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Short answer: Georgia barbecue is mostly pit-cooked pork with a thin red sauce of tomatoes, vinegar and mustard in north and middle Georgia, and Brunswick stew on the side, per the New Georgia Encyclopedia. Mustard-based sauce near the coast is one food writer’s report, not an official finding.
- PorkMain meatribs, shoulders and hams
- RedNorth and middle saucetomato, vinegar, mustard
- 1898Brunswick stew potthe date on its plaque
- 6States comparedGA, NC, SC, TN, MO, Texas
How we checked: the New Georgia Encyclopedia’s Barbecue and Brunswick Stew entries, Georgia’s state code on official cook-offs (as published by FindLaw), the Big Pig Jig’s own pages, WSB-TV and one food writer’s article, named where used. All read on November 4, 2026. Hours, prices and dates change, so confirm with the place or organizer before you drive. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. We rank nothing: no source we used ranks these places, and we did not taste, rate or compare them. Nobody paid to be listed.
What Georgia Barbecue Is
Pork, primarily ribs, shoulders and hams, is the meat of choice for Georgia barbecue, and pit cooking is the favored method, dating to early settlement, per the New Georgia Encyclopedia. The same entry names the usual sides: Brunswick stew, baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad.
The Sauce Depends on Where You Are
In north and middle Georgia the encyclopedia describes a spicy and sweet thin red sauce made with tomatoes, vinegar and mustard. It calls mustard-based sauce a South Carolina tradition and does not assign it to any part of Georgia.
Barbecue writer Robert Moss reports that mustard sauce made its way down the Georgia coast into north Florida; that is one writer’s account Not confirmed You can taste the mix on the coast: Sandfly BBQ in Savannah lists a mustard-based “Savannah sauce” beside sweet and vinegar sauces, in its own words.
Brunswick Stew
Brunswick stew is a thick stew; onions, lima beans and potatoes commonly appear, and the wild game of old recipes is now usually chicken, pork or beef, per the encyclopedia’s Brunswick Stew entry. It is often served with barbecue and made in quantity by stew “masters.”
Brunswick, Georgia, claims to be where it began; a 25-gallon iron pot there carries a plaque saying the stew was first cooked in it in 1898. Brunswick County, Virginia, claims it too, with an 1828 date backed by a 1988 Virginia General Assembly proclamation, per the same entry. In 2025 Georgia lawmakers named Brunswick stew the official state stew, per WSB-TV; the signing date we saw only in search summaries Not confirmed
Georgia’s Official Cook-Offs
Georgia law (Official Code of Georgia 50-3-75, 1997) names two cook-offs: the Dooly County Chamber of Commerce’s “Slosheye Trail Big Pig Jig” in Vienna is the official state pork barbecue championship cookoff, and the Hawkinsville Civitan Club’s “Shoot the Bull” is the official state beef barbecue championship cookoff.
We found no current dates for Shoot the Bull Not confirmed The Big Pig Jig’s history page calls it Georgia’s oldest and official barbecue cooking contest, begun in 1982. See Barbecue Festivals for the dates.
Where to Taste It
Where To Eat Barbecue groups places by region: Middle Georgia for the old pit houses and Brunswick stew, the coast for mixed sauces, the mountains and metro Atlanta for newer styles. Barbecue Road Trips has a Middle Georgia pit-and-stew day from Macon and a mountains day from Atlanta.
How Barbecue Differs Across The South
Every Southern state says its barbecue is the real thing. Here is what one official or academic source per state says, in plain words. Where we could not find such a source for a common claim, it is marked.
Barbecue by State
Read November 4, 2026. Each row links its source; the last column links our guide for that state.
| State | What the source says | Signature | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Pork (ribs, shoulders and hams) is the meat of choice and pit cooking is favored; north and middle Georgia use a thin red sauce of tomatoes, vinegar and mustard; Brunswick stew is a standard side. New Georgia Encyclopedia, Brunswick stew entry. Mustard sauce along the coast: one food writer’s report only Not confirmed | Brunswick stew beside the pork | This barbecue section |
| North Carolina | Coastal Plain barbecue is a split hog roasted over coals and basted with cider vinegar, red pepper and salt. Lexington is the center of Piedmont barbecue: pork shoulders with a thin tomato-based sauce called “dip.” NCpedia | Eastern whole hog; Lexington shoulder with red dip | It’s North Carolina barbecue |
| South Carolina | At least four sauce types: vinegar and pepper in the Pee Dee, peppery tomato or milder ketchup sauces in the Upstate and Savannah River area, and yellow mustard in the Midlands; rice and hash are usual sides. South Carolina Encyclopedia | Midlands mustard sauce; hash and rice | It’s South Carolina barbecue |
| Tennessee | Memphis barbecue centers on ribs and pulled pork shoulder: dry ribs are rubbed with spices and smoked without sauce; wet ribs are basted and sauced. Memphis Tourism West Tennessee whole hog: Not confirmed | Memphis dry and wet ribs | It’s Tennessee barbecue |
| Missouri | A 2026 state law made Kansas City the official barbecue capital; burnt ends are charred, fatty bits from the end of a brisket. St. Louis-style ribs lead in St. Louis, along with pork steaks. Missouri Secretary of State, Explore St. Louis | Kansas City burnt ends; St. Louis ribs | It’s Missouri barbecue |
| Texas (for context) | Lockhart’s barbecue history goes back to 1900, with brisket, sausage and ribs served on butcher paper. Travel Texas Brisket as the Central Texas signature: Not confirmed | Beef: brisket and sausage | No It’s guide for Texas |
What We Could Not Confirm
- Mustard-based sauce along the Georgia coast: one food writer’s report; the encyclopedia does not say it. Not confirmed
- The date Georgia’s 2025 state-stew bill was signed and took effect. Not confirmed
- Current dates for Hawkinsville’s Shoot the Bull cook-off. Not confirmed
- West Tennessee whole hog and Central Texas brisket as signatures, in the comparison table: no official or academic source found. Not confirmed
- Explore Georgia’s barbecue articles: the pages did not load for our reader, so none is quoted here. Not confirmed
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Georgia-style barbecue?
Mostly pit-cooked pork, with a thin red sauce of tomatoes, vinegar and mustard in north and middle Georgia and Brunswick stew on the side, per the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
Is Georgia barbecue sauce mustard-based?
Not as a rule. The encyclopedia calls mustard sauce a South Carolina tradition. A food writer reports it spread down the Georgia coast, and some coastal places serve one, such as Sandfly BBQ’s “Savannah sauce.”
Where was Brunswick stew invented?
Brunswick, Georgia, claims it, with an iron pot dated 1898; Brunswick County, Virginia, claims 1828. The New Georgia Encyclopedia reports both claims and settles neither.
What is the official barbecue cook-off of Georgia?
Georgia law names the Big Pig Jig in Vienna the official state pork barbecue championship cookoff, and Shoot the Bull in Hawkinsville the official state beef barbecue championship cookoff.
More Barbecue Pages
Sources
- New Georgia Encyclopedia, Barbecue (Timothy W. Patridge), read November 4, 2026 (meat, cooking method, sauce by region, sides)
- New Georgia Encyclopedia, Brunswick Stew (John A. Burrison), read November 4, 2026 (what the stew is, the Brunswick claim, the 1898 pot)
- Official Code of Georgia 50-3-75, as published by FindLaw (state barbecue cook-offs, 1997), read November 4, 2026 (FindLaw copy; the legislature’s own page did not load as text for our reader)
- Big Pig Jig, History, read November 4, 2026 (1982 start, own description)
- WSB-TV Atlanta, Georgia names an official state bread and stew (2025), read November 4, 2026 (Brunswick stew as the official state stew)
- Robert Moss, Charting the Mustard Line (Yahoo News), read November 4, 2026 (one writer’s account of mustard sauce on the coast)
- Sandfly BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (its own sauce list)
- NCpedia, Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (comparison table)
- South Carolina Encyclopedia, Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (comparison table)
- Memphis Tourism, What Is Memphis-Style BBQ?, read November 4, 2026 (comparison table)
- Missouri Secretary of State, Official Barbecue Capital, read November 4, 2026 (comparison table)
- Explore St. Louis, St. Louis barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (comparison table)
- Travel Texas, Historical Texas BBQ Tour, read November 4, 2026 (comparison table)
How we check: editorial standards. Spot a mistake or a closure? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's Georgia, “Georgia Barbecue Styles: Pork, Red Sauce and Brunswick Stew”, itsgeorgia.com/barbecue/styles/ (updated ). Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page.