Blue Hound BBQ in Dillard Georgia Is The Best New BBQ Spot in North Georgia
North Georgia is lucky to have some of the best BBQ in the state. You’ve got Thatcher’s out in Northwest Georgia crushing it. Miller’s Brothers near Dalton is top notch. Jim’s in Blairsville is another staple. North Georgia BBQ in Dahlonega is quickly becoming a favorite. And in our backyard of Rabun County, you’ve got two of our favorites in Tomlin’s and Oinkers.
But new to the scene is one of the best new spots we’ve tried, Blue Hound Barbecue. They’ve come down the mountain a bit from their original location in Scaly Mountain and now sit on the main drag in Dillard on 441.
Highway 441 through Dillard is kind of wild I’ll be honest. There are way too many wrecks on this road due to how often it goes from four lanes to three lanes to two lanes. So if you blink, you might miss it. It’s about a half mile past Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School and a quarter mile past the famous Dillard House in the old pharmacy right before you get to the strip of antique stores. Parking can be a little snug during peak times but shoot for parking to the left of the restaurant.
Before we get into the food, let me just give a special shout out to the staff and owners. They are amazing. Everybody from the register to the food runners to the kitchen crew have been spot on awesome. Always smiling, super friendly and providing great recommendations. And when I say the food comes out fast, I mean it comes fast. We’ve never waited more than ten minutes for our food to come out – and it’s usually quicker. The order is always right and piping hot whether we’re eating just by ourselves or have a big group. Staff if you’re reading this, you’re awesome and doing it right.
Now our favorite part . . . the food.
I’ll start by saying we haven’t had a bad thing yet on their menu. We’ve eaten here maybe seven or eight times so far and borderline tried the whole menu at this point. Everything has been really great with a few things that have been exceptional.
The best part is you smell the smoke the second you step out of your car from the smoker situated on the patio. I don’t need to tell you bbq aficionados that if you don’t smell smoke, you might not be getting the good stuff. But here the smoke lets you know the second you pull up that you’re in for the real deal.
Every BBQ spot under the sun does a pulled pork so of course they do that and do it well along with a smoked turkey. But the brisket sandwich is one of the stars here being super tender and just the right amount of rub on it. We know a thing or two about smoked wings as we have the #1 recipe on Google for them. And smoked wings are damn near impossible to pull off without drying them out but somehow they manage it. They might be my favorite thing on the menu and they are huge. The ribs are our son’s favorite. The half-slab is plenty of but of course you can go bigger. And probably one of the top two or three dishes they have is a chopped brisket cheesesteak dip. Everyone who has tried this with us says it’s the best and their favorite.
The sides are what you would expect. Mac and cheese. Collards. Green beans. Slaw. You name it. But the pimento cheese grits, brisket chili (noticing a theme with the brisket) and Frito pie are again the big winners here. For appetizers, the house made pork rinds with their Alabama white sauce come to the table still popping and crackling from the fryer.
For bigger groups, family meals or catering, they have big take home options called the Johnny Cash Platter, Willie Nelson Platter and Waylon Jennings Platter. If that doesn’t make you love them then not sure what will.
Finally, if you don’t read or hear anything else I say, hear this. The specials. The specials. The specials. You never know what they are going to be. But they are always so insanely good. We’ve had a stuffed jalapeño cheddar sausage plate. We’ve had a pork belly grill cheese with yum yum sauce. We’ve had some pork tacos. Whatever the special is for the day, I highly recommend you at least consider getting it for yourself or get one for the table and split it as an appetizer.
I haven’t said anything about the portions or sauces or sides. So let me cram that in here real quick.
Be prepared to take home a to-go box which they anticipate and have sitting on a table ready for you to grab. They know. Haha. Especially if you get an appetizer, be prepared for a second meal or snack later.
All the sandwiches and meat – outside of some of the specials – come dry. Which I love that way you can grab one of their six or seven house made sauces at the counter. I’m super partial to Alabama white sauce which admittedly is an acquired taste. But their sweeter sauce, the mustard sauce, and their hotter version are a few of our favorites here. And then grab some homemade pickles or pickled onions for a snack or to throw on top of what you’re eating.
