Page 35 - JAN2020 BBQNEWS Digital Issue

becue which beats them all”. Copies of the Strand were sent to British living in India and Hong Kong. The first barbecue reported around the world occurred in the state of Georgia.
1st BBQ restaurant; The Rialto, Albany GA 1891
The Weekly News and Advertiser in Albany GA on Aug 1, 1891 ran an article about the beer saloons and restaurants being noted for serving delicious barbecue. It noted two es- tablishments, The Rialto and Charley Farrington’s has having served barbecued pig. An advertisement in the Danielsville Monitor dated Dec 11 1896 is for “Novelty Restaurant and Barbecue House” located on 230 Broad St in Athens GA. There is also an article about Fleming’s Barbecue in Decatur, GA in 1897. And in the Columbus Enquirer Nov 24 1888 there is another advertisement for Barbecue meats at Wardlaw’s Restaurant. The first barbecue restaurants in the country were in the state of Georgia.
1st BBQ sauce bottled and sold; Georgia Barbecue Sauce, Atlanta Georgia 1908
In 1908 the Atlanta Georgian and News started running ad- vertisements for Georgia Barbecue Sauce. This is the first known barbecue sauce to be bottled and sold at retail stores. In 1909 President elect William Howard Taft visited Georgia and was treated to a state dinner. He was served a local deli- cacy of barbecued opossum along with a plenty of bottles of Georgia Barbecue Sauce. Sales of the sauce exploded, and it was reported that bottles of the sauce could be found at gro- cery stores in every state. The first barbecue sauce to be bot- tle and sold was in the state of Georgia.
1st BBQ meat canned and sold; Castleberry’s, Augusta Georgia 1926
Clem Lamar Castleberry was a famous barbecue man from Augusta Georgia in the early 1900’s. His barbecue skills were such a sought-after prize that it drew US Presidents, national sports teams and top industrialists to seek him out. He was dubbed the Commander of ‘Cue and the Barbecue Barron due to his affiliation with the top ranks of the political and enter- tainment world. In 1926 his son Clem Steward Castleberry started canning his famous barbecue hash, Brunswick stew and barbecued meat. Castleberry’s became the first company to sell canned barbecue products. The first barbecue products to be canned and sold was in the state of Georgia.
1st BBQ grill manufactured; Columbus Iron Works, Columbus, Georgia 1948
Columbus Iron Works was founded in 1853 and made farm
Photo Courtesy of Char-Broil web page JANUARY 2020
equipment for the growing southern agriculture markets. As major farming operations moved westward Columbus Iron works changed it manufacturing focus. In 1948 they intro- duced the first portable barbecue grill. The unit was made of a barrel with fire and cooks grates and fitted with handles and a wheel to move it around. The company’s name was changed to Char-Broil and they still make barbecue grills today. The first portable barbecue grill made was in the state of Georgia.
1st BBQ in Space; NASA STS-33 and Fincher’s Bar-B-Q, Macon Georgia 1989
There is a NASA tradition of sending special food requests of the astronauts into outer space with them. Astronaut Sonny Carter requested Fincher’s Bar-B-Q from Macon Georgia on the space shuttle Discovery in 1989. He also made a return trip in 1990. “First in space, best in taste” is still on the restaurants t-shirts and bumper stickers. Fincher’s also is an excellent example of style of barbecue sauce that Georgia can call its own. It is a thicker orange colored mixture of mustard and tomato paste first credited to Mrs. Griffin Barbecue Sauce Company (1935) also located in Macon Georgia. The first barbecue in space was in the state of Georgia.
Whether you use ‘barbecue’ as a noun, verb or adjective there is home for it in the peach state. Georgia is the Grand Champion of barbecue due to its long list of first and second place wins. There are many, many more ‘firsts’ that Georgia can claim that are not accounted for here. This is an appetizer; it’s just meant to get you started. I can’t wait until you unpack the picnic of pages and enjoy the bountiful buffet of barbecue history and hospitality that Georgia has to offer.
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