Take a barbecue road trip around Atlanta with these 5 stops

With the arrival of barbecue season, I visited several of my favorite spots around metro Atlanta serving great smoked meats and some wild side dishes.

I visited Texas-style brisket pitmasters setting up shop next to gas stations, family-run spots cooking low and slow and Korean-Southern mashups that’ll rewire your thoughts about what barbecue can be. The smoke is hanging heavy from Stockbridge to Mableton.

I drove the miles and ate enough rib tips, brisket and peach cobbler to need a serious nap. These five spots aren’t all on the usual lists, and a couple of them you might have cruised right past without knowing what was waiting inside.

Disruption BBQ

Let’s start with Disruption BBQ in Henry County. Disruption is serving up Texas smoke with Georgia soul. Their St. Louis-style spare ribs have just the right amount of smoke, pulling perfectly off the bone without turning to mush. Add some of their sweet and savory housemade Sweet Rebel sauce, which helps set off the smoky flavor.

Honestly, though, you can’t leave without checking out the sides. They have these hot honey-glazed hush puppies that are unlike anything else: crispy, a little sweet and with a little kick of spice that makes it way too easy to finish a whole order by yourself.

For my people with a sweet tooth, grab an order of their honey bourbon peach cobbler. It’s served warm, with thick, caramelized peaches swimming in sticky brown sugar syrup finished off with a hint of bourbon. The crust is golden brown, cakelike and buttery — and gooey enough to sop up all the sweetness. You’ll want to order a second one to go halfway through the first bite.

Heads up: Disruption runs out of the fan favorites early, so if you have your heart set on ribs or dessert, get there early.

Disruption BBQ. 1334 Ga. 138, Stockbridge. 678-782-3043, disruptionbbq.com.

TwinCookz BBQ serves up smoked oxtails that will completely change how you view comfort food, and ground beef is mixed into their baked beans. (Justin Brown for the AJC)

TwinCookz BBQ

Heading over to the east side of metro Atlanta, there’s a little spot in Lithonia run by twin brothers Montrez and Martrez Grant. Their spare ribs are pull-apart tender with a sweet glaze, while the chicken leg quarters stay juicy under a crisp, smoky skin. But the real game changer happens on the weekend.

On Saturdays and Sundays, TwinCookz serve up smoked oxtails that will completely change how you view comfort food. They are incredibly rich, fall-apart tender and infused with a deep, wood-fired flavor that you can’t get from a standard braise. Seriously, put a weekend trip for these oxtails at the top of your must-try list.

And make sure you grab plenty of sides. Their mac and cheese is rich, heavy and gives that “grandma’s recipe” vibe, but the baked beans are a whole different story.

These beans have a secret ingredient that gives them next-level flavor: ground beef. This side dish is hefty enough to be the main course at some other places.

The portions here are massive, so expect to leave with a heavy box and plans for a serious nap.

TwinCookz. 5978 Fairington Road, Lithonia. 404-587-7991, twincookzatl.com.

A sampler platter from Heirloom Market BBQ features kimchi slaw (clockwise from top left), collard greens, Korean sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, cucumber radish salad, a spicy Korean pork sandwich and various other meats. (Chris Hunt for the AJC 2020)

Heirloom Market BBQ

Heirloom Market is one of the more unique barbecue restaurants in Atlanta, mashing together Southern smoke with bold Korean flavors. The Korean pork sandwich is the one that put them on the map, with smoked pork tossed in a sticky, spicy-sweet glaze and piled high with crunchy kimchi slaw. It’s smoky, funky and hits with just the right amount of heat.

But you can’t sleep on the spare ribs and the chicken here. The ribs are finger-licking good, pull-apart tender and slicked with a sweet, fiery glaze that caramelizes just right over the meat.

And the chicken is a total game changer. It’s juicy and packed with a combination of Southern barbecue mixed with Korean flavor that stands out from the rest. If you want barbecue that completely wakes up your taste buds, you’ve got to give them a try.

Heirloom Market BBQ. 2243 Akers Mill Road SE, Atlanta. 770-612-2502, heirloommarketbbq.com.

The smoked chicken wings from Owens & Co. come in lemon pepper and sassy seasoning. (Justin Brown for the AJC)

Owens & Co.

Tucked away off Riverview Road in Mableton, Owens & Co. is bringing Texas-style craft barbecue straight to Georgia.

You can’t please everyone when it comes to brisket, but they really try at Owens & Co. Here, they’ll let you choose between a fatty slice or a leaner cut, depending on your preference.

But honestly, both are amazing. The brisket has that heavy black-pepper bark, a perfect pink smoke ring and, if you go with the fatty cut, it pulls apart like absolute butter. You don’t need to go all the way to Austin for that hill-country flavor — just drive to Mableton.

But you can’t miss the smoked wings, either, and you’re going to have a tough decision to make between the lemon pepper or sassy flavors. In Atlanta, we lemon pepper everything, and these smoked wings have that true ATL flavor. But the sassy seasoning also hits with a little kick, some tang and a whole lot of attitude. Do yourself a favor and just get half-and-half so you don’t have to choose.

And whatever you do, do not leave without the mac and cheese. It’s made with four kinds of cheese and baked with a golden crust on top that will make the whole table go quiet. Between the incredible food and the amazing customer service, this spot is a must visit. Just thank me later.

Owens & Co. 6255 Riverview Road SE, Mableton. 404-467-4427, gcbbq.com.