Yes, ‘Pigs Fly,’ and the BBQ’s great

Workers at Robins Air Force Base are very lucky folks. Just across the street is a quality barbecue joint where the food is good and the price is right.

While When Pigs Fly BBQ doesn’t pass the name test (suggesting it at lunch must be like having to say, “I’ll have the Rootin’ Tooty Fresh and Fruity” at IHOP) and it’s a little bit of a dive, but that just makes the food speak louder for itself.

Let’s start with the usual suspects. The shredded barbecue pork was juicy and tangy, even before the sauce was added. It comes as a plate with two sides for $6.75 or by itself as a sandwich for just $2.80. Variations are the Big Daddy Pork (more on it) for $3.75 and the Texas BBQ sandwich (on big slabs of Texas toast).

Our tasters couldn’t quite figure out why, but the buns were especially tasty — maybe because so often at barbecue places the buns are stale and small, and these were incredibly soft and large.

The next test a barbecue joint has to pass is the Brunswick stew test. Here it’s thick, ultra-meaty and smoky. Our tasters scored it as some of the best they’ve ever had. At only $1.89 a cup or $3 for a bowl, it’s a tasty steal.

For poultry lovers, you can get the quarter chicken with two sides for $6.29 or the half chicken for $7.50, with white meat only for 50 cents extra on either. They were out the day we came, so we tried the smoked turkey salad (of which they gave a free sample — how nice!) for $6.75 with two sides. Members of our group said this dish would have cost almost $10 at some well-known Macon barbecue places.

The sauces were a little odd for us. The Traditional was thin and vinegary, the sweet was extremely thick, and the mustard sauce was almost not mustardy at all. The strangest, however, was the hot sauce, which was half vinegar and half black pepper. Luckily, the BBQ doesn’t really need any of this stuff.

The biggest surprise of our dining experience was the Boss Burger. Our taster said she would “come to this BBQ place just to get this hamburger.”

It was extremely thick and juicy, on a large, fresh bun, topped with lettuce, tomato and onion, and all for $3.75.

All the usual sides were here: baked beans (fair), fries (ordinary), coleslaw (just enough sweetness and finely chopped) and potato salad (mustardy but good). But there were unexpected ones as well, like homemade corn nuggets, onion rings, green beans and fried okra. The only dessert is pecan pie — not homemade, but still good.

One last thing to consider if you come here from work: You can refill your own beverages before you go back to the grind. It’s little things like this, plus really good food at a low price, that make When Pigs Fly BBQ a great place for lunch— even if you have to say the name.

When Pigs Fly BBQ

Three stars

Address: 102 First St., Warner Robins

Phone: 922-3595

Hours: 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Saturday; 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday

Payment: Cash, credit

Smoking: No

Alcohol: No

Kids Menu: Yes

Noise Level: Low

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Health Rating: 100

Price range: All dishes $8 or less