Looking at Georgia history and culture through the lens of barbecue
All too often, we tend to focus on the big four regions in barbecue — the Carolinas, Memphis, Texas, and Kansas City — while losing sight of the many other places where barbecue is an important part of culture and history. Even though pitmaster Myron Mixon of Unadilla, Georgia is arguably the face of barbecue in mainstream media, Georgia is one such place with a rich barbecue heritage that often gets passed over.
According to Craig Pascoe and James “Trae” Welborn, both history professors at Georgia College & State University, Georgia barbecue is often described as a patchwork of traditions from other places. In fact, at the turn of the 20th century, Georgia barbecue was considered the quintessential barbecue of the American South, thanks in part to Sheriff John W. Callaway. In the late 19th century, Callaway oversaw the barbecue pits at large public events and celebrations and his larger-than-life persona garnered Georgia barbecue national attention when he appeared in publications such as Harper’s Weekly.
Sheriff John W. Callaway is a notable Georgia pitmaster from the late 19th century.
Pascoe, who was Conceptual Design Creator for the Barbecue Nation exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and Welborn started the Georgia BBQ Trails project to tell the story of Georgia’s history and culture through the unique lens of barbecue. The two professors created an educational website to share stories of the history, people, places, events, and traditions of Georgia barbecue.
The website has beautiful photos of the state’s iconic barbecue joints as well as hidden gems that often don’t get a lot of attention. There’s an interactive map of barbecue restaurants throughout the state that is continually being updated, with links to find more information. You can also find recipes for side dishes such as cornbread, collard greens, and Brunswick stew.
Craig Pascoe (seated) and James “Trae” Welborn, founders of Georgia BBQ Trails.
Pascoe is now incorporating the Georgia BBQ Trails project into his class on Southern Foodways and Traditions, an upper-level course offered to students pursuing a variety of degrees. The class will include a significant amount of reading, but rather than simply being a class made up of classroom lectures, students will have the opportunity to participate in a potluck dinner and food crawls.
This fall, students will even participate in research for the Georgia BBQ Trails project, including collecting recipes and conducting oral history interviews with barbecue pitmasters and restaurant owners. Students will also have the opportunity to delve into their own family barbecue traditions as part of the class.
Signage at Fincher’s Bar-B-Q in Macon, Georgia.
Pascoe and Welborn have also worked with Georgia Public Broadcasting to develop a short video piece on Crowe’s Bar-B-Que in Madison, Georgia. They are hoping to expand this into a project called Georgia BBQ Voices, which will tell family and community stories about barbecue.
This fall, they will focus on two related joints — Tucker’s and Fincher’s — both located in Macon, Georgia. They will be looking at changes in the neighborhoods where the restaurants are located, offering insight into the community and peeling back layers by looking over an extended period of time. Pascoe and Welborn want students to be involved in the project.
The homemade pit at A&R BBQ in Buena Vista, Georgia.
Doing this type of historical research is about much more than just food. According to Welborn, “It gives us a look into what’s happening in Georgia and throughout the South.” It allows students and scholars to examine issues such as class tensions, race, and gender as seen through the lens of barbecue.
Pascoe summed it up by saying the goal of the project is not to keep Georgia barbecue frozen in time but rather to use barbecue to tell the story of Georgia’s past, present, and future. “What you’re gonna eat today, you’re not gonna find 100 years from now,” Pascoe said.
For more information about the Georgia BBQ Trails project, check out Kevin Kelly’s recent interview with Craig Pascoe and Trae Welborn on the Kevin’s BBQ Joints podcast.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
Emily Detwiler was announced last week as the new CEO of KCBS.
Last week, The BBQ Central Show hosted a special episode to announce Emily Detwiler as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Detwiler was previously the Director of Marketing for Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. Through her work at Smithfield, Kansas City-based Detwiler has been able to get to know the barbecue world well and she will bring more marketing and branding savvy to KCBS operations.
The Houston Chronicle’s J.C. Reid writes that turkey is a great menu item for barbecue restaurants, as it “the Swiss Army knife of a barbecue menu.” He rightly points out that turkey is a good option to order on top of barbecue staples like brisket and ribs, especially when ordering for hard-to-please friends, family or co-workers.
In a new USA Today article, food writer Larry Olmsted advocates that you stop by Clyde Cooper's in Raleigh if you are trying out barbecue restaurants in North Carolina.
Popular South Austin barbecue trailer Whitfield’s is back open again after it stopped operating in February. Why it closed for so long has not been disclosed, but the operation is now solely being run by pitmaster and former football player Kasey Studdard, according to Eater Austin.
Matt Pittman opened Meat Church BBQ Supply in April, expanding on the successful Meat Church brand. Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn interviewed Pittman recently on his success and how he did it.
While we have previously issued our own , Chowhound has a great new list out of seven ways to reuse your BBQ leftovers.
Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn writes that Brisket Love Barbecue & Icehouse in Smith County should be stopped at if you’re in or around East Texas. Vaughn reports that a “generously-portioned four-meat plate with two sides was just $21, and there wasn’t a dud on the tray.”
Waco-based Guess Family Barbecue, which has garnered praise from Texas Monthly in its popup format, will open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in the former Michna’s Bar-B-Que place at 28th Street and Franklin Avenue.
Finally, Monk from the Barbecue Bros recently shared his five favorite barbecue meals that he ate in the first half of 2019. His list includes Denver’s Owlbear Barbecue, Charlotte’s Noble Smoke, and more.
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Jon Townsend (left) and Michael Twitty discuss 18th century barbecue.
Watch: Food of the Enslaved: Barbecue featuring Michael Twitty - Townsends
The Townsends YouTube channel focuses on the historic interpretation of life in North America during the 18th century. This fascinating episode from 2017 takes a look at the foods of the enslaved African community with a visit to Gunston Hall in Mason Neck, Virginia. Culinary historian and food writer Michael Twitty grills beef ribs and prepares two sauces: an 18th-century style vinegar mop, and a more complex 19th-century style BBQ sauce. Watch here.
Listen: Interview with Jim Auchmutey, author of Smokelore - Kevin’s BBQ Joints
In this episode of Kevin’s BBQ Joints, host Kevin Kelly chats with Jim Auchmutey, author of Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America. The two discuss some of the more surprising and interesting discoveries Auchmutey made while doing research for the book, including where backyard grilling first became popularized as well as the interesting relationship between politics and barbecue. Listen to the episode here.
Read: Real Southern Barbecue: Constructing Authenticity in Southern Food Culture - by Kaitland M. Byrd
Real Southern Barbecue examines how processes and rhetoric surrounding a specific food product — and food culture as a whole — shape the food appearing on our plates and how they impact people’s health and market dynamics. The book takes an in-depth look at barbecue chefs and restaurant owners to triangulate the relationship between producers and their products. It explores the intersection of de-industrialization, commercialization, and changing health concerns as well as the changes in food culture, highlighting the need for producers to justify their positioning in response to commercialization and changing environmental laws and concerns. Finally, it analyzes the creation of authentic food products and questions how these products evolve over time in response to changes in broader society. Order it here.
The Stumptown Beer Revival and BBQ Cook Off takes place this weekend in Monte Rio, California.
August 17: Stumptown Beer Revival and BBQ Cook Off 2019 - Monte Rio, California
This event, which is also called the “Russian River Beer Revival & BBQ Cookoff,” features copious amounts of beer and barbecue. An entry fee includes beer, cider, and barbecue tastings for the duration of the day, along with live music and activities. More than 40 breweries and 30 barbecue teams will participate. More info here.
August 18: Turf & Surf BBQ State Championship 2019 - Del Mar, California
Enjoy unlimited BBQ, seafood, and desserts made by top chefs and BBQ competition teams during the annual #BETonBBQ championship on Aug. 18 in Del Mar, California. The Turf and Surf BBQ State Championship is a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned event, and it will showcase some of the biggest names in the West Coast BBQ movement. Participating restaurants include Grande Ole BBQ y Asado, Cali Comfort BBQ, and International Smoke, a collaboration between culinary entrepreneur Ayesha Curry and Michelin Star Chef Michael Mina. More info here.
August 29-30: Sister Cities Smokeout - Moorhead, Minnesota
The Sister Cities Smokeout festival takes place on August 29-30 at Bluestem Meadow in Moorehead, Minnesota. This two day festival will include music from a variety of national and local artists, and award-winning pitmasters from Sugarfire Smokehouse, Ubon’s Barbeque, and Pappy’s Smokehouse will serve delicious mouth-watering barbecue. More info here.
September 6-8: Kentucky BBQ Festival - Danville, Kentucky
The Kentucky BBQ Festival will feature great food, live music, and a backyard barbecue competition. Top pitmasters that will be serving barbecue there include Leslie Roark, Amy and Mike Mills, Moe Cason, Carey Bringle, and Shelly Hunt. More info here.
September 7: Pig Island NYC - Brooklyn, New York
For those that love all things pork, the 10th annual Pig Island NYC in Brooklyn will be a can’t-miss affair. Held outdoors at beautiful Erie Basin Park in Red Hook, this all-inclusive event will feature great food from top Northeastern pitmasters, plus a ton of beer, cider, and liquor. More info here.
September 12-15: American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Kansas City, Missouri
The American Royal is celebrating 40 years of competition barbecue in 2019. On top of a huge KCBS competition with teams from around the country, this signature Kansas City event includes public-facing activities, including incredible live music, delicious BBQ and local food, a full line up of kids activities, and a vendor fair authentic to Kansas City and BBQ enthusiasts. More info here.
September 19-21: 2019 Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off - Murphysboro, Illinois
The Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off is a unique dual cook contest sanctioned by the Memphis Barbecue Network and the Kansas City Barbeque Society. The event will also include a steak cookoff and a bloody mary contest as well as a kids Que competition. More info here.
September 21: Smoked Dallas - Dallas, Texas
Join us for a Texas-sized food fest and backyard BBQ party in the heart of downtown Dallas at this event. Enjoy tastings from 20 of the most celebrated BBQ joints from all across Texas at the event, along with live music from Dale Watson, Straight Tequila Night, and The 40 Acre Mule. More info here.
September 27-29: Q In The Lou - St. Louis, Missouri
Get ready to go hog wild and get your BBQ fix at another great year of Q in the Lou. Many of the country’s biggest names in BBQ are back once again, including Peg Leg Porker, Ubons BBQ, The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint, Sugarfire Smokehouse, and more. There will also be live music all three days. More info here.
September 29: Houston BBQ Throwdown 2019 - Houston, Texas
The Houston Barbecue Festival and Saint Arnold Brewing Company will throw the 5th annual Houston BBQ Throwdown on Sunday, September 29. It will feature 14 of Houston's best barbecue restaurants competing to create the next great barbecue dish that represents Houston-style barbecue, including Daddy Duncan's BBQ (2018 Judge's and People's Choice winner), Eddie O's Texas BBQ, Harlem Road Texas BBQ, Reveille Barbecue Co, Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue, and Victorian's Barbecue. More info here.
October 3-5: Firebox 3 BBQ On The Bluff Invitational - St. Simons Island, Georgia
The 3rd Annual BBQ on the Bluff Invitational takes place October 3-5, 2019 on St. Simons Island in Georgia. The festival is presented by Southern Soul BBQ and features some of the biggest names in barbecue from around the world. Proceeds benefit the Firebox Initiative. More info here.
October 5: Brew N’ Que - Perth, Western Australia
On Saturday, October 5th, the Brew N’ Que Festival will take place in Perth, Australia at the Ascot Racecourse. Experience the best in craft brew and barbecue. The event includes barbecue food vendors, craft beer, live music, cooking demos, competitions with national and international teams, Kids Q competition, classes from “BBQ Pitmasters” television celebrity Harry Soo, and the headline event with pitmaster Bill Dumas of The Switch in Dripping Springs, Texas. More info here.
October 6: Southern Smoke - Houston, Texas
An impressive lineup of pitmasters and chefs have been announced for the fifth annual Southern Smoke festival, which takes place on October 6 in Houston, Texas. Proceeds from the event will go towards the Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Fund and the National MS Society. More info here.
October 12: EGGtoberfest - Stone Mountain, Georgia
EGGtoberfest is a fun-filled, family-oriented celebration held each October for Big Green Egg fans. This event takes place on October 12 at Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain, Georgia and features food from over 200 Big Green Eggs, demonstrations, music, and more. More info here.
See the full Smoke Sheet events calendar online here.
Brunswick Stew is not found many places but you can make it.
Southern Brunswick Stew
For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we selected this video from Rainbow Gardens showing how to make Southern Brunswick Stew. This recipe was inspired by Harold’s Barbecue in Atlanta, which is now closed. First, a chicken is stewed to make chicken stock. The recipe also calls for smoked pulled pork, a variety of vegetables, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and barbecue sauce that is not too sweet. This hearty Brunswick Stew can be eaten in colder months or during summer barbecues. View the recipe here.
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