BBQ Biker

Spiced Right Smokehouse – Lilburn, GA

2009-10-20T19:03:00.001-04:00

Spiced Right Smokehouse – Lilburn, GA

I first went to Spiced Right many years ago after reading a write-up in Creative Loafing magazine, which awarded them Best of Atlanta more than once. It was very very good. A few years later, I returned and was very disappointed. The quality of the food had gone downhill and taken the ambiance of the place with it. I expected to be writing a review about the “place that used to be” and entered with that mindset.

I was very pleasantly surprised. The interior had undergone a makeover that included getting rid of the buffet style center area that always seemed dirty. The food followed the same pattern.

I ordered the usual pork sandwich with Jennifer having the chicken. I had fries and Brunswick stew. Jennifer had a corn soufflé and a hash. Both sandwiches were top notch, and the sides were excellent. The tea was good, but not great.

Overall, I think Spiced Right Smokehouse is very good and has made quite a comeback. They also now have a location in Roswell on Atlanta Street they call the Ribhouse. Maybe we’ll get around to trying that one out soon.

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Baked Beans
Atmosphere

Spiced Right Smokehouse BBQ
5364 Lawrenceville Hwy
Lilburn, GA 30047
Phone: 770-564-0355

Spiced Right Ribhouse BBQ
635 Atlanta Street
Roswell, GA 30075
Phone: 678-352-9633

www.spicedright.com

Walker’s Fried Pies & Barbecue – Ellijay, GA

2009-10-06T22:31:00.001-04:00

Walker’s Fried Pies & Barbecue – Ellijay, GA

We took a wrong turn while searching for a place to eat in Dahlonega and ended up on highway 52, headed towards Ellijay. That’s when we came upon Walker’s Fried Pies & Barbecue. Being fans of the fried pies from the Sunrise Country Store, we were intrigued, and hungry, so we pulled in.

This was an order-from-the-counter type of place, with a porch attached to a trailer and a portable smoke pit, which, of course, was very promising. We ordered our usual, I having the pulled pork and Jennifer having the chicken. Both came with fries and tea and as usual, I added the Brunswick stew.

The tea was good, but not memorable, and the fries were typical golden crinkles, also good, but nothing special. The sandwiches were very good and we both enjoyed the sauce. The interior was authentic, down-home southern with records on the wall, although the restroom arrangement was a bit odd, and our table was next to the refrigerator, which held various buckets of stew and chopped meats. Speaking of the stew, neither of us cared for it very much.

Of course, we ordered the fried pies, 4 actually, which turned out to be very large, but not quite as good as the ones we got from the Sunrise store, even though they apparently have won some awards, which were proudly displayed near the menus.

If you’re hungry, outside Ellijay, and just want some traditional southern barbecue, this place will do, just avoid the stew.

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Fries
Atmosphere

Walker’s Fried Pies & Barbecue
2183 Highway 52
East Ellijay, GA 30536
(706) 635-1223

Maddy’s BBQ – Decatur, GA

2009-09-30T21:02:00.001-04:00

Maddy’s BBQ – Decatur, GA

We’ve ridden past Maddy’s many times, but never had the opportunity to stop in and try it. A fellow rider told me that Maddy’s was an offshoot of Fat Matt’s, one of our favorites, so we finally checked it out.

The connection to Fat Matt’s was readily apparent, from the blues memorabilia to the live music. Maddy’s is a bit larger, however, and not nearly as tight of a fit.

I had the usual chopped pork and stew, and Jennifer had the chicken. Both sandwiches tasted like Fat Matt’s, but with a bit sweeter sauce. The stew was identical to Fat Matt’s, which is still on the favorites list. The tea was excellent, as well.

Overall, Maddy’s gets a high recommendation from us. It’s as good as Matt’s, but more comfortable. I do wish they’d fix their parking lot, though. I bottomed out the VTX crossing the speed breaker.

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Baked Beans
Atmosphere

Maddy’s BBQ

1479 Scott Blvd
Decatur, GA 30030-1425

(404) 377-0301
www.maddysribs.com

D.B.A. Barbecue – Atlanta, GA

2009-09-23T15:45:00.001-04:00

D.B.A. Barbecue – Atlanta, GA

The rain kept us close to home this weekend, so we rode just a few blocks up to Virginia Highlands and gave D.B.A. Barbecue a try.

Our first impression was that this is a really nice place. It has more of an upscale sports bar atmosphere than your typical barbecue joint. In addition to the full bar, there were several large screens playing various college football games.

I decided to skip the sweet tea and have a Sweetwater 420 local brew. I did try Jennifer’s tea, and while it was good, we both found it just a little weak. Jennifer broke with tradition and tried a chicken sandwich, which she really enjoyed. I had the chopped pork, as usual, and it was extremely good, among the best I’ve tried. The Brunswick stew was more like vegetable soup, but the best vegetable soup I’ve ever had, so we will forgive them for calling it Brunswick. Large steak-cut fries accompanied Jennifer’s sandwich and were quite tasty. The hit was the three-cheese macaroni. Don’t pass that up when you go.

D.B.A. is much more than a barbecue restaurant, and it may be one of the places we go for more than just barbecue, as we both really enjoyed the entire experience. File this one under “highly recommended”.

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Macaroni
Fries
Atmosphere

D.B.A. Barbecue
1190 N Highland Ave Ste B
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 249-5000
www.dbabarbecue.com

Daddy D’z – Atlanta, GA

2009-09-14T16:01:00.001-04:00

Daddy D’z – Atlanta, GA

We started out the day headed to the first annual Atlanta Barbecue Festival, being held in the parking lots around Turner Field. When we got there at 1:15pm, many of the booths had already run out of food, and the few remaining ones had lines 30-40 people deep. It appears that they severely underestimated the popularity of the event. We were very hungry and feeling a bit impatient, so we decided to head over to Daddy D’z on Memorial Drive, just a few blocks from the stadium.

I am glad we did! Like Fat Matt’s, Daddy D’z serves a nice collection of beers, so I settled in with a nice Sweetwater 420 pale ale and awaited our typical order. Jennifer had the sweet tea, and I wish I had. It is probably the best I’ve tried. The sandwich was great, too, Texas style on Texas toast. The baked beans were a bit generic, but still quite tasty. The slaw was very good. The Brunswick stew was very good, but just missed a 5, being a bit salty.

Overall, Daddy D’z gets 2 thumbs up, and only because I only have 2 thumbs.

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Slaw
Baked Beans
Atmosphere

Daddy D’z
264 Memorial Dr SE
Atlanta, GA 30312-2139
(404) 222-0206
www.daddydz.com

Bar B Cue Center – Lexington, NC

2009-09-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

Bar B Cue Center – Lexington, NC

I took advantage of the 3 day Labor Day weekend and headed out to my father’s place near Greensboro, NC. He has a VTX 1300S model (mine is the C model), so we took off riding into Lexington, rumored to be the barbecue capitol of the country and the home of the vinegar based Lexington style barbecue. After some GPS confusion, we settled on Bar B Cue Center.

This is the first barbecue place I’ve seen with curb service, but we decided that eating on the motorcycles was probably not very convenient, and headed inside. The dining room was quite full with what looked to be locals (usually a good sign). I soon noticed another interesting twist: the restrooms were basically single stall sized, and the sink was shared between the women and men.

The restroom configuration was not the only new experience for me, as this was the first barbecue place I had ever been to that did not serve Brunswick stew. They also use “red slaw” on their sandwich. We tried “coarse chopped”, which basically means 4-5 giant chunks of meat on the bun. It was an interesting sandwich, not unpleasant, but certainly not what I am used to. The sweet tea was excellent, while the fries were rather weak.

There are some rather cutesy elements to Bar B Cue Center, but I don’t think I can give it a full endorsement. It was not the best barbecue, by a long shot, but I got to ride with my father again, so it was still a great day.

Item	Rating
Tea
Sandwich
Fries
Ambience

Bar B cue Center
900 N Main St
Lexington, NC 27292
(336) 248-4633
www.barbecuecenter.com

Harold’s Barbecue – Atlanta, GA

2009-08-29T15:20:00.001-04:00

Harold’s Barbecue – Atlanta, GA

On the south side of Atlanta, in a shady part of town, where the neighborhood is run down and the prison looms nearby, sits an old barbecue house that has been there since the dawn of time. It’s called Harold’s Barbecue.

It’s not very clean, it’s not very pretty, but they have great barbecue sandwiches and a Brunswick stew that tastes just like my Grandmother’s. Really. It does. Wow.

The front dining area is next to the pit, which seems to coat everything with smoke residue. The window has not been cleaned since the Falcons wore red helmets and the window AC units are covered in residue from the pit. We had to battle a few flies that seemed as interested in the food as we were.

The food is great, if you avoid the dry cornbread and the bland slaw. Sweet tea at Harold’s is near perfect, just a tiny bit weak. The sandwich is served on regular toast and has a wonderful smoky flavor and a sauce that is just spicy enough. The fries were cooked perfectly, just barely browned and crispy. However, the real attraction is the stew. Their Brunswick is among the best I’ve tried. Like I said, it really tastes just like my Grandmother’s, and her stew was the main thing I looked forward to at family reunions as a kid.

If you can suck it up and get past the less than pristine ambience, the stew and sandwich are worth it. We recommend you try them both.

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Slaw
Fries
Cornbread	-	-
Ambience

Harold’s Barbecue
171 McDonough Blvd SE
Atlanta, GA 30315
(404) 627-9268

O.B.’s BBQ – McDonough, GA

2009-08-22T16:02:00.001-04:00

O.B.’s BBQ – McDonough, GA

This week, I traveled down to McDonough, GA to have my bike serviced by the fine folks at Cycle Nation, where I’ve purchased my last two bikes. It so happens that O.B.’s is two doors down from Cycle Nation, so it was logical that we try it.

Very nice people greeted us at the door and we followed our pleasant waitress to our table. The ambience is very southern country, from the decorations on the wall to the large fireplace in the center. Quite rustic, in a sanitized sort of way.

Our massive sweet tea arrived and was very tasty. Almost a 5. I ordered the usual pork sandwich and stew, Jennifer having baked beans and slaw with hers. Avoid the slaw, it’s not their best thing. The meat was nicely smoked and flavorful, although the sauces were a bit generic. Jennifer found her beans a bit on the generic side as well. I could really say the same for the stew. All of it is good. No surprises, no regrets. Nothing made us say “wow”, but overall, O.B.’s is a pretty good place to have some barbecue..

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Tea
Slaw
Baked Beans
Atmosphere

O.B.’s BBQ
725 Industrial Blvd,
McDonough, GA 30253
(770) 954-1234

Sunrise Country Store

2009-08-20T15:29:00.003-04:00

Sunrise Grocery and Country Store

Sunrise Grocery and Country Store is like a jolt back in time. When you first pull up, you are welcomed onto the porch by some of the freshest produce I have seen. If you’re more of a Davy Crocket type, they also sell raccoon skin hats. When you walk in, you will see that they do not run low on food products. I swear this place has everything.

One of my favorite things to get are their homemade fried pies. Each day Mercier Orchards, located in Blue Ridge, Georgia, delivers fresh fried pies. They have fresh apple, peach, and blueberry. I can’t go without one of these (or two or three) when we are in the area. If you find yourself in Blairsville, GA, you won’t be able to live with yourself if you pass up the opportunity to get one of these hearty fruit-filled pies.

Popie’s Rib Shack – Blairsville, GA

2009-08-15T21:03:00.001-04:00

Popie’s Rib Shack – Blairsville, GA

This week, we decided to take the motorcycle up to Dahlonega and pick up US19 and head out to Popie’s Rib Shack, out in Blairsville, Georgia. It was a beautiful day for a ride and Popie’s makes some great food.

The place is very authentic, from the license plates on the wall to the John Wayne movie playing on the television. Family owned and operated, they are closed on Sundays and Mondays. A wheelbarrow sits in the corner with a sign that reads “Stuffed Like a Pig? Rent This to Wheel You Out!”. On the wall, there are many pictures of different children sitting in the wheelbarrow, which adds to the authentic homespun charm of the place.

The sandwich is ridiculously huge. I highly recommend splitting one with your favorite dining partner rather than attempting it alone. The sauce is heavy and smoky and the meat is very tasty. The stew is good, but not great, reminiscent of a southwestern beef vegetable soup more than a classic Brunswick Stew. They have great fries, referred to as “Deep Fried Taters”, and they are fresh cut, whole potatoes, fried and generously salted. The overwhelming favorite is the slaw. Finely diced and very moist, it is seasoned perfectly and was the highlight of the meal. The baked beans were a little too smoky, but still enjoyable. Overall, we highly recommend checking out Popie’s. You won’t be disappointed.

The sign reads:

“Stuffed Like a Pig? Rent This to Wheel You Out!”

The portions are very large. We recommend sharing!

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Fries
Tea
Slaw
Baked Beans
Atmosphere

Popie’s Rib Shack
1002 Murphy Hwy
Blairsville, GA 30512
706-745-1773

Issues With Highway Pegs

2009-08-15T08:53:00.001-04:00

So I got these really cool highway pegs from Kuryakyn to give myself another position to ride in on long trips (and they look cool). Got them mounted, adjusted, and ready to ride. Not quite as comfortable as I’d hoped, but still, they looked cool.

Enter the Dragon. As you may know, I rode up to the Tail of the Dragon on the 6th, and commenced to attacking the 318 curves that constitute my favorite 11 mile stretch of road. I laid the bike over into a curve, looking for that familiar sound of the pegs grinding against the asphalt, which I found, but suddenly I was feeling a much deeper grinding and the back tire lifting up.

It seems the mounts for the highway pegs had increased the width of my low-slung VTX at its lowest point by 2 inches on each side. Being an avid peg grinder, this had me concerned because, although I could scrape the foot pegs before I scraped the mounts, there was too small of a margin of error for me to feel comfortable with.

The solution? Well, I’m working on that. My first attempt is to simply adjust the pegs forward, therefore raising the rear of the mount by about an eight of an inch. We’ll see how that translates this weekend, as soon as I get up to the mountains where the true peg grinding opportunities lie.

I’ll let you know if it works, or if I will have to take more drastic measures.

Birthday Ride – Cherohala Skyway

2009-08-09T12:27:00.001-04:00

Here’s the other tank cam video. You Tube 10 minute limit made it a bit short, but you’ll see what the Cherohala is about.

Tommy Rides the Cherohala Skyway

Rolling Bones BBQ – Atlanta, GA

2009-08-08T16:44:00.001-04:00

This week we are back in the city, trying the local stuff. We’d read good things about Rolling Bones, so we thought we’d give it a shot. We hopped on the motorcycle and took a short ride down to Edgewood Ave to see what all the hype was about.

My first impression was that Rolling Bones BBQ had a fast food type atmosphere complete with a drive through window. I tried the sweet tea and was underwhelmed and thought I should begin preparing myself for disappointment.

But then our meal arrived. Wow.

I opened the container of Brunswick stew and immediately noticed the huge chunks of fresh vegetables and meats. I took a bite and knew I had misjudged the place. The sandwich was huge and as good as the stew . I was very impressed. The slaw includes carrot raisin salad. Jennifer didn’t quite care for it. I found it a bit bland. Overall, this place is top notch. Highly recommended.

I guess that will teach me to judge too quickly.

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Slaw
Tea
Atmosphere

Rolling Bones BBQ
377 Edgewood Ave
Atlanta, GA 30312
www.rollingbonesbbq.com

Dragon slayer, Hellbender – Tommy Rides on His Birthday

2009-08-08T16:31:00.001-04:00

Here’s the first tank-cam video from my Birthday ride. This one is me riding my motorcycle down US 129 (Tail of the Dragon) to Deal’s Gap and hanging a left on Hellbender 28.

I can’t think of many better ways to spend my birthday than on my motorcycle, grinding the pegs on twisty mountain roads.

I shot tank-cam footage on the Cherohala Skyway too. I will polish it up and upload it tomorrow.

Tommy Rides the Dragon and Hellbender 28

Birthday Ride Videos

2009-08-06T19:27:00.004-04:00

I'll produce a video from the tank cam shots this weekend. Gotta capture them, trim them, add some tunes, etc. However, I did keep a video log of the ride today. I uploaded them to Facebook as I went. Here's all 6 of them:

Birthday Ride 1 - 7am

Birthday Ride 2 - 8:30am

Birthday Ride 3 - 10am

Birthday Ride 4 - 1pm

Birthday Ride 5 - 3:30pm

Birthday Ride 6 - 6:30pm

New Logo for BBQ Biker

2009-08-03T22:40:00.001-04:00

Tell us what you think of our new logo.

Hudson’s Hickory House – Douglasville, GA

2009-08-02T10:16:00.001-04:00

Hudson’s Hickory House

As a kid, Hudson’s was my first BBQ experience. We used to go there after football games and other youth activities, so it holds a special place in my memory..

It was almost as good as I remembered. I had the chopped pork sandwich, as usual, and the Brunswick stew. Jennifer had the same except substituted the baked beans for the stew.

I thought the sandwich was great, but Jennifer felt it was a little dry. The Brunswick stew was good, but a little too much onion and a little bit soupy. The sweet tea was good, but not great. The fries were the best item: fresh cut, whole potato, and floppy like a BBQ house should be (if you’ve ever had fries at The Varsity in Atlanta, you know what these are like). Jennifer’s baked beans were a bit weird. Too much brown sugar made them overly sweet.

Service was good and the staff was friendly. Jennifer was wearing her T-shirt from last Sunday’s Bikers for Boobs ride, which caught the attention of one customer, who walked over to tell us that she was a 3.5 year survivor of breast cancer and that she appreciated that we had participated in the charity ride.

Item	Tommy	Jennifer
Sandwich
Stew
Fries
Tea
Atmosphere

Hudson’s Hickory House
6874 Broad St
Douglasville, GA 30134-1701
(770) 942-4828

Directions

http://www.hudsonshickoryhouse.com/

Birthday Ride for Tommy

2009-07-29T18:26:00.001-04:00

Next Thursday (Aug 6th), I’m planning another solo ride up to the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, and Hellbender 28. It’s my birthday and this is how I like to spend those.

I did it last year on my Shadow 750, but this year I’m taking the VTX 1300. I’ve been there on the VTX a few times, but not for a birthday run yet.

Anyway. I’m going to try to get some video and some pictures and, of course, I’ll post them here when I get back.

Here’s a video from last year, just to whet your appetite:

Bikers For Boobs 2009

2009-07-27T10:20:00.011-04:00

I participate in various charities throughout the Atlanta Metro area and I have found one more cause that is worth while: Bikers For Boobs - Bikers Battling Breast Cancer. It is an annual poker run that involves generally five different stops. At each stop you pick a card and then volunteers mark on your paper what card you have chosen and you move on to the next stop. At the end, the person with the best hand wins. This year's even was the fourth annual ride. It began at the Harley Davidson of Atlanta, in Lithia Springs; with stops at Fat Cats, Buffalo Wild Wings, The Amerian Legion Post 145, The Watering Hole, and the VFW Post 7404.

Since this was our first riding event, I was not really sure what to expect. What I found were a lot of bikers who are very dedicated to this cause. Many have been affected personally either by battling breast cancer themselves or by having a friend of a family member who has been affected. One tent in particular struck a very eye-opening chord for me. It was called the Memory Tent. I watched as people went in to pay their respects and I found it difficult to watch knowing that they had lost someone in their lives because of this horrible disease.

The people-watching was awesome. There were many women riders, some of whom had their bikes decked out in pink pom-pons and some who wore bras on the outside of their shirts. Of course, since the ride has boobs in the name you have to count on a few of the guys to have their own take on it. One guy wore a bra on his head. I wonder if his mother knew he borrowed her bra? Then, there was Walter. Walter is a dog who we were told has ridden a million miles with his owner. Now that's an Iron Butt! He was adorable in his little leather vest that carried a cell phone; although, I was curious to know who would be calling him. Probably some bitch.

UPDATE: I just read that this past weekend's event raised $25,000. There were 659 riders and 474 bikes.

Fat Matt's Rib Shack - Atlanta, GA

2009-07-22T19:49:00.017-04:00

We chose to start our journey at the closest BBQ place. We couldn't come up with any better method to choose the first place, so we decided to start at home. What's not to love about Fat Matt's? It's in town, it is extremely consistent, and is what I measure all other BBQ against.

It gets loud after 9pm, so get there early if you're not into that sort of thing. Don't be discouraged by the line out the door. The line moves fast and the food is worth it, but you can call in your order to go, move right past the line, up to the counter and pick it up.

As with most places, I had the standard pulled or chopped pork sandwich and the Brunswick stew. My grandmother made the best Brunswick, and it made family cookouts worth going to as a kid. I have to admit, Fat Matt's tastes just like hers.

If you're in the city, check out Fat Matt's, they are one of the best.

Style: Georgia Tangy
Food: 5
Stew: 5
Tea: 5
Atmosphere: 3 - A bit cramped and crowded, but on nice days you can sit on the porch. Nice blues memorabilia decorations. Good blues after 9pm, but loud.

Cost: $8 per person (avg sandwich, side, tea)
Alcohol: Decent selection of beers

Fat Matt's
1811 Piedmont Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 607-1622
Directions
www.fatmattsribshack.com

Welcome to the BBQ Biker Blog

2009-07-22T10:21:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the BBQ Biker Blog.

The Mission
My wife and I enjoy riding motorcycles around the country, sampling the various local BBQ, and experiencing the sights, sounds, and personalities we encounter in our journeys. We decided we should map out the places we visit, giving reviews of the food, atmosphere, and people, and sharing our adventures with those interested in such things.

Who We Are
My name is Tommy Jones. By day, I'm a web developer. At night, I'm a jazz musician. I usually don't eat pork, but I make an exception for BBQ. We all have our vices. My wife, Jennifer, runs a small office by day, takes business courses at night, and loves to ride. We live in Midtown, Atlanta and most of our adventures will start from there.

Our Plan
We will begin with some local Atlanta favorites, revisiting them to take pictures and write reviews. We will then branch out to the many small towns in Georgia and beyond, sampling the local BBQ cuisine and reporting our experience here.

Please check back often for the latest BBQ and feel free to mention us when you visit places we've reviewed.