I’ve always been a devoted fan of hidden places that don’t appear on any map, places that only the locals know are there, and I believe I’ve discovered just that kind of place in Two Brothers Barbecue in Ball Ground, Georgia. My interest in Two Brothers was initially sparked when the popular Georgia Public Broadcasting series Georgia Traveler happened upon the off-the-beaten-path restaurant when they were doing an episode highlighting the North Georgia foothills from Jasper to Cartersville. Running out of gas on a country back road, the show’s hosts Phil and David discovered the pit barbecue restaurant and decided to give its “legendary-among-the-locals” food a go.
Months went by after the show aired, and I repeatedly hinted to (okay, bugged) my husband to make the twenty-three mile drive over to Ball Ground and discover what all of the fuss was about. Of course, it wasn’t until the day that I, completely on a whim, declared that I was becoming a vegetarian that he decided it was time to try it. I had given my husband a long, decided speech about how I would no longer eat meat, and that from here on out, I was going to live only on fruits and vegetables. He found all this highly laughable, as he does most of my capricious whims, but I didn’t care. This time, I was committed. But when I asked him what he felt like for lunch that day, he didn’t hesitate in suggesting barbecue. “Are you up for a trip over to Ball Ground to finally try out that Two Brothers?” he asked smugly. “Of course!” I replied. “Every good vegetarian needs the proper send-off.”
A proper send-off it was. We stepped into the cool, dark dining room from the blaring early-summer sun, and a glass of the most perfect sweet tea ever made was delivered to me soon after. Its ancient hardwood floors and the rustic, wrought-iron artifacts from a bygone era reminded me that Two Brothers is a place with plenty of good stories to tell if I was willing to listen. During this first visit, however, I let the food do most of the talking. The ribs that we ordered were tender and flavorful, falling right off of the bone as we ate them. The Brunswick Stew was also delicious and had a distinctly smoother texture than any I’ve experienced before. For dessert, the server barraged us with at least four pie choices, and we decided finally upon the coconut meringue, a choice which a Cajun friend of mine would have called “slap-your-mama-good.” I left the place with a keen satisfaction that I’d experienced something special. Sure, there was the ‘cue good enough to revert me back to my carnivorous beginnings–but it was also about the small-town, backroads journey in search of something real, something with roots. It was a place we wouldn’t have ever found if we’d never ventured off the interstate in favor of the paths less traveled. Those are indeed the destinations worth finding.
Contact Information for Two Brothers:
1695 Old Canton Road
Ball Ground, GA 30107
770-735-2900
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