BBQ Restaurants in Mountain Park

After several years in the corporate world, Shane's Rib Shack's founder, Shane Thompson, exchanged his necktie for an apron slathered in barbecue sauce. The decision came after reflecting on his grandfather's advice to follow his heart. Along with this guidance, Dewey "Big Dad" Brown shared his secret barbecue-sauce recipe, which now cloaks beef, chicken, and pork at Shane's Rib Shack restaurants across the country. At each eatery, cooks slowly smoke meats and chop them by hand to craft dishes that have been featured on Better Morning Atlanta. Catering services tote supplies to parties, company picnics, and attempts to prove how flimsy a rival carpenter’s tables are.

Since 1976, Old Brick Pit Barbeque has lured diners in with the aroma of its old-school Georgia barbecue sauce, which can be delectably doused on a menu's worth of tender meats. Hickory wood and a brick pit conspire to slow-smoke succulent pork for 12–14 hours while serenading it with old Barry White hits before it's slathered in house-made vinegar-based sauce and placed between bread. Sides of coleslaw, like pranks destined for an ornery teacher, are lovingly concocted every day, and they add a cabbage-packed punch to savory pork packages.

The Yontz Family of Glenn's Bar-B-Que prepares its slow-cooked, hickory-smoked meats without sauce, using time-honored family recipes for superlative grilling. Antique street signs and farming tools rest atop the restaurant's large picture windows as pairs or quads of diners peruse Glenn's equally timeless menu, picking a basket of chicken fingers ($5.65), cheese stix ($6.25), or fried pickles ($5.85) to begin their repast. After flipping fried pickles airily into mouths, diners can lounge in elevated, cloth-backed booths and feast on dinner plates of smoked pork, chicken, or other meatstuffs, paired with sides such as homeade barbecue beans and cole slaw ($4.75/pt, $7.45/qt). A half-pound ($11.75) or full pound ($13.75) of ribs rests its framework upon large plates before feeding meat-loving fingertips and bibs their evening supper.

In huge, bold red letters, a sign on the street-facing side of Miss Betty’s House of Ribs proclaims “BBQ.” It’s an old-fashioned invitation to sample some of the rib-shack recipes that rightfully hold a beloved position in the pantheon of southern cuisine. Inside, pit-masters slow roast hefty slabs of ribs and slather whole and half chickens in the restaurant’s signature sauce. The grills are kept in a screened-in porch so passersby can smell the flavorful smoke and hear chefs shout when the meat gets too delicious.

Forget the dry, overcooked turkey lurking untouched in the center of your holiday table. Today's side deal to Black Tie Barbecue puts a succulent, fully cooked, hickory-smoked turkey on your Thanksgiving table for $30, a $95 value. The friendly caterers at Black Tie Barbecue have never had an embarrassing Thanksgiving and want to share their success with your family. They'll fully prepare a 10- to 12-pound bird to juicy, smoky perfection for you to pick up between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25, at Phipps Plaza. Serve your bird chilled, or follow Black Tie's handy reheating instructions to fool your family into believing you've done it yourself.

Visiting Bone Lick BBQ is as much about the experience as it is about the food. Inside, a skee-ball machine from 1945 stands alongside classic tabletop arcade games, and old school rock n' roll spins atop a record player (patrons can even bring in their own vinyl and get a complimentary PBR for their effort). Further entertainment comes in the form of TVs above the bar and the occasional live act, including comedy every Wednesday evening.

Even with such a fun, laid-back atmosphere, the food still shines at Bone Lick. Its chefs rub beef, pork, and chicken in secret spice blends, then cook them for hours on end over hickory and pecan woods. While the meat cooks, the chefs stay extremely busy—they make everything on their menu from scratch every day.

They bake corn bread, braise collards in pork, and blend jalapeños into mac 'n' cheese. They also whip up homemade pickles and cider slaw to lay atop pulled-pork sandwiches on griddled texas toast. Even the cotton candy, funnel cakes, and Granny Pearl's pecan pie are made in-house, though no one knows how Ms. Pearl keeps sneaking into the kitchen unnoticed.

At the bar, which is made from recycled shipping pallets, mixologists concoct creative cocktails, such as bacon old-fashions. They also send out crisp Georgia drafts and American-crafted whiskies.