5 Top-Tier Georgia BBQ Restaurants Worth Checking Out

This week’s guest article is written by Ed Reilly, a self-described “BBQ-ologist” who has been studying barbecue for 25 years. He’s worked in the industry for 35 years, including in sales for Weber, Char-Broil, Sunbeam, Old World Spices, and B&B Charcoal. He’s also a certified judge in five different sanctioning bodies. In today’s article, Ed writes about barbecue in the state of Georgia. You can reach Ed on Instagram and Facebook. If you would like to write a guest article for The Smoke Sheet, please send us an email.

While it’s not often in the conversation of top BBQ states, Georgia is home to some of the most authentic, delicious, and diverse barbecue in the country. A year ago, Southern Living contributing editor Robert Moss ranked three Georgia barbecue restaurants on his top ten list of Southern BBQ joints. Over the years, other top publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Insider, Thrillist, Rolling Stone, and others have also named numerous Georgia barbecue restaurants as some of the best in the country.

Georgia barbecue has it all: a long history, unique regional styles, and creative new ideas. Here are five excellent barbecue joints in the Peach State that are worth a visit (or two).

Wiley's Championship BBQ has received accolades from publications and competitions alike. (Photo via Wiley’s Championship BBQ / Facebook)

Wiley’s Championship BBQ
Wiley’s Championship BBQ in Savannah, Georgia finished second place in the South according to Moss’ list, and it’s high on my own list as well. Wiley’s opened in 2005 after spending over two decades on the catering and competition trail, and they have the trophies to prove it. The owners at Wiley’s have mastered the perfect balance of smoky-sweet with just a touch of tang on their tender pulled pork. The pork is so good you don’t even need any sauce, but be sure to try some of the signature “Better than Sex” sauce anyway.

Along with developing an excellent reputation for the great barbecue staples, Wiley’s also has a few other items of note. For example, its smoked wings go great with their signature redneck nachos. And don’t forget about the excellent homemade desserts like the bourbon chocolate pecan pie and the banana pudding.

The acclaimed Southern Soul Barbeque on St. Simons Island in Georgia serves up excellent barbecue. (Photo via Southern Soul Barbeque / Facebook)

Southern Soul Barbeque
Travel a few beautiful miles down the Atlantic seacoast to Moss’ third-place winner and you’ll arrive at Southern Soul Barbeque on St. Simons Island. Southern Soul is no stranger to the spotlight and has been featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives as well as winning tons of national acclaim for its authentic smoked specialties since 2007. It is located about a mile from the beach in a renovated gas station and they best capture the true spirit of Georgia-style barbecue by delivering a healthy helping of tradition with a modern spirit of adventure and creativity.

The Soul Sandwich is an absolute rite of passage and needs to be enjoyed sitting on the family-style picnic tables under the shade of the former gas station awning. The smoked chicken salad is on the lighter side but as close to heaven as a chicken can take you. Make sure when you order the pimento cheese sandwich and ask for it to be grilled, because it’s melt-in-your-mouth amazing. But it is their award-winning Brunswick stew that really steals the show and will keep you dreaming of your next trip to the "golden isles."

Fresh Air Bar-B-Que has been serving up barbecue staples since 1929. (Photo via Fresh Air Bar-B-Que / Facebook)

Fresh Air Bar-B-Que
But does Georgia really have its own style of barbecue, and what exactly is Georgia barbecue anyway? Let’s look at the public records, which reveal it to be home to some of the oldest barbecue joints in the country. Fresh Air Bar-B-Que, for example, was founded in 1929 in Jackson and offers classic turn-of-the-century Georgia-style barbecue.

It’s a step back in time when you enter Fresh Air Bar-B-Que, complete with an old tin roof and raw cut tree posts holding up the front porch. The third-generation family-owned restaurant only cooks pork hams slowly overnight on an authentic open-pit grill that sits in the middle of their historic building. The joint chops the pork and serves it with a choice of chips or slaw, a pickle, and a side of Brunswick stew made from a recipe that’s more than a century old. The thin and tangy tomato-and-vinegar barbecue sauce is served warm and is kept in pots that sit over the fire that burns 24/7.

The classic burger topped with chopped pork from Fincher's Bar-B-Q. (Photo via Macon Burger Week / Instagram)

Fincher’s Bar-B-Q 
Georgia-based celebrity chef, author, and pitmaster Myron Mixon has racked up over 300 Grand Championships and is widely considered the “winningest man in BBQ.” Myron has said his idea of traditional Georgia barbecue can be found at Fincher’s Bar-B-Q in Macon, which was founded in 1935. Fincher’s still uses masonry pits that are fired with wood coals and its sauce is a combination of mustard and spices, which gives the sauce a dark tan appearance.

Fincher’s is also famous for being the “first barbecue in space,” because it was sent aboard NASA Space Mission STS-33 in 1969.  Fincher’s barbecue is a good example of the unique Georgia-style barbecue sauce that is thin and spicy, which ranges in color from brownish-yellow to burnt orange. On the food front, the restaurant is known for its chopped pork, pulled pork, and hamburger steaks.

Heirloom Market BBQ blends Southern and Korean BBQ styles. (Photo via Heirloom Market BBQ / Facebook)

Heirloom Market BBQ
Georgia barbecue is not frozen in time because there are dozens of exciting new restaurants experimenting with creative techniques. One such restaurant is Heirloom Market BBQ, which serves southern barbecue with an Asian twist. Just one bite of its spicy Korean pulled pork sandwich topped with kimchi coleslaw and you’ll know that this Seoul-Southern fusion is for real.  Heirloom is located just inside the perimeter of Atlanta and is a small unassuming establishment attached to a convenience store.

The exterior juxtaposition is just the beginning of the mind-bending barbecue that is being expertly prepared by the classically trained chefs Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor. This is barbecue for foodies, and people don’t mind standing in line to sample the cucumber radish salad subliminally pared with Gochujang rubbed smoked ribs. Seating is limited, and you can expect a large crowd during the lunch hour.

Big Green Egg is headquartered in Georgia, along with other many other smoker and grill companies. (Photo by Wai Chan)

The Original State of BBQ
From looking at these five BBQ joints, it’s clear there is a rich history here in Georgia. Barbecue also has a home in Georgia when you count the total amount of barbecue businesses based in the state. These include Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Primo Grills, MasterBuilt, Char-Broil, CharGriller, and Royal Oak. In fact, Columbus Iron Works was the original company name of Char-Broil, and they are credited for developing the first commercially available portable charcoal grill in 1949.

Given all of these businesses and restaurants, a case can certainly be made that Georgia is the original state of barbecue. In the competitive world of ‘cue where Texas is often at the center, this claim could be considered a capital offense and a boldfaced barbecue blasphemy. But as the Georgia native and MLB Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean once said, “It ain’t bragging if you can do it.”

Ed Reilly
BBQ-ologist

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—Visiting Smitty’s Market in Lockhart, Texas is like stepping back in time. (Photo by Ryan Cooper)—

HOT OFF THE PRESS

After recently releasing the highly-anticipated list of the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints featuring a new generation of restaurants, Daniel Vaughn took a look at the most historic BBQ joints in the Lone Star State. Vaughn wrote about eighteen historic spots, including Southside Market & Barbeque in Elgin as well as Kreuz Market, Smitty’s Market, and Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart. “In its own way, each of these eighteen joints helped define the regional differences in our state’s smoked-meat traditions,” Vaughn writes. “Collectively, they represent our barbecue legacy.” READ MORE.

Speaking of Vaughn, he also sat down recently with D Magazine’s SideDish to talk further about the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints list. The publication had a special interest in the list due to nearly a dozen Dallas-Fort Worth barbecue spots landing on the new list, with Goldee’s Barbecue taking the top spot. Vaughn shares insights about the list and answers a few tough questions about what ended up and what didn’t. READ MORE.

J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle reports that barbecue joints continue to feel the crunch from staffing shortages and supply chain problems. He notes that meat prices continue to fluctuate often and that workers are hard to come by. “So the next time you are at your friendly neighborhood barbecue joint and the wait is a bit longer due to staffing concerns, and there is yet another piece of tape over the menu price for brisket, just remember that small businesses are doing their best to adapt to the new reality of short supplies and staffing,” Reid writes. READ MORE.

Chicago’s Smylie Brothers Brewing Company (which offers a wide array of barbecue and beer) has opened its second location in the Lakeview neighborhood. The joint purposely has been quiet about the opening to get more staffing, but it hasn’t stopped crowds from checking it out. “For a quiet opening, we’ve been very busy,” owner Michael Smylie says. “Which we love. The neighbors were watching the place getting built for two years, and we felt some pressure to open right away because of how long it’s taken.” READ MORE.

Monk from the Barbecue Bros finally had the chance to visit and review the newest location from Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh, N.C. Monk was highly favorable of the joint, awarding it 4.5 out of 5 hogs. "By now, everyone knows about the legendary whole hog with crispy bits of skin chopped in the way that the Jones family does it," Monk writes. "The pork at Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh lives up to that standard, although the skin could have been just a tad crispier. Just a minor nitpick in otherwise flawless whole hog barbecue." READ MORE.
 

ADDITIONAL READS

Edley’s Bar-B-Que in Nashville will celebrate its tenth anniversary with an all-day block party on Saturday, Nov. 6th.

Lawless Barbecue, an up-and-coming Kansas City-style barbecue business has taken over the kitchen at Little Beast Brewing in Portland.

Chuck Blount examines whether brisket is best prepared low and slow or hot and fast for the San Antonio News-Express.

Acclaimed Oakland pitmaster Matt Horn is set to publish his first cookbook next spring.

Eater Chicago recently reported on an IRS raid that shut down a pair of South Side Morgan Park barbecue restaurants in Chicago.

At Austin’s Smokin Beauty, co-owners Matt and Thao Roth are creating a diverse menu by fusing the flavors of Texas barbecue and Vietnamese cuisine.

Here’s how a community of grillers in southwest Phoenix are defining Arizona-style pit barbecue.

Social media was abuzz about the bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce spotted on Mark Zuckerberg’s bookshelf in a recent video.

Speaking of barbecue sauce, a BBQ stand owner in Michigan recently used a bottle of sauce to defend himself against a chain-wielding attacker.

Thank you to our sponsor DennyMike's, which offers outstanding seasonings and rubs for every situation. Learn more about DennyMike's here.

vid Gill and Joel Romano bring a taste of Australian BBQ to the Jersey Shore.—

WATCH

The Ultimate Aussie Barbecue is on the Jersey Shore — Smoke Point

At Wildwoods BBQ in New Jersey, chefs David Gill and Joel Romano bring the flavors and cooking techniques of their home country of Australia to classic American barbecue dishes like slow-cooked brisket, sausage, and ribs, along with inventive vegetarian dishes like “pulled” mushrooms and fried cauliflower.  WATCH HERE.

LISTEN

Talkin’ GrillGrate with Brad Barrett — How to BBQ Right Podcast

On this episode of the How To BBQ Right podcast, host Malcom Reed talks with GrillGrate founder Brad Barrett about how he started the company, how his wife joined him in his venture, and the amazing network of employees and freelancers he’s accumulated over the years. They also discuss whether or not perfect grill marks really all they're cut out to be? Then they chat about how Royal Oak’s Charcoal Pellets work, how Brad was stressed the whole time he was on QVC, and why Brad never cleans his GrillGrates. Brad also talks about the new GrillGrate app grilling enthusiasts need. LISTEN HERE.

READ

The Outdoor Grill Cookbook: The Ultimate Barbecue Cookbook for Grilling Meat, Fish, Game, Vegetable Recipes — Roger Murphy

This is the complete barbecue cookbook for grilling all types of meat, seafood, veggies, and game. As a cookbook with clear instructions and step-by-step directions for every recipe, the book also includes photographs of every finished meal, helpful tips, and tricks on smokers, making BBQ, and smoking meat to make your job easier. Whether you are a beginner smoker or looking to go beyond the basics, this book gives you the tools and tips you need for perfectly smoked meat. ORDER HERE.

—This recipe for Brunswick Stew is the perfect comfort food for cool autumn days. (Photo by Fayne Petersen)—

Brunswick Stew

By Raikes Beef Co.
 

Our Recipe of the Week is this delicious Brunswick Stew recipe from chef Fayne Petersen of Raikes Beef Co. Fayne’s travels through Georgia inspired her to create her own spin on this classic Southern tomato-based stew. This dish is perfect for cold days and can be enjoyed as a side dish or a main course. We also included Fayne’s recipe for Green Chili Corn Muffins, which are the perfect accompaniment for Brunswick Stew.

—The KCBS World Invitational in November will be one of the last big competition barbecue events of the year.—

November 5-7, 2021: Austin Food and Wine Festival — Austin, Texas
The Austin Food + Wine Festival returns in April to spoil your palate with a handful of global and nationally renowned talent. This 3-day weekend in the culinary capital of Texas is the epitome of high spirits, with a packed schedule of hands-on grilling demos, tastings with top pitmasters, chefs, and sommeliers. Plus, there will be interactive demos and panels. MORE INFO HERE.

November 6, 2021: Troubadour Festival — Celina, Texas
The first-ever Troubadour Festival will feature an all-star lineup of musical acts and BBQ joints from all over Texas. More than 40 of the best BBQ joints in Texas (many on the Texas Monthly Top 50 list) will be there slinging smoked meats, so don't miss out. MORE INFO HERE.

November 11-14, 2021: KCBS World Invitational — Shawnee, Oklahoma
The Kansas City Barbeque Society’s biggest event for the rest of the year is the third annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The event will bring together top champion pitmasters to compete for the title of “KCBS World Champion.” This event has been elevated and made bigger, with three full days of contests and events. There will be both an open contest and a Master Series contest. Plus, backyard teams will be eligible to compete in the open against Master Series teams without impacting their Backyard status. MORE INFO HERE.

November 13, 2021: Holy Smokes: Lowcountry BBQ Festival — Charleston, South Carolina
The Holy Smokes BBQ Festival from Home Team BBQ, Swig & Swine, and Robert Moss will be held November 13 in Charleston. The big new event will include pitmasters from around the country including Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson BBQ, Patrick Feges and Erin Smith, Feges BBQ, Billy Durney of Hometown BBQ, Matt Horn of Horn Barbecue, and Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott’s BBQ. MORE INFO HERE.

November 20, 2021: Tex Mex BBQ Festival — San Antonio, Texas
This event will be full of the best food, education, and entertainment ever assembled in one spot. The menu will be masterminded by Miguel Vidal of Valentina’s Tex-Mex from Austin, Tx. The food will be executed by some of the most talented pitmasters, chefs, and cooks coming in from all over the nation. Mark your calendar for an amazing experience! MORE INFO HERE.

December 10-12, 2021: Jacksonville BBQ Fest — Jacksonville, Florida
The inaugural Jacksonville BBQ Fest is happening this December at TIAA Bank Field, home of the Jaguars. Don’t miss this chance to grab an ice-cold brew and sample pure smoked bliss from award-winning pitmasters from across the country. MORE INFO HERE.

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