experience with friends. Today's Harry's visit found me with 5 FCSS colleagues including Candy and Joey pictured out front.

OK, the rundown on Harry's Pig Shop. First, it's a strip mall storefront located just off the Jefferson Road in the Homewood Shopping Center which doesn't earn it any points due to a lack of exterior charm or character. On the plus side, the interior is done nicely with a sort of retro decor with 50'ish looking tables and chairs. You also have to love the fact that there is a good amount of children's artwork with a framed poster saying "Artwork Compliments of Mr. Wilcox's Art Class South Jackson Elementary School. Now being a school person, you know I have to like that. Bonus points Harry.

The food at Harry's Pig Shop is actually pretty good or that was my experience on this day and confirmed by my friends. On the downside, when you walk in the door nor on the outside, do you get the overwhelming and intoxicating smell of hickory or oak smoked bbq. Harry's makes up for it though in other ways.

The bbq was a clean without excessive fat or bark. It was tasty, and in pieces that were almost a consistency between a chopped and pulled style. Harry's sauces earn the little joint some bonus points. We had as many as 5 different sauce options to include NC Vinegar, SC Mustard, Vidalia Onion Sweet, Hot, and then something named "Georgia Shack". Almost all of our party voted the SC Mustard (interestingly enough if you know my otherwise general preferences) the best overall sauce. Harry's understands the need for a dill pickle with bbq, so with the "Pig Sandwich" you get a pickle spear.

Members of our party had sides that included sweet potato fries, mac and cheese, house and memphis slaw among others. What's not on the menu is Brunswick stew bit, but my philosophy is that do what you do best and if it isn't stew, so what. Harry's does have some interesting things on the menu, and the most interesting to our party was "Brisket Spaghetti." To that I suggest that you should never waste good brisket!!!

A nice touch to Harry's dining experience was both the interior decor which they've broken up nicely for a strip mall joint and the Blues music playing in the background. I'll likely do Harry's Pig Shop again, but next time in Athens, I'll search out another joint to find the "best bbq joint in the Classic City."

PS. I am counting on the "dawg boys" to help me find Athens' best q joint!!!