Johnny's Barbecue, Gainesville, GA

Johnny's Barbecue, Gainesville, GA. For quite some time I had been waiting to try out Johnny's. On at least two occasions they had been closed the day that I happened to be in Gainesville, so with Debbie and I having a Saturday outing just north of Gainesville, when lunch time got near, I plugged Johnny's into my GPS. Johnny's has a little bit of the "look" of a good bbq joint. It's nothing really fancy from the outside, has a gravel parking lot to the side, and the barbecue pit is located outback in a separate screened building. On the inside, Johnny's also has the appearance of a good little Q joint. There is sort of a mixture of formica and vinyl along with a section that is warm wood panelling. You order up at the counter and pick up your food there, so there's no real service as far as waitresses.

Debbie and I scoped out the menu which by my standards was clearly sufficient, but if you are looking for anything other than some form of barbecue pork, beef, or chicken, pass up on Johnny's. The prices at Johnny's are one of the two best things about the joint. We ordered up our typical sandwiches, stew, and fries and the whole bill was slightly over $12!!! Now that's my kind of meal tab!!! We hardly had time to turn around when our food was ready, so we found us a booth and began our eating and critiquing.

First, let me go ahead and report on the "second" best thing we found about Johnny's.....crushed ice! We both always find crushed ice, and I know that is such a little thing, a bonus! The sandwiches were well portioned, so you don't leave hungry. The quantity of (disappointingly previously frozen) french fries was borderline "heaping". I wanted to try the sauce before dressing my bbq, and it was a very good, sweet thick sauce that had just enough kick to it to make it interesting. There is only one sauce available, which must work for Johnny's but I'd have preferred to try another sauce or so with the bbq. The small cup of stew that I ordered with my sandwich was just decent. The color was a little on the dark side. The consistency was good, and the taste was alright. The stew gets little more than a 3 on the 5 point scale.

Pretty much the same ranking goes to Johnny's bbq. To their credit, again, portion size was good, and if you eat big, they also have a jumbo sandwich for just a little more. The barbecue was clean and relatively free of fat or bark. While my general preference is typically form my meet to be pulled and not finely chopped which is how Johnny's meat is prepared. On the negative side, it was actually a little on the dry side.

Overall, Johnny's just earned a 3 for the overall experience. There are at least 3 other bbq joints in Gainesville, so the chicken capital of world has good choices when it comes to bbq. At least on this visit, Johnny's doesn't get top billing.

Bar-B-Q Shack, Toccoa, GA

Bar-B-Q Shack, Toccoa, GA. Once again, my south Georgia compadres may consider me a traitor with this proclamation, but with the finding of today's joint, it confirms my previous claims that there are more "good" bbq joints above the gnat line than below it in Georgia. The Shack is one more of those! Located on Highway 17 just on the outskirts of Toccoa is this somewhat of a "throwback" of a joint. If you want to get in on the Q action here, you've only got 3 days each week to try it: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Shack's tee claim that "Herman Knows BBQ", and I have to agree.

Debbie and I had wandered up toward Toccoa to visit Toccoa Falls on this hot late Spring day, and of course, I had heard tell of The Shack some time back, so I Googled it and had it on the radar for the day. After a visit at one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Georgia and taking a minute to say a prayer in memory of those who died in the tragic dam breaking at Toccoa Falls College in 1977, we struck out for The Bar-B-Q Shack. Once finding it, it had all of the appearances of a potential winner! There were a couple of motorcycles mixed in with a few trucks and cars, and there was real wood smoke coming out of the pit area behind the dining area. Inside of the joint you do feel like you are stepping back into a joint that has been around for a while. It's warm wood finished interior and tables have the right things already on the table: paper towels, bbq sauce, and a huge pitcher of sweet tea. Debbie ordered her sandwich with cold slaw on it while I ordered the Pig Sandwich and a small bowl of Brunswick Stew. The very friendly waitress had our meal on our plates in no time flat even before I had sufficient time to taste the 3 sauces and study the patrons within the joint.

The sandwiches were piled high with good looking, clean barbecue chunks. I did get in a taste of the 3 sauces which were somewhat of a thin, vinegar based North Carolina style sauce. While one was marked "mild", we actually dubbed them hot, hotter, and hottest! The stew was of great portion sized and very good taste. The ingredients were finely ground and complimented the meal to a high level. Debbie remarked at how clean the barbecue was as it was free of both fat and heavy charring (despite the fact I can handle both without complaint).

This joint has a menu that is not cluttered with a lot of non-barbecue related food. You pretty much can choose between chopped bbq pork, chicken, and ribs. If you aren't into pretty standard bbq, you won't find a lot on the menu to serve as alternates.

I didn't get a lot of opportunity to get much history on The Bar-B-Q Shack, so I have a bit more work to do, but if you like barbecue and are in the Toccoa area on one of their 3 open days, I'd recommend choosing this place for dining. As far as bbq joints are concerned, it may be one of the best between Gainesville, GA and the North and South Carolina borders. As the shirt says, "Harold Know BBQ", and we could not agree more! The place gets a 5 on joint atmosphere and solid 4's on both the stew and bbq.

Satterfield's BBQ, Macon, GA

Satterfield's BBQ, Macon, GA. Yall won't some boiled peanuts??? That's what you'll get asked when the waitress greets you at your table. I've had dried ones before at a bbq joint, but never boiled ones. As much as I love boiled peanuts, I was there for their bbq and stew. One of them didn't disappoint me.

We pulled up to Satterfields on New Stree in Macon just off Riverside Drive and merely a stone's throw from the"original" Krystal in Macon. The parking lot was well packed, but inside the joint was a good mix of business types, families, service workers, and little old ladies. Once inside you are surrounded by almost everything "pig". To be right downtown Macon, you'd think you could be in any small Georgia town.

We were greeted quickly by our waitress. Debbie and I both ordered a sandwich, and I added my small order of Brunswick Stew. In addition to these items, the sandwich came with a nice service of potato chips and there were a few really good pickles rounded out a very nice looking meal. There were but two sauces from which to choose- regular and hot. Both were good, and the hot really didn't set your soul on fire, and it turned out to be my choice.

The stew: The stew is among the best I've eaten. It was somewhat of a hash with small, whole kernels of corn. The stew had good appearance, smell, and taste.

The bbq: The bbq, though having had a good review from my son earlier, wasn't bad but didn't really excite you. I'm not sure how it is cooked at Satterfields, but it is pretty clear that it isn't open pit.

All in all, I can't complain. We got to try out this neat joint that I hadn't eaten at in perhaps 10 years. Frankly, though, next Macon trip is back to Fresh Air!

Smokejack BBQ, Cumming, GA

Smokejack BBQ & Grill, Cumming, GA. My spring break would have not been complete without checking out a new BBQ joint, so my number 1 BBQ buddy (Debbie) and I decided to try out the Cumming location of Smokejack. We had tried out the Alpharetta location of Smokejack almost 2 years ago, and then sometime last year they opened their Forsyth County location located next to Midway Park.

The event started rather humorously when the hostess asked us when we walked in the door "are you going to dine with us today?" We sort of thought, "no, we've actually come to get our laundry done!" I actually had another thought but it will have to be left off this blog! We were seated in a booth in this neat and clean new joint. With ample seating and several large screen TV's, this is a great lunch or even evening entertainment spot. The menu at Smokejack has variety enough to suit even the non-Q lover. I ordered up my typical BBQ sandwich and Brunswick stew while Debbie opted for the sandwich and fries. The pricing of the menu is slightly on the high side, but hey, if they can't make a profit they can't stay in business.

The meals came out very quickly, so we give them high marks for that along with the fact that the tea and diet coke were both very good sized beverages. Both the sandwiches and the sides were very generous in portion sizes, so once again, things were on the positive side. Debbie's fries looked very good as they were nicely fried homemade steak fries. The BBQ sandwich is a very attractive looking pulled pork sandwich that has not been chopped to death. There are no sauces on the table. Rather your sandwich comes with a small container of sauce that highly resembles a South Carolina mustard based sauce. The stew was actually the highlight of my order. Though somewhat light on the meat base, the vegetables in the stew included potatoes, tomatoes, lima beans, and corn. Overall, they stew received a 4 out of 5.

The BBQ's best attribute was the appearance and texture. The pulled pork was clean with slight traces of bark. Perfect. The taste was somewhat disappointing as the one thing missing was the "smoke". Despite the name of the joint, the bbq lacked the desired "smokiness" of flavor. It is quite apparent that the cooking of the bbq is done in a commercial cooker that doesn't rely on wood as its primary source of heat. This type of bbq is typically consistent in quality, but its quality level will seldom reach the highest rating of 5.

We left full and content with the idea that I'd probably try the place again with guests. I sincerely wish Smokejack the best of success in Forsyth County. They do boast Saturday night live music of which I'll probably never dine late enough to experience, but given the expansive bar and big screen televisions, it could be a happening little place in this growth area of Forsyth County.

3 Lil' Pigs Bar-B-Q, Gainesville, GA

3 Lil' Pigs Bar-B-Q, Gainesville, GA. "Something to Pig Out About!" Sometimes bbq is in your destiny. I guess it is one of those "sovereign" things for me. I guess it is a good thing I am Southern Baptist. While in Gainesville visiting and having lunch with a couple of my superintendent friends from the NE GA area, we happened upon this dive on day 1 of its official opening. We were actually headed to Johnny's BBQ which is located right across the road, but they are closed on Mondays. Having the developed ability to smell out and pick out a bbq joint, before we'd even pulled out of the parking lot of Johnny's, I eyed 3 Lil' Pigs. Today, February 21, 2011 was the first official day of operation for this joint, so Iwas a little skeptical but certainly willing. Located in what had previously been a Hall County night club with somewhat of a Tex-Mex theme, this joint has occupied about 1/3 of that building in an effort to make it on the highly competitive bbq joint scene. Up front, I want to go ahead and speculate that despite a lot of things going in its favor, it is going to be an uphill battle for 3 Lil' Pigs. The menu is a great menu. The food is good. I am sure the service will get better. Being right across the road from Johnny's is going to be a challenge.

We entered into the joint through double steel doors like we were going either into an industrial warehouse or a night club that wanted to keep out peering eyes. The spacious and well decorated place, mostly remnants from its days as a night club, had us walking past the dance floor up to a little counter where we had to wait in line a bit longer than we should have behind 4 other patrons. We studied the menu on the wall while waiting to order. The menu is truly a good looking menu with sufficient variety but with a clear flair toward smoked meat preparation. The offerings included pulled pork, ribs, brisket, and chicken. The sides were just right in number. Not too many to make it complicated but enough to give options. Best of all, the prices were "right". $3.25 for the regular pork sandwich. $2.50 for the stew, and pork skins were waiting on the table as an appetizer to nibble on while waiting for the food at no extra cost! Now that is an appetizer option that I've not run into in a while.

Like I said, this was day 1 of their operating for the public, so I am going to be easy on the fact that service was slow. Once the plates arrived, we were all into "pigging out". Will's ribs looked great. They were dry rubbed and reportedly close to "fall off the bone" tender. My pork was surprisingly good. It was well portioned. I tried 3 of their sauces: mild, NC vinegar based, and sweet. They actually have the NC vinegar based sauce down to perfection with my least favorite being the mild. The stew had a typical but unique (if that is possible) appeareance and texture. The taste was perhaps the unique part. It was slightly different, but had every indication of having multiple meats in it which I think adds character.

The menu offered some interesting choices. The owner brought us some of his Chicken Mull (soup). I passed on it for dietary reasons, but Paul checked it out and gave it good marks. I've never knowingly had mull...maybe another day in place of the stew. Other interesting items on the menu included a Thick Grill Bologna Sandwich for a whopping $2. You can also have such items from the vegetarian menu as a tomato sandwich, Hawaiian burger, or he Tropic Sandwich Delight.

On the bbq I'm giving this joint a 3.5. On the stew a 4. If they are still around in a year from now, I am sure my ranking on the Q will have to rise. Gainesville is a good cited town, but the jury is out to see if they support as many bbq joints as they do Mexican joints. I sure wish them the best of luck. Meanwhile, this is truly a "joint", and a joint worth visiting. 3 Lil' Pigs also has a heavy focus on catering. Located north of downtown Gainesville on the Cleveland Highway, its the newest place to "pig out" in Gainesville, GA!

Blind Pig BBQ, Jackson, GA

Blind Pig BBQ. "Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then!? Blind pig is an acorn worth searching for!!! There are signs all around Jackson, GA advertising the Blind Pig, but honestly, it can be a trick to find! Clearly, though, it is a joint worth searching for. If you are a with a lady, when you drive up to the Blind Pig, they'll probably say something like "so cute". It is a nice looking little joint that is very clean. The dozen or so cars there sported tags from all across Georgia, so it is a place that has been discovered across the state. It has even been rated in the top 5 in Georgia by Atlanta Magazine. I'm not going to be that generous by any stretch of the imagination, but it is worth trying as an alternative to Fresh Air. The Pig sits just a few miles away from Lake Jackson. As mentioned before, it is a clean little joint that gets extra consideration for that accomplishment. The interior decorations are rustic and accommodating including the big screen tv in the middle dining room that was featuring Adam Richman on Man vs. Food!!! Deb and I ordered up the bbq sandwich and I got a stew on the side. My total bill came to only $12.56 which ranks it among the best values in bbq dining in GA. While we waited for our food we took in the rather "cute" decorative atmosphere as well as enjoyed a few of the complimentary salted peanuts in the shell.

Our food came out rather quickly, and we had already lined up the sauces which were labeled rather crudely "regular", "hot", and "hurtin hot". I tried all three of the sauces but settled in on the "regular". The "hurtin" wasn't really that bad, so if you like the hot stuff, pour it on!!!

The bbq sandwiches were fairly portioned but nothing to write home about. The bbq was clean and very good, but once again, it wasn't a knock your socks off kind of experience. The stew was quite good with an adequate portion size, but it wasn't the best that I have ever had.

The Blind Pig is definitely worth a stop if you are in the Lake Jackson area. I still rank Flovillla's Fresh Air as the king of Butts County BBQ and perhaps the king of all joints from Monroe County up to South Atlanta, but for a pleasant bbq dining experience near the lake, The Blind Pig is worth a stop....if you can find it!!!

Bar-b-Que Wagon, Bryson City, NC

Bar-b-Que Wagon, Bryson City, NC. By far most of my posts come from barbecue joints in the Peach State of Georgia. Snow had fallen earlier in the week throughout North Georgia and the mountains of North Carolina, so on this end of the year excursion through the Smoky Mountains, I was in search of good BBQ from the Tar heel state. Let me go ahead and say that Debbie and I were not disappointed. I had "googled" several joints around Murphy, Bryson City, and Dillsboro, so we would let the timing of the day and our location at that time stack up against the reviews we had read to determine which joint we'd hit today. Since we were heading east from Murphy over toward Cherokee (yes, to check out Harrah's) we decided on the Bar-b-Que Wagon in Bryson City.

First of all, this place isn't going to win any awards for five star service. It is located on the banks of the beautiful Tuckasegee River with even a couple of dining tables located where you can overlook the river. On this beautiful, snow covered winter's day, the little joint was even more picturesque. This is a "place your order at the counter and then have a seat" kind of joint, so don't expect to be waited on hand and foot, but the counter waitresses are true down to earth salt of the earth people. Appearance wise you can't help but but notice the wooden walls, ceilings, and floors as well as all of the "Elvis" memorabilia on the walls. It has charm and character that ranks up there with any of the joints we've hit.

We picked up bottles of each of the 5 sauces available and had a great time tasting each and trying to figure out which we'd like best. The 6 sauces they have available include: Vinegar, Hot and Spicey, Sweet, Honey, Gold, and Hot. Deb liked the Gold best which was really a semi-sweet honey mustard sauce. My favorite was the "Hot and Spicy".

You have to give the Wagon extra points for portion sized. I ordered a small sandwich which was more than adequate. Deb ordered a side of slaw and I ordered the Brunswick stew. The sides of stew and slaw were three times the sizes you get in many places including my previous day's stop at Georgia Bob's in Macon, GA. The stew actually was among the best I'd had in months though it's appearance didn't get the highest ranking. It's taste was superb with visible ingredients including butter beans, corn, and small cubes of potatoes. What we didn't try were the hush puppies which have received acclaim from several other reviewers.

The barbecue was finely chopped which typically doesn't suit my highest preference, but overall, this was some very good barbecue. It had good color, was clean, and wow, did I mention the portion size was more than adequate. Deb and I were both pushing the Wagon up into the higher ranking levels as we were halfway into the visit.

The Bar-b-Que Wagon get's at least a 4 out of 5 on our rating scale. I haven't any idea when or if I'll ever return to Bryson City, but if I do, the Wagon will be my dining preference! The menu at this joint offers many additional options that need to be reviewed including their ribs and hush puppies, so I guess that in the coming months we'll have to head north into the Smokies for another round with what I will rate as "some of North Carolina's best Q."