Goat Farm and BBQ for Dinner (Not BBQ Goat!)

Laurie was out of her goat milk based health and beauty products so we decided to take a drive over to Udder Joy Farms near Madisonville Tennessee to visit owner/goat wrangler Suzanne, her assistant Sadie, and of course the goats.

Suzanne had recently gone through a very serious health issue (Lime Disease) and she’s still recovering from it…but she’s a determined person and she’s back tending her Nubian goats.  While Suzanne was in rehab, her “bad boy” buck (male goat), ‘Diego’ got free and did what horny male goats do!  This was the result…

Udder Joy Farms has 2 bucks… From this photo, can you guess which buck (aka a billy) got free and spread his genes among the does? 

Diego has attitude!  He regularly ‘tests’ the electric fence around the boy’s enclosure.  If he doesn’t get an electrical ‘poke’, he’s an excellent and determined climber!  The farm’s other buck is ‘Oliver’.  He’s pretty laid back and if he gets any action with the does, he’s just lucky.

FYI…A castrated male goat is not a buck or billy.  They are called a ‘wether’…perhaps ‘whether or not’ is the root of the term…

Here are a couple of photos of the kids that resulted from Diego’s adventures with the does… Talk about dominate genes!  They all look just like him!  Cute aren’t they?

Of course, we also took time to visit with Suzanne’s assistant, Sadie.  She is an Australian Cattle Dog and she loves being loved!  Sadie has put on a little weight since we last visited Udder Joy Farms.  Suzanne’s mother stayed here for a good month when Suzanne was in recovery mode…and she might have given Sadie too many snacks!

To learn more about Udder Joy Farms and the products that Suzanne and her husband Gary produce, go to www.udderjoyfarms.com.

After leaving Udder Joy Farms, we drove over to Sweetwater Tennessee so Laurie could do a little shopping at one of her favorite stores… In the first photo, Natural Elements Interiors is the store that’s at the far end of the block in downtown Sweetwater.  Unfortunately, owner and interior designer, Fairy Lambert wasn’t there…but Laurie still managed to make a couple of purchases.  It is a classy store! 

Natural Elements Interiors is located at 211 North Main Street in Sweetwater Tennessee.  Phone: 423-836-9189.  The store’s website is found at https://www.facebook.com/naturalelementinteriors/.

These photos give 2 more views of downtown Sweetwater.  The town is the largest community in Monroe County with a population of about 6,000.  If the buildings look old, it is because the town has been around for quite a while.  It was established in the 1850s on lots sold by Issac Lenoir, the son of the founder of Lenoir City…just a few miles northeast of Sweetwater.  Sweetwater is a Main Street Community. 

At this point in the day, we decided to take a little drive and have an early dinner.  We’d come across Gus’s Mountain Pit Bar-B-Que 2 or 3 weeks earlier while wandering the back roads and taking in the beauty of early spring in East Tennessee.    

Based on the ‘look’ of both the exterior and the interior of Gus’s Bar-B-Que, we were very hopeful…wanting the food to match the effort that had been put into the building and its entertaining décor!

Laurie ordered a half slab of the St. Louis Cut Spare Ribs. ($11.99) It came with a choice of 2 sides and cornbread or a roll.  The ribs looked great but they were ‘falling off the bone’, perfect for many diners but not our preference.  We like to be able to work the meat off the bone a bit… The ribs were ‘meaty’ if a little bland for our taste.   

We both had Gus’s homemade potato chips with our meal. ($2.19 as an ala carte order) They were very good and they were served with a nice jalapeno ranch dipping sauce.

I decided to try Gus’s beef brisket and I ordered a pound of it ala carte, adding the potato chips as my side. ($10.99 for the brisket) It was a lot of meat and I ended up taking a decent portion home with me for another meal.  

However, it wasn’t a great brisket.  It was too lean, cut too thin and it didn’t have much flavor.  Beyond that the BBQ sauce on the table was really bland.  As requested our waitress brought us the spicy version.  Even Laurie thought that it too was lacking in any flavor definition…  

This was our anniversary week (40 years!)…so we splurged on a dessert.  This was the Peach Cobbler.  We asked for the ice cream on the side as I wasn't having any.  The cobbler was OK but lacked much peach flavor, seasoning or something...and the breading in it had the texture of a damp soy cake. 

Will we return to Gus’s Mountain Pit Bar-B-Que?  We probably will…but not for the Barbeque.  I have my eye on the 11 oz. Country Fried Steak and Laurie is considering the 10 oz. Ribeye Steak.  Personal preference in barbeque is a matter of what you’re used to and we are both big fans of the Kansas City style...

For mid-afternoon on a weekday, Gus’s was busy with a steady flow of customers.  On Saturdays, Gus’s also serves breakfast.  This restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday.  Gus’s Mountain Pit Bar-B-Que is located at 810 Peakland Road near Decatur Tennessee.  Phone: 423-334-2487.  Their website is at: http://unclegusbarbque.com/.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave