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PHOTOS: WWW.TELLITUSA.COM

The DIFFERENCE at J.D.’s

Throughout the growth and changing locations, Chip has stayed true to his unique style of cooking and service for his customer base. Each of his restaurants has a smokehouse, where customers can see his time-honored tradition of barbecuing in action.

“I do it like they did hundreds of years ago; basically, a style of cooking that uses wood as the heat and smoking source,” he said. “It’s cooked low and slow, nothing over 250 degrees, and it takes hours to smoke the meat.”

Chip uses cherry wood for whole hogs, and hickory and oak in the restaurants on a daily basis. Diners at the Acworth location can enjoy their barbecue on a large patio in the shade of a 120-year-old oak tree. To take advantage of such a pleasant setting, the restaurant will start to feature live music on the weekends.

J.D.’s Bar-B-Que

www.jdsbbq.com

ACWORTH: 4424 S. Main St., 770-974-8434 WOODSTOCK: 6326 Bells Ferry Road, 678-445-7730 J.D.’S ON THE LAKE: 6979 Bells Ferry Road, Canton, 770-213-4127

Waitress Allie Zaring chats with lunch customers

On the MENU

The menu offers a variety of items but, far and away, the pork barbecue, brisket and ribs are the most popular. The newest choice on the menu is homemade cheddar jalapeño sausage, which is made from scratch. Chip grinds the pork, then adds his own special blend of spices that has made this item a big hit.

All of J.D.’s sides are made from scratch, with the spicy collards, mac and cheese, and Brunswick stew the most popular.

Chip is looking forward to fall and football, celebrating J.D.’s 22nd anniversary, and feeding families for the holidays. Fresh turkeys, ham, prime rib — along with holiday sides and pumpkin cobbler — will be available for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

This fall also will be a special time at J.D.’s for a new reason: J.D.’s is the official barbecue provider for Kennesaw State University. On game days, J.D.’s will be handling all of the private catering for the university.

“The main reason I wanted to open a barbecue restaurant was how it brought people together. The fellowship with barbecue touches people’s souls and builds lasting bonds,” Chip said. “Some of our most loyal customers have been with us from the very beginning, and that is what lets us know that we are doing all the right things to bring the very best barbecue to you. Stop by and see what hard work and dedication taste like.”