Malson’s BBQ, Kingsland, Georgia

You’ve met Les Wexler, our Senior Deli Correspondent, here. Les, a dutiful son-in-law, and JoEllen, a dutiful daughter drive down to visit JoEllen’s mother in the Tampa area regularly. Before setting out, they wisely consult the seminal Best Places to Eat Near I-95, at least up to the fork of the road in Jacksonville. On this trip, Les and JoEllen stopped at one of the scores of great local places to eat within 15 minutes of the interstate listed therein, Malson’s BBQ. Here’s a photo borrowed from their Facebook page.

Malson’s is so close to I-95 that you could just about call ahead for your order and roll down the window to grab it as you were zooming past. Almost. But that would be really unwise, as you would know if you’ve ever tried to eat ribs in a car while driving. Messy.

Here’s the Wexler Report.

Our hotel was a short walk from Malson’s, just a KFC, McDonald’s and Wendy’s away.  It’s definitely a bbq shack!  I’m not going to venture a guess when a paint brush has been seen within 100 feet of the place, but there were picnic tables and a canopy.

JoEllen and I each had combo plates – two meats, two sides.  I had ribs and pulled pork, baked beans and potato salad. I’m a potato salad snob. I normally don’t like yellow potato salad, as it often is too bland and eggy, but this one was made with red potatoes and had a nice vinegary bite. The meats were excellent and the sides terrific.  

JoEllen had ribs and sausage, beans and slaw.  

Also very good.  The meats come sauced, and the sauce is a slightly sweet thicker sauce, but good.  You can get extra sauce if you ask.  JoEllen’s slaw was also first rate.  We both had beans, and these were excellent, too.  Lots of the bbq sauce mixed in.

I’m not a big dessert guy, but JoEllen is willing to try one now and then.  Malson‘s advertised home made cupcakes, including red velvet and  pineapple upside down cake flavored.  That was a no-brainer for JoEllen, and we got a pineapple upside down cupcake.  I just had a taste, but JoEllen loved it, and it brought back childhood memories of the pineapple upside down cakes her mom used to make.

Now isn’t that a lot better than yet another stop at Subway or McDonald’s or whatever else corporate chain people usually delude themselves into frequenting during the dread trip down (or up) I-95? There’s a great country out there, with an endless variety of local foods served by local people trying to make a living. And so often they serve you food that you can’t find at home, that costs next to nothing, and that just knocks your socks off.

Get a few miles off the Interstate, and try something new, or go just a few feet and get some ribs at Malson’s.

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