Brad Stevens
After returning from a temporary hiatus, I would like to discuss one of my favorite subjects on the planet, Central Georgia’s barbeque scene. Shout out to the lovely Lauren Bone for covering me in the last edition. Great job!
Your boy has strong ties to the big three old timey BBQ shops in the area — Old Clinton, Fincher’s and Fresh Air Barbecue. The closest restaurant to my childhood home is the legendary Old Clinton BBQ in Jones County – Clinton, Georgia.
I have very fond memories of eating Super Pigs from Fincher’s with my grandmother in her shiny beige 1986 Buick Regal, complete with the Huckabee Bee logo on the front bumper. My first job out of college was as an assistant manager at the Houston Road Fincher’s. Being 23 years old at the time, I saw BBQ as an exemplary weaving of art and capitalism.
Today’s discussion is about Fresh Air Barbeque. The Jackson location was founded in 1929 and is the oldest pit-cooked BBQ in the state still operating in its original spot. There is something special about the silhouette of Georgia’s early era pit smoked BBQ establishments. In Jackson, as you approach on a seeming highway to nowhere, a plume of smoke reaches up to the too-tall pines. The sound of tires crunching gravel in the parking lot reminds you of the magic that time, temperature, pork ham, hickory, oak, and fire have in the hands of skilled artist. Keep all this in mind as we discuss the urban version of Fresh Air.
Located in a non-descript shopping center on Riverside Drive (you know it by the liquor store and airsoft arena), sits a trip back in time. Old fashioned décor greets you immediately and transports the senses in a way. The smell of oak and hickory is light, and the staff is (for the most part) friendly, but certainly timely. As an operator of restaurant kitchens, it always makes me happy to see a concise, thoughtful menu. Fresh Air may take the concise menu award, and I guarantee that is a pillar of the restaurant’s success. Another pillar is the taste of that pulled and chopped pork. I cannot quit it.
The pulled pork plate at Fresh Air is my go-to meal. If friends or family come from out of town, guess what? We’re having pulled pork plates. The perfect blend of ingredients and cooking method discussed earlier, in concert with the acidic tomato vinegar sauce, hits the tongue in an umami way that would make the most discerning Japanese food lover swoon. Throw some sweet coleslaw on for the win! The Brunswick stew, by my estimation, is beef, tomato, and corn passed through a meat grinder to achieve texture and flavor (such that I wish I was eating as I write this).
I must mention the consistency of quality at both locations. The small menu allows the team to offer the same experience virtually every time I’m in. After all, they’ve been doing it since 1929 and are proud to continue their legacy.
I’ll keep it short and sweet this issue, and leave you with a challenge, dear reader. If you’re unaware of the profound contribution and influence of Black Americans to the history of Central Georgia barbeque, there are plenty of reference materials online, and some of the history available is obviously difficult. Like anything in the human experience, BBQ provides humanity with highs, lows, inequities, comfort, and sheer beauty!