Yes, there is such a thing as Georgia-style
barbecue, and it can be found in its purest form
at Fresh Air BBQ, known nationwide for its slow
cooking methods and consistency of quality.
Southern Living Magazine named Fresh Air #2 on
its Top 50 Southern BBQ joints. Opened in 1929
in Jackson, GA, by Dr. Joel Watkins, Fresh Air
BBQ served rabbits and goats that he raised and
barbecued on the weekends. In 1952, George
“Toots” Caston, purchased Fresh Air, and added pork.
Simplicity and careful preparation are the bywords at Fresh Air BBQ. In addition to
pork, Toots added Brunswick Stew—refined from his father’s recipe from the 1890s.
The only other item available is finely-chopped coleslaw. (White bread and saltines
are, of course, included.) Make no mistake, though, the star of this show is the
chopped pork dressed in a thin, spicy red sauce.
Fresh Air BBQ opened in Macon in 1989. Run by Toots’s grandson, George Barber,
four generations of Caston descendants have now tended the fires at Fresh Air.
Pork hams, slow-cooked overnight, have remained the same since the 1940s.
The stew features 100% eye of round roast beef. They operate the pit 7 days a week,
24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Unchanged for 95 years.