Monday, April 14, 2025

2025 Alabama BBQ Tour: Limestone County - 306 Barbecue, Athens, Alabama



We traveled to Tennessee last weekend to attend the 71st Annual District 4 Altrusa Conference in Clarksville.

We timed lunch perfectly to try our #13 stop on the #fdl2025bbqtour in Athens, 306 Barbecue. When we pulled into the parking lot at 10:55 before their opening time of 11:00 a.m., there were people in their cars waiting on the doors to open. That's a ringing endorsement of some good BBQ wouldn't you say?

We entered with the throngs of other patrons and checked out the menu board while others ordered.


The aroma of smoking meat was intoxicating. So many options to choose from on this menu made it challenging to decide.

We ordered, fixed our own sweet tea, and chose our table. We were given a number and were told our food would be delivered shortly.




The tea, while not as sweet as some of the others on the tour, was refreshing.


Our food WAS delivered promptly and everything was served piping hot!  Don't bring me room temperature food when you've just opened the door.  Y'all know that happens from time to time and I'll never understand that.

Let's start with Sweet Harold's plate.  Once again, he's on the quest for the best smoked chicken in the state.  He selected macaroni and cheese and baked beans as the two sides.


Styrofoam plates and cups, plastic utensils just as an FYI.

I am pleased to report that Sweet Harold happily announced that this was his choice for the best smoked chicken TO DATE.



This smoked chicken checked all the boxes:  juicy, tender, great smoke flavor, and gorgeous color.  

Before we go any further, let's discuss their sauces.


The white sauce ranks right there with my award winning recipe for Alabama white sauce.  I thoroughly enjoyed their version.  The red sauce had a nice zippy flavor and was a nice not too thick/not too thin consistency.



Now on to his side dishes.  The beans were a little thin in the sauce department, but did have additional peppers and onions added.  No pork to be found though.  Good flavor, but probably should be described more accurately as bbq beans rather than baked beans.  If they ARE baked, my apologies for misrepresenting.


The macaroni and cheese was definitely not baked, but some prefer them made this way instead of a thick cheesy custardy type of mac and cheese.  Your mileage may vary.


I seriously couldn't choose between pulled pork and brisket, so I got the combination plate.  I was craving fries and okra, and was happy they were on the menu here.  


I'll start with the sides because I forgot to take individual pictures of those.  Sorry....they did deserve individual pics.  The french fries were straight out of the fryer hot and lightly salted.  I know they appear to be generic frozen and then fried fries, but dipped in that white bbq sauce they transformed into a most delectable side dish.  Again, frozen okra that's fried can sound boring, but their version was the ideal level of crunchy/crispy AND nice and hot.

On to the pulled pork.  If I could get this level and type of pulled pork on the bbq judging plate, there would be a lot of teams out there getting "9s" across the board.  I purposely set a little aside until I was finished eating to judge the "did it completely dry out" element.  It did not.  It was tender, juicy, and smoky.  The last bite was as delicious as the first.  Kudos.


The addition of that great bark mixed in added a welcome texture.


Delicious pork.  I'm proud of their pitmaster.  

The brisket was a surprisingly large serving.  Normally when you order brisket the portion size is conservative at best.  With this being a combination plate, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many slices were on the plate.  It passed the KCBS "brisket test" with flying colors.  Perfectly cooked in that it didn't crumble when gently tugged, but did tear apart with a little effort.


Again, if this type of brisket was given me to judge, I would be a most happy judge!

Now at this point we were stuffed.  We were pleasantly full and should have gone to the car and went on our way.  But SH looked at me and said as great as this meat has been we HAVE to try the ribs.  So off he went go the counter to see if we could order a rib or three to try.  No such luck ordering individual ribs as extras.  So what did he do?  Ordered a rib plate.  Yes, yes, he did.


But at least we got to taste two additional sides, right?  The slaw was vinegar based and the potato salad was made with red skinned potatoes.  Both needed a touch of salt (just a personal preference), but were tasty sides.



These ribs weren't the most meaty ribs I've ever been served, but they were tender and juicy.  The dry rub flavor was great and had many layers of flavors.  The light brush of sauce (instead of thick layers which result in you only tasting the sauce), was welcomed.  


I'll keep repeating what I've said...if these were on my judging plate, they'd be receiving 9s.

Y'all know by now that a rib that "falls off the bone" is overcooked in KCBS judging.  The next time you enjoy a rib, take a bite from the middle.  If the meat comes off clean in one bite and the rib bone dries almost immediately, that's a perfectly cooked rib.  

Here's your example!


We always get more excited than we should when this (rarely!) happens.  lol

Standouts:  ALL the meats, the sauces, fries, and okra.

Point Takeaways:  styrofoam/plastic, beans, and macaroni and cheese that I know could be outstanding with a little more attention.

Our Score:  92

#sweethomealabama
#alabamabbq


2 comments:

  1. All this good food is making my stomach growl. Love your reviews.

    ReplyDelete