Big Shanty Smokehouse

Christmas Eve lunch that was amazing. Place was super packed, tons of people getting Christmas hams and diffrent platters, and yet they still were able to serve up some great ribs and pulled pork. Wife and I inhaled the ribs, and I made pulled pork sandwiches that they loved. Left overs the next day were just as good and I was excited that we had so much still left over.
I have been driving by this place for months and I was so glad I finally got the chance to stop and try some que!

Being called a BBQ snob would be an understatement. I am very particular when it comes to BBQ… Any place just will not do. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon Big Shanty Smokehouse. Big Shanty sets of the road in a typical BBQ style building. Once I went inside I found the food anything but typical.
First test for any BBQ joint for me is their Brunswick Stew. Most places use the stew as a repository for unsold meat and other low grade ingredients; you can taste the poor quality immediately. So true to form I ordered a bowl of stew accompanied by a pulled chicken sandwich.
After ordering and paying, I found a quiet spot in the restaurant to await my order. The food came out quickly and as I had ordered. Being excited to try the stew, I dove right in…
The stew did not disappoint. Big Shanty definitely understands that Brunswick stew is a specialty in its own right. Lots of meat and flavor… no beans, or other unnecessary vegetables as fillers… pork, chicken and beef were the main ingredients… Next the chicken sandwich…
Again, Big Shanty came through. Moist and plentiful, the chicken sandwich was most excellent. The side of BBQ sauce that came with the sandwich was well balanced with a little bit of spice/​heat. As Goldilocks would say… Not to Hot not to cold … just right…
I will defiantly go back and try their Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket… all accompanied by a bowl of Brunswick stew

Food: I had the sausage platter and brunswick stew. Overall, it wasn’t bad. Both the stew and the sausage were heavy on flavor (maybe a bit too heavy, but that’s picking nits). The only real issue I had with the food was that the sausage absolutely falls apart when you look at the casing funny. It has a good flavor, but is difficult to eat. If I was just reviewing the food, I would give this place four stars.
Service: The service was… uninspired is the word that comes to mind. It was definitely not friendly, but at the same time it was definitely not rude. Ultimately, I felt like I was getting in their way both at the time of ordering and when refilling my drink.
Overall, the food carries this place. I will probably eat here again, but I won’t have high expectations for service when I do.

Maybe it’s because I’m from Texas, but this bbq was sub par. It was my first try in GA. The coleslaw had little to no flavor and was chopped very finely, toddler-​like. The brisket was decent. I hated having to go up and ask for everything… extra butter, go ask. More pickles, bread, go ask. Bbq sauce? Go ask the front. Again maybe that’s a Texas thing, but I’m used to at least the pickles and sauce being available.
So 26 $ for two lunches seems a bit much. On a plus, loved the little restaurant, had a nice hometown feel to it.

Stopped here on my way driving through Georgia and I am so glad I did. This is BBQ done right! I had the platter so I could try a little of everything. It was all delicious! My favorite were the ribs, but you will not be disappointed with whatever you order. The place had a steady stream of business flowing in and out while I ate so I figured people must agree. The girl who took my order at the front was nice enough. I am a big barbeque guy and have had some excellent barbeque before and this place is up there and most definitely worth a try!

Chicken was dry but the ribs and sausage were on point. They clearly make their own sausage. Yum. Food came out quickly and was piping hot just like I like. The sides were good but who sells out of Mac and cheese at lunch time? Most people who eat bbq eat mac and cheese with it… They go hand and hand No? Suggestion, make more please. The employees here were really nice though and helped with anything needed. It was do it yourself for the most part once you received your plate but the employees were ready and willing to get anything you needed.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was fresh and tasted delicious. I got the 2 meat plate with brisket and ribs. Both were moist and tasty. The mac and cheese and potato salad were alright, nothing to rave about, but decent. The banana pudding was on point and awesome.

The ribs at this place is awesome! The Mac and cheese was great as well. You can tell that the food is homemade. A must try. I always request for extra bbq sauce due to how good it is.

Great BBQ here. Service is friendly, offering suggestions and kind conversation. The ribs were top notch, basted, cooked, and sauce on the side. Sauce was a spicy sweet version — not too much of either. The homemade pimento cheese appetizer was a great starter. Pulled chicken was great as well — nice and juicy. You get great value here — stop in if you are in the area!

I’ve had Big Shanty Smokehouse on my radar for awhile. My husband came here a few times, but every time I’ve been in the area, they were closed! Finally, the stars aligned on a Friday night when he just got home from work, and I was exhausted from a week of commuting, working, and packing/​moving. Big Shanty was open, and we ran over there to get some takeout.
I had the pulled chicken platter with collards and coleslaw. The chicken was great, and I loved the BBQ sauce! The slaw was good, too, and went great as an addition to the pulled chicken. It’s mayo based and the veggies are finely chopped instead of shredded. The greens weren’t my favorite, though. However, I’m not a huge fan of collards to begin with. I ordered them because everything else was pretty starchy and I wanted some veggies.
Overall, their side selection feels smaller than other BBQ places I’ve visited. For example, no French fries (they don’t have a deep fryer), and no mac and cheese. Maybe those will show up on the rotating Side of the Day.
Good thing about the platters: they are big enough to split or save leftovers for the next day. I did the latter, and am happy to report everything is good leftover! They also serve the platters with two slices of white bread, so you could make a sandwich if you wanted to.
Hubby ordered the pulled pork platter with beans and slaw. The pork was good, very tender and flavorful. I loved the beans though! They use three different kinds (pinto, red kidney, and black, if I recall correctly), and didn’t contain a ton of bacon or pork fat. They were so good, I’m going to get them next time!
We will be back! Good BBQ close to home; no reason not to!

Good barbeque. Ribs were excellent. Good service. Mac and cheese and potato salad also very good.

Can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place yet. Food = love. Family that owns and runs it = love. Great bbq. By far, best pulled pork I’ve ever had. It’s obvious that the chef is talented beyond «standard «bbq. Their specials are amazing, and the smoked duck is something to plan your month around (it’s a special). Highly recommend.

First, let me say that I love barbecue. I mean, I really love it! If there was a 2.5 star option, I would have left that. I stopped in at Big Shanty early on a Friday with a couple of friends for lunch. The atmosphere at Big Shanty Smokehouse is unpretentious, and the staff is friendly. The banana pudding was really good as well. I ordered the combo of sausage and brisket with stew and beans. The brisket and sausage were good, the beans were okay, and the stew was bad. It was not classic Brunswick stew. All I could taste was barbecue sauce, and that is not how stew is supposed to taste. What really got me though was the prices. Barbecue is supposed to be working man’s food. We got three plates and drinks and it was over $ 40. That’s before I payed for dessert. I don’t think I’ll be back to Big Shanty. It just wasn’t worth it.

We wanted to try Big Shanty Smokehouse back in June on a visit but time ran short. Fast forward to moving here from Ohio. Based on not only the Unilocal reviews but a recommendation from a friend, we headed on over finally to the restaurant. We ordered the sampler platter with extra ribs (brisket, ribs, pulled pork, sausage) along with greens & mac & Cheese. I really really wanted to love this place but we were just not impressed. The ribs had very little meat and were dry & while there was a small smoke ring, we really didn’t taste any seasonings or smoke. The thing we were really excited to try was the brisket and it was unfortunately really dry. We had a few pieces of dark bark that we couldn’t chew due to the jerky like toughness. I smoke myself on a Weber Smoky Mountain and truly not trying to be mean or funny, but my amateur food was better/​more moist than Big Shanty. I don’t like bashing people/​places and I am absolutely not going to do that here. It’s just an honest opinion of the meal we had that particular day. I will say their Mac & Cheese was probably some of the best I’ve ever had. I could have made a meal of just that, it was THAT good. I don’t know, maybe we hit them on an off day. The restaurant is really cute and has that authentic BBQ shack feel which was really cool. The restaurant staff was very nice & helpful. Who knows if we’re in the area again maybe we’ll give them another shot. Like I said I was really wanting to love this place. I think we may have just caught them on a bad day and realize everyone (even me) is entitled to an off day.

While their regular BBQ isn’t the best (I reserve that for some local NC places I grew up near) I love this place for their specials.
The smoked wings, rib bits, smoked quail and smoked duck are ALWAYS worth getting. I have dreams about those wings.
Portion sizes are large, and while the price can easily add up, it always feels worth it.
Service is fast, the people are friendly, and it’s a great local place to recommend. If you’re in the area, you can’t go wrong. Easily the best BBQ joint in Cobb County.

The pulled pork sandwich and banana pudding were absolutely delicious!!! They definitely know how to cook! I’m a pretty big snob when it comes to barbecue, but this place exceeded my expectations! The staff was super friendly as well! The joint is super small and very homey, and the smell that hits you even when your in the parking lot is just mouth watering.
Only downfall is that the parking lot is really difficult to get in and out of if your car is lowered, because there is a ditch between the lot and the road. But I will definitely be back to this awesome Smokehouse!

First time here and I loved it
Food was by far the best BBQ I have had in along time. The staff is super friendly and answered any questions about the food.
I will definitely come here again

I don’t know how I’ve missed writing a review of this joint. It is by far my favorite BBQ joint.
When friends come to town and want to have REAL BBQ, this is where we take them.
As one friend posted on Facebook after visiting: «It ain’t very pretty; it ain’t very big, but they DO know how to treat that smoky pig.»
Over the years, we’ve both dined in and ordered take-​out. We’ve had the pulled pork, the chopped pork, the brisket, the ribs, the chicken and most of the sides. We have NEVER been disappointed.
Add to this the friendliness of the staff and the aroma of the smokehouse that envelops you even from the street and you’ll know why his place gets five stars.

I’d been wanting to go to Shanty’s for quite some time because I’d heard so many positive things about their food. First, this establishment is small but they have plenty of seats in the rear of the restaurant. Upon entry you can see some of the sides when you’re ordering at the cashier in front of the board with the sides of the day. I decided to order the pulled pork sandwich with the 2 sides of the day, which were macaroni & cheese and collard greens. Of the 3 things I’d ordered, my greens were the best thing I ate. The pork was unimpressive and macaroni & cheese, was just that. Noodles and a bland cheese sauce.
I was disappointed in this place because I’d heard a lot about it and had seen signs for this place. Matter of fact, right before we came we were at a Starbucks and had asked the barista if he’d ever heard of it and he hadn’t but his coworker chimed in and said it was great and we should go. Great must be another word for subpar because I won’t be recommending this place to anyone I know nor will I be returning.
I was going to give them 3 but I just couldn’t. The people who worked here were nice, so that’s why I gave them 2 but I couldn’t raise it much more than that. Maybe 2.5.
With the following this place has, you’d think this would be better than Fat Matt’s or Community Q BBQ but they definitely fall short. If someone asked me about this place, I’d say «meehh» and advise them not to waste their time.

***GLUTEN-​FREE ALERT*** My mom has Celiac’s and was excited to eat here when she learned all of their sauces were gluten-​free and they actually make their own gluten-​free bread (in addition to traditional rolls) daily. The only side item that isn’t gluten-​free is the mac n cheese.
I had been excited to try this place because I had driven by and I’m always a sucker for hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurants. The food from Big Shanty Smokehouse was tasty, with the exception of their cole slaw. Didn’t really have any taste or flavor. The baked beans were interesting because there were different varieties of beans used, didn’t have too much tomato or brown sugar in it, and certainly taste like it came from a can like most places. The ribs didn’t fall of the bone like I expected but the meat was tender. The pork wasn’t as juicy as I would’ve liked but it was very tender like the ribs.