Rib Country

No Brunswick Stew. A proper BBQ joint in Georgia should have Brunswick Stew on the menu..I'm sorry, but I think this is written on a sacred tablet right below the law stating that tea sweetened with sugar must be offered.
Other than that, I enjoyed my recent Saturday lunch at Rib Country in Blairsville. The Blairsville location is one of four Rib Country restaurants. They can also be found in Hayesville and Murphy, North Carolina and the newest store in Cleveland, Georgia. This comes very close to qualifying for my bias against "chain" BBQ restaurants... but judging from the crowd lined up and the 20 minute wait for a table, it doesn't seem to bother anyone else, nor should it.

I ordered a pulled pork and chicken combo (pictured above) with slaw and fries. The pork was excellent-moist and loosely pulled with little bits of the bark mixed in, which I love. I tried the sauce offerings and made good use of the hot sauce in the bright red bottle. The other sauces were a little bland and the hot sauce was just about perfect. The chicken wasn't quite as impressive as the pork, I suspect it had been reheated before serving. Unlike the pork, the chicken comes with a sauce already applied. I would have liked the same sauce option I had with the pork, but overall it was better than average. Slaw, fries and Texas toast were all decent compliments considering that STEW was not available. The sweet tea was fantastic though.
I must comment positively on the service. You can tell these folks are well trained and used to doing a brisk business. Everyone I dealt with was courteous and helpful to a fault. I will look forward to returning to Rib Country in the future.

Rib Country Website including Menu