Old Clinton Bar-B-Q, Gray GA (take two)

If the road ever does take us away from Georgia to live somewhere else – and it might, it just might – then I will miss Old Clinton Bar-B-Q more than any other restaurant in the state. We made the detour here when we went down to Saint Simons Island for Christmas. I think it was our fourth visit, possibly fifth, and the place is so good and so wonderful that even our teenage girlchild, who has been known to protest that we eat at too many barbecue restaurants by ordering something else, ordered a plate of chopped pork as I did. What a good, sensible kid she sometimes is.

The chopped pork here is as good as the very best you’ve ever had, and the thin, peppery tomato-vinegar sauce is the perfect match. Add some of the best stew in the south and some slaw with a very satisfying taste of pickles and this is a meal worth waiting for.

This was a very nice start to our vacation, and, as we’ll see in the next couple of chapters, it got us started on some very good barbecue experiences. If you’re traveling south from Atlanta and are planning to stop in the Macon area when going to Savannah, or parts further south, then detouring to Old Clinton adds maybe twenty minutes to your trip, tops. It’s absolutely worth the drive.

Other blog posts about Old Clinton Bar-B-Q:

‘Southern BBQ Boys (Jan. 25 2009)
3rd Degree Berns Barbecue Sabbatical (Sep. 2 2009)
Smoked Pig & Sweet Tea (Nov. 20 2013)
Vanishing North Georgia (Feb. 10 2015)

Are you planning a barbecue road trip? You can see all the barbecue restaurants that we have visited for our blog (more than 350 !) on this map, with links back to the original blog posts!