Fresh Air BBQ

[DannyW]

A while back we had a "best BBQ" thread and Fresh Air was consistently named as one of the best in Georgia. I stopped by the one in Athens the other day, and I have to say I was disappointed.

BBQ pork - good, maybe a little bit above average, but nothing to brag about.

BBQ ribs - below average...tasted like they were boiled, and then thrown on a smoker for a little flavor.

BBQ beans - tasted like canned beans warmed up

Slaw - now I thought their slaw was good.

Brunswick stew - good, but still just average at best

Loaf bread - why bother?

Sauces - I thought their sauces were good but not exceptional

Nothing, aside from the slaw, really made them stand out and the ribs were especially a disappointment. I would have been embarrassed to serve the ribs at home, much less charge money for them. Did I just catch them on a bad day?

 

[NCHillbilly]

A while back we had a "best BBQ" thread and Fresh Air was consistently named as one of the best in Georgia. I stopped by the one in Athens the other day, and I have to say I was disappointed.

BBQ pork - good, maybe a little bit above average, but nothing to brag about.

BBQ ribs - below average...tasted like they were boiled, and then thrown on a smoker for a little flavor.

BBQ beans - tasted like canned beans warmed up

Slaw - now I thought their slaw was good.

Brunswick stew - good, but still just average at best

Loaf bread - why bother?

Sauces - I thought their sauces were good but not exceptional

Nothing, aside from the slaw, really made them stand out and the ribs were especially a disappointment. I would have been embarrassed to serve the ribs at home, much less charge money for them. Did I just catch them on a bad day?

Once you learn to make bbq at home, most trips to bbq restaurants are usually disappointing. You make it at home in small amounts for flavor and quality. Restaurants make it in huge amounts in acceptable quality for profit.

 

[JSnake]

I've never been to the one in Athens. THAT SAID, I'd go to the original in Jackson to get a real read on it. It's my go-to stop on the way home from SW Georgia.

 

[rjcruiser]

Jackson location is much better in my opinion. Plenty of other spots that I'll stop at prior to their Bogart location.

 

[ngadeerhunter1969]

"Best" anything food related is way too subjective. Ive had Fresh Air BBQ and would put Dubs in Calhoun up against it any day. They dont even need a sign at Dubs.

Bubba Q in Jasper makes pretty good Que too. They do a lot of competition cooking and have won many trophies and lots of money. I do realize that BBQ judging isnt the be all end all though but I like their Que pretty good and thats all that matters to me. Again, its all subjective.

The good thing is, I can be at either location in about 15 minutes. Fresh Air is hours away.

 

[Timberman]

The original in Flovilla is mighty tasty.

One thing though. Don't eat Fresh Air as a young boy on the way home from your friends grandmothers riding in the back seat of a Pontiac Bonneville on a hot summer day after you stuffed yourself with figs off her loaded fig tree. Don't ask how I know...

 

[mguthrie]

Most folks I know don't care for fresh air BBQ in flovilla. I ate there once years ago and it literally left a bad taste in my mouth. I go past it going to one of my hunting leases and don't care to stop and eat. Gas station BBQ is better imo

 

[3ringer]

I didn’t know there was one in Athens. That doesn’t sound like the one in Jackson at all. The Fresh Air in Jackson doesn’t serve ribs , beans or choices of sauce. Their sauce and stew has a heavy vinegar taste. If you don’t like a vinegar based sauce , then you won’t like Fresh Air. Everyone’s opinion of what is good bbq is different. I prefer my bbq not to be served mixed with sauce. I prefer the sauce on the side. I have been dissatisfied also over someone’s recommendation of a bbq restaurant because we have different opinions of good bbq.

 

[DAWG1419]

Which one in Athens. Bogart or Hull?

 

[firebreather]

I enjoy it , more than bbq shack

 

[Crakajak]

Does fresh air cook whole hog or select cuts?

 

[elfiii]

Once you learn to make bbq at home, most trips to bbq restaurants are usually disappointing. You make it at home in small amounts for flavor and quality. Restaurants make it in huge amounts in acceptable quality for profit.

Pretty much. I'll cook up a bunch of butts at the same time, pull them and freeze them in 1 lb vacuum sealed bags. Whenever somebody suggests a BBQ restaurant I just say meet me at my house.

 

[mattuga]

The Fresh Air near Athens is unrelated to the Fresh Air in Jackson and Macon.

 

[GoldDot40]

The Fresh Air near Athens is unrelated to the Fresh Air in Jackson and Macon.

Exactly. Best BBQ in Athens is The Butt Hut....or ride up toward Commerce and hit Big Oak. I don't care for either of the Fresh Air BBQ's in Athens...Shane's Rib Shack is better than either one.

 

[Oldstick]

Last time I had some pulled pork from the Jackson location, the sauce was WAY too salty in my opinion. I can tolerate lots of vinegar flavor, but add in the too salty and that ruins it for me. I recommend getting the plain with sauce on the side, if they have that as an option.

 

[naildrvr]

The Fresh Air in Jackson and Macon are the same. To my knowledge there are no others restaurants related to these.

 

[naildrvr]

Once you learn to make bbq at home, most trips to bbq restaurants are usually disappointing. You make it at home in small amounts for flavor and quality. Restaurants make it in huge amounts in acceptable quality for profit.

^^^^this is the truth

 

[Red dirt clod]

I worked just over a mile from the one in Hull, almost no-one would drive over there for the BBQ.

 

[Artfuldodger]

I posted this interview from Ellen Caston Brewer who is the daughter of a previous owner.

It sounds like the two in Athens are affiliated with the originals. Not that it means they all taste the same. She talks about some of the locations adding more stuff than the original. She says the stew is all made in Jackson and trucked to the other locations and some people say it don't taste as good as the stew in Jackson. Of course that was in 2008. It's an interesting read;

"With [the] Macon [location],you add other things like chicken and ribs because people want more variety in a newer restaurant. Athens has done the same thing and has a lunch buffet of different vegetables and things like that. It’s just, you have to do what you have to do in each market to make your restaurant viable but the core of what is Fresh Air Barbecue is still there in each one of these locations."

http://www.southernfoodways.org/app/uploads/GeorgiaBBQ_FreshAirBarBQue.pdf

 

[Artfuldodger]

Fresh Air BBQ Athens, Ga. I did read that cousins ran it.
"Carrying on a tradition of excellence set by our founder, G.W. Caston and our original 1929 location in Jackson, GA, we have two Athens locations. Stop by and try our award winning barbecue and stew. See our website for hours and directions."

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Fresh-Air-Barbecue-Athens-Georgia-257081340796/about/?ref=page_internal

Just three stars on Yelp.