Hanging with the Pit Man at Rodney Scott's BBQ

Where'd who go! Has it really been since 2016 since you got a little Tasty Wilbur? Well we are back and delivering the whole nine yards, well really the whole hog. It took a meal at Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ with my buddy Rob the "Pit Man" to inspire me to sing the BBQ gospel. To eat BBQ with a true aficionado really takes the the entire experience to the next level.

I was shaking off a few of Charlotte's cobwebs from the previous night, so rolling up to the Rodney Scott bar and getting a chilly good guy was just what the doctor ordered.

Let me pause here. The build out at this former auto repair shop on the southside of Atlanta is spot on. It has a great vibe, the staff is super friendly and unbelievably welcoming. Nestled up to the bar sipping some suds, these two self described bbq nerds were invited to take a peak behind the curtain at the wizard not once but twice! I only wish it were thrice because when was the last time you got to put that word in a sentence?

We did not come here for the architectural tour though! 😋 We came to experience the low country cooked over coals whole pig extravaganza. So what did we start with? Well, chicken wings of course and I am here to tell you, these are slap your mama chicken wings. Smoked first then deep fried for crispiness and topped with a little BBQ seasoning, these cluckers challenge Fox Bothers for the best wings by a BBQ joint. To compliment the wings, we ordered a side of the spare ribs with the option of 1lb or 2 lbs. We were just warming up and 2lb would be just bragging, so we went with the 1lb.

The Pit Man did not give me his reading on the ribs, but they were not my fav. They were not competition ready and I found them slightly hard to eat, but in fairness as mentioned above, I was shaking off a few cobwebs.

It was time to get down to the main event. Long time readers of Tasty Wilbur and since I haven't posted since 2016 I guess if you are reading this you are all long term readers..???...know that my standard for all BBQ joints is a pork sammie, coleslaw and brunswick stew. Houston, we have not so much as a problem, but at least an issue. Rodney doesn't have a stew. 😱. OK, I recovered. They had really good fries, but the slaw was not my thing. As my mom told me, if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all, so I will leave it there.

A little dejected on my side choice, I asked the Pit Man. He gave me his pigtail score and I was shocked, shocked I say. 4.6 for the sides. 4.6! (imagine fireworks here). In his words...."Really enjoyed those beans and greens." Ladies and gentlemen, this is from a man that uses spatchcock in casual conversation. Just fyi...I wasn't sure how to spell spatchcock so I googled how I thought you spelled it and the omniscient search engine came back with a bunch of XXX websites. I just hope my wife doesn't check my search history.

Sides at a 4.6, well that is super solid, but it is time to get down to the real deal. How does the charcoal hold up to the mesquite, hickory and cherry wood everyone else is using. I will say this. The set up is super cool and the pit masters are the real deal.

How cool is this fire pit?!?! So the verdict on the pork?

First, the man, the myth, the legend, one of the best home chefs in the land, in this corner weighing in at an even 215 .....the (crowd noise ahhhhhhh) Rob (more crowd noise ahhhhh) the Pit Man (thunderous crowd noise)....votes 4.2 pigtails. Pretty darn solid for Rodney.

I am going to be a little more discerning landing at a 3.8. I used to work in a bbq restaurant specializing in low country pulled pork and if I had left a couple of rubbery pig no buenos on a plate, my manager would have reached over, turned down the blaring Allman Brothers and told me to have a little more attention to detail. That being said, the pork was really tasty. I enjoyed the option on the three sauces and can't wait to go back again. Rodney Scott's is just a good time and worth the drive if you are not in the neighborhood.

OVERALL: 🕷🕷🕷(solid, worth venturing out)

Pork: 🐷🐷🐷 (🐷/2)( pretty darn good pig)

Rodney Scott BBQ

668 Metropolitan Pkwy SW, Atlanta, GA 30310