A new food hall coming to Peoplestown is getting a barbecue concept.
Double Barrel Smokehouse is the latest tenant announced by Stafford Properties for Switchman Hall at Terminal South. The concept will occupy a 420-square-foot space inside the food hall.
“The real magic is going to happen through the backdoor – in the pit behind our space,” said owner Willie Beck, referring to the custom-made smoker that will feature 32 racks and measure 20 feet long and eight feet wide.
Beck was born in Chicago and has ties to the South through his mother, who was from Alabama, giving him an appreciation for both Midwestern and Southern barbecue. He learned how to barbecue from his mother after originally attending culinary school to become a pastry chef.
“Double Barrel Smokehouse is all about combining the best of both Midwestern and Southern flavors,” he said. “It’s truly a tribute to my roots.”
This will be the second location of Double Barrel Smokehouse, which is also opening this fall at Wire Park in Watkinsville.
Double Barrel Smokehouse has scratch-made sauces and rubs as well as long smoke-times (18 hours on the brisket and 12 hours on the pork). Sides will be made fresh daily, with yams, cabbage, corn and collard greens coming directly from the Double Barrel Garden in Jefferson, Georgia.
Signature menu items include Double Barrel Pork Candy, a thick-cut pork belly glazed with maple, bourbon and brown sugar which is slow-smoked for 14 hours, and the Soul Snatcher, beef brisket, pulled pork and ribs topped with house-made spicy pickles and crispy onion straws on an onion bun.
Another menu favorite is the deep-fried corn, which is dipped in a corn-based batter, deep-fried golden brown and topped with cotija cheese, chipotle mayo and fresh parsley. Visitors with a sweet tooth can enjoy the peach cobbler, in which house-made cinnamon rolls replace traditional crust.
“The juxtaposition of simple ingredients with a ‘more is more’ approach is evident throughout the menu – and the result is divine,” Melissa Ahrendt, Stafford’s executive director of real estate and Terminal South’s developer, said in the announcement. “We’ve joked that we won’t need any signage or wayfinding along the Atlanta BeltLine thanks to Willie’s smoker because people will just follow their noses.”
Slated to open in early 2025, Terminal South is located steps away from the BeltLine. It will be the final stop on the city’s first bus rapid transit line, MARTA Rapid. The project features the adaptive reuse of two former warehouse structures, introducing approximately 45,625 square feet of mixed-use space that will include a collection of restaurants at the food hall, Switchman Hall.
