The COVID lockdown has made the carfullofcrazies crew find adventures closer to home. So, when Sean and Austin heard there was a Bar-B-Que joint that was ranked Best of Atlanta and Best of Forsyth County they had to check it out. Therefore, it was off to Socks’ Love Barbeque.
Just to give you a little history, Sean and Austin fancy themselves connoisseurs of fine Bar-B-Que. They search out Bar-B-Que restaurants everywhere we go. Now I do not want to confuse our readers that are not in the South. Barbeque is a noun not a verb. It can have sauce, no sauce, white sauce, mustard sauce, be pork, fowl or meat. Grilling is the act of charring meat over a flame, but barbeque takes smoke and time. I hope that is not too controversial, but sometimes you have to stand for something.
It’s only an hour and a half drive from our house up to Cumming, GA so we left a little early and before you knew it we were cruising up SR 400 with our mouths watering. When we pulled in the parking lot it took us a second to find the restaurant. It sits in the middle of the shopping center and the sign on the road just says Barbeque. But don’t be fooled by the humble exterior, inside they are making magic.
We entered the restaurant and ordered pulled pork, smoked turkey, fire roasted cream corn, “OMG” mac & cheese and collard greens. Due to the current environment, we could not eat inside so we waited on our take-out order and just consumed the hickory aroma. While we waited, we talked to the employees about the story of the restaurant.
The business started when the owners got married. They gave all the visitors at their wedding a bottle of rub. The rub was so popular with everyone that they kept requesting more rub. That forced them to make more and different rubs. Then the friends began asking them to cater events, and as they say, the rest is history.
Our bag of goodies came out carried by a gentleman and we were ready to go. We started talking to the man with our food and it turns out he is the owner, Steve. Steve asked Austin if he wanted to wash dishes and I said Austin would be more than happy to man the grill. Steve laughed and asked if we wanted to look at the smoker. Now, he could have asked us if we wanted a million dollars and we would not have been more excited than we were when we got to see the smoker. I will not bore you with all the Barbeque geeky details about the grill (you’re welcome). Just know we were not disappointed.
As we were walking out, Steve asked us what we ordered and we told him. He asked why we did not get the brisket and I advised I am not a brisket fan. I have had good brisket once, so I don’t order it because I am disappointed most of the time. Then he said, “you will like my brisket.” He sliced us off a couple of pieces to try as we walked out. I personally love when someone has an extraordinary talent and they decide to use their talent for good. If you think about it, Steve is the barbeque version of Superman. Not all heroes wear capes.
We found a picnic table outside of the parking lot, we set up our plates and we dove in. We started with the brisket. That way if I did not like it I could mask the taste with the pork and the turkey. We tried the brisket. OH MY, it was good. I have never had brisket that was so soft and buttery, it felt like it was disintegrating in my mouth, and that’s a good thing. Now on to the Que. The pulled pork was delicious. I am in love. The turkey was moist, and the smoke flavor was perfect. The sides were amazing and if I had to rank them, I would say get the corn. I would eat that corn for my last meal.
The trip was successful. The Barbeque was heavenly and the sides were divine. If you find yourself cruising up 400 and you need a little smokey goodness. I would suggest, no I would demand, you need to go to Socks’ Love barbeque. You will not be disappointed.
Until next time, we’ll see you on the road.
