Harold's BBQ in Atlanta or Jonesboro? The greatest. And great cracklin' cornbread.

I've been trying to learn about southern cooking since we moved here and am still learnin' bout things, like what cracklin's are. Found this cool Grannie on youtube, cooking cracklin' cornbread using cracklin's from the Piggly Wiggly store. So... cracklin's are the hog skins, fried up crispy, right?

Can I substitute tofu for the cracklin's and make a healthy version? Probably not.

BTW - Corky's out of Memphis has awesome BBQ and great sauce!

BAMA STYLE CRACKLIN' CORNBREAD - YUM!

Just to inform you, it wasn't even the southern part of Pennsysylvania that I had my early life craklins.

My Grandma used to make cracklins. I remember watching them butcher a hog once. She made her own sausage, souse, cracklins, lard, and whatever else you get from a pig. She had her own chickens and a milk cow. She raised a garden every year and had about 40 pecan trees. She sold vegetables from a table in her front yard. Okra and tomatoes were her big thing. The last time she had a garden, she sold them for 50 to 60 cents a pound. She'll be 97 in 2 months. So much for good food clogging your arteries! She's outlived two husbands and one was 12 years younger than her!

Give her a big hug! We, in this age, don't have a clue to what hard work is.
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I'll do that next time I get out to OK. She worked until she was around 93 years old. Even though my daddy was doing most of the gardening. She'd get up at sunrise and pick vegetables. She said that's what kept her going. We took her to Dahlonega and went down in the gold mine when she was 91. She still has that little bottle of gold flakes. Yeah, I can barely handle 4 or 5 tomato plants! The critters ate my okra and cucumber plants, so I planted some more cucumber plants and put a fence around them.

God bless her.
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you have to get a copy of "Southern Cooking" by Mrs. Dull. She was the food editor of the AJC (I believe) back in the 20s and published what is the quintessential book on Southern cooking...at least the Georgia rendition of Southern cooking. Keep the faith.

Even a dead fish can go with the flow.

At first I thought you meant hog intestines---cooked up crackley being put into the cornbread.
I now think you meant the skin of the hog cooked to near a cinder, crunched up, and mixed with the corn meal mix before baking it.
Olden days wives cooked up all of the excess skin of a hog at hog-killin time and made lard (long before crisco, etc,) from the renderings. I have eaten some of the crispy skins long before they started packaging them for sale.
These things are noted as being one of the most unhealthy piece of trash ever eaten. However they do fit into the Adkins diet bunch's diet craze.
About three skins (whole pieces) eaten will just about clog all arteries immediately.
If eaten with BBQ sauce, one is all it takes.

I've eaten the real thing from hog butchering and they in no way resemble the packaged stuff of today. I thought they were pretty good. Could very well have been the beginning of my cholesterol problems that were first discovered in my 20s.

Watch out those thighs and rear ends. CELLULITE, CELLULITE.

Locally, Sprayberry's is the way to go, although Cafe Pig is pretty good, too.

DH loves Dreamland, and finds any excuse to go to Alabama or Norcross to get some, but I think Sprayberry's is better.

However, the best BBQ I've ever had was in some shack in Dawsonville - I can't tell you the name of the place, but I know it when I pass it on the way to N. GA mountains. But that's no help is it?

If anyone has the recipe to Sprayberry's slaw, I would LOVE to have it. I have tried and tried to replicate it and I haven't been able to.

I have actually traveled to Tuskeloosa (?) to the original Dreamland, having heard nothing but raves about it. It was a real yawner...barely edible. I just returned from Southern Pit north of Griffin...it was okay, but nothing to write home about.

I lived in South Carolina for a few years and traveled all over the low country eating BBQ. From Bessingers in Charleston, to hole-in-the-wall places in widespots in the road from Myrtle Beach to Orangeburg to Walterboro. The absolute BEST I ever had was at the original Earl Duke's in Cameron. Places like Manning, Holly Hill, Estill, Hampton all have their 'cue places. The rule we used was only eat at independent places, no place that was open on Sunday, no place that sold t-shirts or hats, no place that sold beer. We found the best places were the ones open Thurs, Fri, and Sst only.

I have not found anything in Georgia that matches low country 'cue, though I keep looking. Keep the faith.

Even a dead fish can go with the flow.

My favorite SC BBQ is Sheely's - it was somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Aiken & Columbia. BEST hash anywhere! I wonder if they are still open?

As for Dreamland - I didn't say it was *my* favorite (in my book it's okay, but not in the top 5 by any means), but my DH *loves* it. Of course, he hates mustard BBQ, too (what a shame). To each their own, I guess.

But, back to the original question for this thread - I still stand by my local recommendation for Sprayberry's - good, honest BBQ!

Yard, there is a place on Hwy 170A (which runs from just over the Savannah bridge to Hilton Head Isl.) in Levy SC, that has the all-around best 'cue, stew and slaw I have ever had. The place is the Pink Pig. It's a little family-run, hole-in-the-wall kind of place in the middle of nowhere but the ambiance was a hoot. The curtains had pink pigs on them; the table cloths had pink pigs on them and there were little ceramic pink pigs hanging from the ceiling. The 'cue is nicely smokey and they have 3 choices of sauce (the Gullah Fire sauce is my favorite). The Brunswick Stew is to die for. It is rich with meaty flavor and nice sized chunks of potatoes and tomatoes (instead of the cup 'o mush most places slop into a bowl). And their coleslaw isn't the usual sugary, Miracle-Whip-on-cabbage plate filler; it has a savory tone with dill in it, which adds a really nice, subtle flavor.

The family that runs the place are some of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. The original Pit Master (who, sadly, passed away at a much-too-young age) met my mother once when I lived on Hilton Head but he always asked about her by name and always sent his regards. His mother and 2 brothers are running it now and they have stayed true to his vision.

(sigh) Time for a Hilton Head weekend.

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If you and I are always in agreement, one of us is likely armed and dangerous.

we are headed that way on the 21st for a WEEK...{eat your heart out}...I will have to stop and try this one. Keep the faith.

Even a dead fish can go with the flow.

Bessingers is a great sauce, gotta love that Carolina mustard sauce, Johnny Harris has a great mustard sauce also, I can hardly eat the regular sauces now, the mustard is king.

I yam what I yam....Popeye

I had the BBQ'd brisket at Smokey Bones a long time ago. It was good.

Brisket is the best I think; but, it can be tricky and if not careful it will dry out because of the length of time needed. A nice 10 lbs brisket takes 10 hours at about 180 degrees. The smoke ring tells the tale.
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Cave men could not have eaten BBQ like brisket!
Usually it took all day to kill a dinosaur and whack off a brisket. by that time there was no way to build a 180 degree fire and cook it ten hours!
The women simply held it close to the flame and burned the sucker on the outside, and that made the innards taste pretty good.
Most BBQ is that way! Half charcoal on the meat!

old timers how to cook. Somehow, over the years, a few of them have strayed and picked up this bad habit of eating pig.
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Ya'll have been away from the left coast long enough to adapt. I do enjoy a good brisket, but I prefer pork. Carolina style with mustard-based sauce. If you ever are in Columbia, SC, try Maurice's. Wow...

It ain't right to even think that "other" stuff is suited for barbecue. I'll say a prayer for you.
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Acey prefers mustard on everything, so that's no surprise he prefers a mustard-based bbq sauce. I'm a ketchup person, so I guess we illustrate the "opposites attrack" in that respect.

Me, I love Dean's in J'boro, but don't get over there very often at all.

Hey, at least no one on this blog is even suggesting yard-bird as 'Q!

Acey,
Yes, we do BBQ yard bird here, but we don't have to go anywhere to get it. We do it in our own backyards. LOL

Just slobber on some Texas Pete; no reason to get exotic with common fowl.

Throw on a kielbasa to snack on while the birds are cooking.

BTW, LBJ was not a pig eater.
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Was well known for his lack of judgment regarding animals:

LBJ’s Beagle

bigger ears than his beagle.
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just ain't right.
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Li'l Abners- Tucson, AZ. (actually Marana)...best "Western style" barbeque. Steaks, ribs, you name it...beans too. My wife just reminded me of a place she would go to on the Northside somewhere....back in the day called Jilly's. She says it had the absolute best ribs she ever had and she's had 'em all over the South and Memphis, St. Louis, KC and Chicago...even NYC and Dinosaur up in 'cuse. She's pretty much a gourmet chef to boot so she knows of what she speaks.

"Picture a bright blue ball, just spinning, spinnin free,
Dizzy with eternity.
Paint it with a skin of sky,
Brush in some clouds and sea,
Call it home for you and me.
A peaceful place or so it looks from space,
A closer look reveals the human race.
Full of hope, full of grace
Is the human face,
But afraid we may lay our home to waste."

"once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right"
"listen to the thunder shouting, "I AM, I AM, I AM"

;>} Have a grateful day ;>}

Well someone said Jillys was peddlin dope and got shut down.
Now that just goes to show that like tattoo parlors, BBQ places are evil!

was it the owner of Jilly's or Tony Roma's that was busted for using his place to launder drug money? or maybe it was Damon's. One of those rib-kings. Keep the faith.

Even a dead fish can go with the flow.

It was Jilly's and they did have great ribs.

What a shame they were using it to launder drug money.

Wulf

About 25 or 30 years ago, the original ATL Jilly's was on Roswell Road. They had the best ribs I've ever tasted. There was another Jilly's on Hwy, 42 above Cumberland. I didn't discover this one until 1985.

Get a rope, find a tree.

Beef barbecue was rated No. 1 by the Clinton camp. I think I seen that somewhere in her website. If I press Obama on the issue he would also agree. The same goes for McCain. I think Barr is the only "pig" guy around but hey, he just an independent.
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Cattle died.

I'm truly shocked!!!
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There can be no controversy about the fact that vinegar BBQ sauces are the best.

BBQ sauce recipe

2 cups cider vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper

Simmer while sipping one can of suds (about 15 minutes).
Apply to pig or whatever

Catsup, tabasco, cayenne, worcestshire, dry mustard?

Sounds like the diner that Andy and Barney went to on the main highway----except it was a fine restaurant according to Barney---it had TWO kinds of catsup for their pounded steak! And an extremely sharp knife.

Do the French eat a concoction like this? They are the world's best cooks!
All of the British Empire would immediately get ill just reading this!

You're concerned about the culinary experts of the British Empire? When in London, eat Italian. Trust me.

As for the French... what? BBQ'd escargot with foie gras?

Red wine or white?

Italian food in Italy ain't all that good--especially if you get out of the hotels and go to the small towns. Don't eat the drying chicken hanging on the streets

escargot with foie gras is similar to eating chitterlings and hog lights here!

Maybe not for the French!

Don't we force feed some veal, and other creatures, to fatten them up just as the French do the geese and ducks to fatten the liver for foie gras?

As to wine--I don't like it, but with foie gras I suppose it is optional!

bland.
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Aw, come on.

Consider:

Bangers and mash smothered in a dark onion gravy, with English smushed peas on the side.

Or a steak-in-pastry pie.

Or the genuine item fish and chips.

Any one of these would be accompanied by an India Pale Ale or a bitter ale and good philosophical conversation.

Bland?

with you in disagreeing with them about English food being bland, I disagree with you on which kind of English food is worthwhile. Bangers and mash look and smell like something I would feed a puppy. The ol' S and K pie is something I would give a Tuppy.
And trade that IPA for a nice, thick stout.

Yes, Tuppy went for cold steak and kidney pie (and thus was working on his double chin).

Tinkerty tonk, right ho, and all that.

And they have awful teeth.
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And that morning sauage that's like paste in a tube; OMG that bad. BTW, how's Lynn?
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I can taste it now. We do a pepper and seasoning rub or buy a sack of dry rub from Texas. As for sauce, I'm partial to a brand called "Stubbs". Mr. Stubbs started his barbecue place in Lubbock Texas close to where some family "relatives" of mine had a "pit" place called the "Hill Top Barbecue". I can still smell that mesquite aroma.

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And give me a nice smoked pork butt/ribs etc or a beef brisket. I enjoy them all when done CORRECTLY.

That said, Cafe Pig is the best around these parts, other than my backyard.

Cy, east of the Mississippi pork is King baby! I prefer Eastern barbeque, but I have had some great Western barbeque in Dallas and Oak. City. Brisket, sausage and grilled beans...good stuff Maynard!! There are so many great things to experience around this great country... food is just one of 'um!

cooked for about 10 hours (the smoke ring says it all) and sausage with potato salad and red beans with onions. Now folks, that's barbeque. Topped off with cornbread dunked in milk. Y'all need to put that pig away.

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My experience with those who cook like this (above) is that approximately six bottles or cans of beer are consumed (each) during the cook cycle---making it a woozy social affair rather than supper.
Sausage, red beans and onions, mit der corn bread, along with the beer, makes for an unusual afterwards! Numerous cigarettes also hep!!

How do you grill a bean? Don't they fall through the grill rack?

I'm from the west too, so I'm not up to speed on the latest grill techniques, and grillin' beans sounds intriguing. Especially to us librul vegan's from Calif.

you don't grill them individually, you grill 'em in an iron skillet....on the grill or on the side burner. They aren't baked beans..they're Pintos or red beans, SA!!

Then they ain't "grilled" they are fried or boiled beans in stew.
Sounds like a loud time in the old town tonight!

Grilled beans, in Houston, were pinto beans in a sauce. They've the consistency of baked beans, but aren't sweet. They were served as a side in most restaurants and at all neighborhood cook-outs.

Ever eat at Van's in Shawnee or Dan's on Route 66 in Davenport?

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Git, I talked to my sister and she said she's eaten at Vann's Pig Stand in Norman and Shawnee. She says it's really good.

Yup... she definetely knows what she's talking about if she knew the last name. I didn't know they had one in Norman.

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I had to get my map out to see where the towns were! I haven't lived there since 1981, but I go back every year to visit. Actually the only place I ever had BBQ in OK was in Jenks and I can't remember the name of it! It went out of business. My sister lives in TX and she took me to a place in old town McKinney (I think it was). It looked pretty dumpy, but the food was great. Beef of course, it was TX. Their BBQ sauce is very sweet, lots of brown sugar and molasses. I think it was owned by....don't quote me...Randy White?? Somebody that used to play football for Dallas. We had BBQ from Dickies BBQ last time I was there. It was pretty good. You have to put your own sauce on it.

Git, it looks like I'm going to be moving back to OKC this summer, so I'll send you a report on the various BBQ joints ASAP.

You previously mentioned Cattleman's Steakhouse, and that's certainly a fine eating establishment with a great "Old West" feel. But there's a number of really good restaurants in OKC, and I'm looking forward to re-acquainting myself to them, as well as getting to play "grandpa" on a daily basis, instead of just on holidays.

Til then,
Cheers!

I'll be eating at the Cattlemans in the next couple of weeks. I get to hit that place at least 3 or 4 times a year. If you know of any good places in OKC area I'd appreciate a heads up. Usually we eat someplace where my folks rave about. Problem is they base their eating decisions on price and how much food they gobble down. They're still plagued with that old Brush Okie Depression Mindset that has haunted that state since the 30's and 40's. We ate at 502 Ranch on Britton. I think that's what it was. Outstanding place. But, that's all I know. So would appreciate any good pointers in regards to savouring some good eats. We'll be there for nearly 3 weeks.

Let me know where you settle River. Edmond is great if that's a possibility.

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My daughter and her husband already live and teach there. I'll ask them if they have any restaurant recommendations to pass on to you.

The Edmond school system is a lot like the Fayette school system--very good, only they don't have Kathy Cox revamping the curriculum (oh darn!) and the principals don't advocate "drag them across the line".

Of course, there are those pesky little twisters to deal with on a regular basis, but that just keeps it interesting!

Just ignore the tornados River. Don't worry about them. You only need be concerned with the one that has your name on it. Otherwise you'll never get any sleep.

As far as Kathy Cox..... Some of us back when, (back when active as a die hard GOP'er)fought tooth 'n' nail to keep her from getting elected. That old ex Democrat teacher turned out just as bad as several of us had feared. What a terrible decision the voters have made in keeping her in office. She has made no improvements to Georgia's education woes since taking office. Teachers are wonderful people and are invaluable at educating our children. However, history seems to repeatedly prove that they suck at being political leaders or business in general. All I can do at this point is apologize profusely for not fighting harder against her election successes in the past.
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Ms. Cox is a democrat? I had no idea what she was.
I am and independent and pay no attention to party when something is right or wrong.
She has done a bad job and needs to be canned.
Why did you even mention party?
Remember all those "democrats" who turned republican in recent years in Georgia?

Ms. Cox is a democrat?

We screamed it way back when. Cox running as Republican went over with a bunch of us Conservatives the same as it would if Ballard's boy Jeffrey Allen announced he wanted to become a youth worker in a church.

Remember all those "democrats" who turned republican in recent years in Georgia?

And who said the GOP was unwilling to embrace the 'big tent' philosophy?

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That stuff (BBQ) is ok if one controls the sauce himself, or not if the place utilizes all of the hog, like snouts, ears, tails, feet, jaws, scraped backbone, suckling teats, fat back, and inner parts.
"Sonny's" I don't thing did that!

Wow...it's probably been 15 years since I last ate there and had forgotten about it. It was very good back then and I guess if it's still around the quality is still high.

I thought the dine-in was a table out front of the small building:) I remember it being real popular with those in the area for carry-out, especially patrolmen stopping by and the local workers from Jonesboro.

So we are back to restaurant reviews again. Even in dusty Oklahoma!
At least you could talk about good food instead of greasy pork and smear sauce!

Sage, Oklahoma is always windy. It's Arizona that's always dusty. Get it right!!

Sage, you're always carping on something. Why don't you break out of your rut and discuss something positive for a change? Here's a suggestion: try and think of someplace outside Georgia that you went and had a great time. Some place you could recommend to the rest of us.

It does a person good to think "outside the box" every now and then. Those who knew me at Whitewater will get a chuckle out of that phrase, but for the rest of you, it's an inside joke.

I'm trying to place you at WHS, well, when you were at WHS.

Speaking of "outside the box" I absolutely love the orchestra teacher at WHS, she does a great job with her students inside and outside of boxes! She is still greatly missed at FCHS.

I was at Whitewater this year, but now I'm moving to OK. I'd rather not get any more specific than that.

I agree with you about the orchestra teacher. Actually, there's a number of really excellent teachers at WHS. They just need a change in leadership, and they could become one of the top high schools in the state. (in my opinion)

The bloggers are having a good time with this subject. Personally, I do not eat steer or pig but I do applaud the good time and pleasant entries that the subject is generating. At least it makes me somewhat hungry, more so than the conversation about lutefisk.

I don't believe anyone has been dusted out of Oklahoma for a long time.

I'm not consumer of four-legged creatures, either, so I wondered why I was reading all of these posts about BBQ. I don't even like the sauce, as it's a distinctly meat-eating type of flavor. Someone mentioned a place called Latitude 33 and it says nothing about it online that I could find, I was wondering where and what that place is.
I resent that comment about lutefisk, by the way. I thought I was being very informative on the matter.

I resent that comment about lutefisk, by the way. I thought I was being very informative on the matter.

No insult was intended. The lutefisk thread was very informative and entertaining.

I suppose I should just stick to talking about what I love, which is pasta, the food of the gods.

Quinoa is supposedly the food of the gods, and yerba mate is hailed as the drink of the gods and I regularly consume both but so far I've failed at each attempt to "part" my tomato soup.

Lutefisk, therefore, must be the food of the devils. Which is believable.

Concerning pasta, the "food which may not be an actual food of the gods but gods certainly had a hand in it" food, any local suggestions? I had Johnny's pizza last night. And then again for lunch and still have some left over for dinner because nobody should eat a calzone that size in a single sitting.

Well, I agree with you on lutefisk (didn't know what that was before).
I think it falls into the same category as some other wonderful foods over the many years of the USA that have saved many,many lives:
shuck beans
pickled pigs feet
horney-heads
salt-cured ham
sassafras tea
hard biscuits
dried apples
dried beef strips
chow-chow
goat milk
crow
chopped black snake
squirrel
doves
horse
blubber
buffalo
possum
ground hog
crab-apple jelly
fox grape jam
fried fatback (mealed)
owl
johnny cakes
dog
horse milk
mule
SOS
rattle-snake filets

I remember my Catholic friends while I was in service could eat meat on Friday, I guess since the military didn't want to serve fish to everyone that day! Anyway canned fish aren't very good.
Those cloven-hoofed creatures are also now allowed, I think, right?
Actually, I was raised on pork and vegetables, we didn't slaughter beef.
Nor sheep. Just not the horrid sauce
OK, Oklahoma dust. I spent a year there many, many moons ago. Haven't really been back since. Not always, but often, the dust was so bad that one couldn't see, nor breathe without a filter. One's home or room filled with the stuff!
I may have mis-judged their current situation due to planting or something.