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Can we talk about the smoker at that gas station in rural Georgia
I stopped at this little place off Highway 27 last weekend on a road trip... and there was this old dude running a beat-up offset smoker right next to the gas pumps. He was selling pulled pork sandwiches for $5 each out of a cooler. I bought one thinking it'd be awful but man, that bark was perfect... smoky and dark. Have any of you run into random pitmasters at weird spots like that?
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angela5871mo ago
I used to think gas station food was strictly for emergencies, but after hitting that exact spot near Columbus last summer, I'm a total believer now. That old guy's pork totally changed my mind about where good BBQ can come from.
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paul_taylor211mo ago
Maybe it's just me, but I've hit a few of those gas station BBQ spots and they're mostly hype. Had one in Tennessee that everyone swore by and the brisket was dry, sauce was watery, and the sides were straight from a can. I'll take a random food truck or a hole in the wall diner over a gas station any day. At least there's a better chance they actually clean their grills and use fresh ingredients. The Columbus spot might be one of the good ones, but I've been burned too many times to get excited.
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wood.eric1mo ago
You ever heard that spots like this are kind of a regional thing? I read this article a while back that said the best BBQ in the South often comes from gas stations because they've been doing it so long they don't need a fancy storefront. @paul_taylor21 I get what you're saying, I've had some bad ones too, including a place in Missouri where the ribs were tough and the beans tasted like they sat out all day. But when you find that right one like near Columbus, the old dude's been smoking pork since before most of us were born, it's on a whole different level. Makes you wonder how many hidden gems are out there that we just drive past, doesn't it?
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