In May, while we were preparing for our June hike at the Grand Canyon, we went to hike Blood Mountain, on the Appalachian Trail, as part of our training.  The purpose for the hike was two-fold:

• it would give us a chance to hike where there were more altitude changes than we were getting on the hikes at Kennesaw Mountain;
• and (mainly) we’d have a chance to eat lunch at Rib Country. 

We first ate at Rib Country about eight years ago at their location in Murphy, NC, when we were in the mountains with my parents and our kids.  That’s the (in)famous incident where I told my dad to quit being so noisy in the car, thinking it was one  of the girls clapping along to the radio.  Oops.  Our second visit was in 2011 when we were in the mountains for a weekend with a couple of couples and we ate there again. 

My beloved says that these are her favorite ribs in Georgia, only behind those at Smokin’ Joe’s in Davis, OK, in her estimation.  What’s not to love about a place that obviously spares no expense on their patrons? 

We go for the ribs.   I’ve had both barbecue pork and chicken, but the ribs rock.   This afternoon in May, Jo ordered a rack

and I ordered a rack and a half.   There was not a single bone un-gnawed between us.  The ribs they serve are Danish baby back ribs.  The question on my mind was, “What brought these ribs all the way from Denmark to Blairsville, GA?”  And then, “what is special about Danish baby back ribs?”  I was able to find the answers via my friend Google and learned:

the Danish breed of hog is called the “Land Race” and it has 1 more rib (13) on the rack than the standard American baby back rack (12).  And, apparently, about half of the baby back ribs commercially prepared in the US come from Danish farms.

Regardless, they cook up some mighty fine ribs at Rib Country and we’ve often considered taking the two-hour drive to get some ribs.  And the fried pies.  I haven’t mentioned the fried pies. These are some mighty fine fried pies – actually about the best I’ve found that aren’t home-made.   They make them hot to order, and serve them with Breyer’s vanilla ice cream.   The only way that they could be any better would be if:

• they made them with dried apples (like my grandmother used to) as opposed to with fresh apples; and
• they pan-fried them as opposed to deep-frying them.
  

Between the fried pies and the baby back ribs, the drive from Atlanta definitely seems worthwhile.