Southern Living picks best BBQ joint in Georgia, the South

ATLANTA — Southerners love their barbecue, and there's no shortage of barbecue restaurants and types of barbecue to please.

But which restaurant has the best barbeque around?

Southern Living magazine aimed to answer that question. Editors named Southern Soul Barbeque in St. Simons Island as having the best slow-cooked meats on wood-fired pits in Georgia. The magazine then took it one step further, picking Southern Soul and Lexington Barbecue in North Carolina as the best barbecue restaurants in the South.

"Housed in a converted 1940s gas station just a mile off the beach, Southern Soul has earned a loyal following among vacationers," the magazine noted. "The broad menu nods at the local Georgia style with smoky pulled pork and tangy Brunswick stew, but they offer plenty of ribs, brisket, and smoked chicken wings too. The sauces span regional boundaries: two versions of zesty red Georgia Soul (hot or sweet) plus two inspired by flavors of the Carolinas."

Southern Soul won the title in 2017, too.

Guy Fieri featured Southern Soul on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" eight years ago, and it's been a popular travel destination for food lovers ever since.

Southern Soul is famous for its sauce as well.

The eatery won fifth place in the National Barbecue news 2017 "Sauces of Honor" competition for its "Sweet Georgia Soul" sauce, which is most fitting for pork barbecue, according to the judges. Southern Soul Barbeque was the sole representative in Georgia out of the 30 sauces and restaurants honored across the country.