Article Lorayne Bryan | Photography Jack Tuszynski and Barbie Kreidler
Richard Lea Jr. is a bona fide pit master. He knows barbecue. This Atlanta native who practically cut his teeth gnawing on rib bones perfected his skills and incubated his talents in his backyard with a Big Green Egg for more than a decade. Then, urged on by his carnivore buddies, he entered a local competition five years ago. He “smoked” the other backyard entrants and won the amateur division at his first Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned event.
“I was a cynic. We didn’t know what we were doing. It was a complete accident, but we won…and it was a lot of fun. I was hooked,” Lea recalls laughing.
Capturing the blue ribbon and accompanying bragging rights at this KCBS event was no small feat, and was all the encouragement necessary for Lea to “go whole hog.” It was like getting called up to play in the big leagues in this time-honored Southern blood sport, an opportunity that he could not pass up. Mentored by an esteemed Memphis in May festival champion, Quito McKenna, Lea embarked on a journey that would take him to the top ranks of both KCBS and the MBN (Memphis Barbecue Network) sanctioned competitions, and from managing a busy call center to owning his own catering business, Five Star Culinary. Lea says his proudest moment was finishing sixth out of 200-plus teams at the prestigious Safeway National Barbecue Battle, a highly competitive annual MBN event in
Washington, D.C.
“That was a big, big deal and a ton of fun to compete with all the best guys in barbecue in the country,” Lea says.
But the win that meant the most to him was sweeping the People’s Choice awards and being named Grand Champion at last year’s Buckhead Blue Jeans, Bluegrass and BBQ fundraiser at Chastain Horse Park.
“Yeah, I brought in all my relatives and we stuffed the ballot boxes,” he jokes. “A lot of the local caterers and restaurants were there, and we took first in every category. There was no prize money, but it was a lot of fun and a real boost to our confidence,” he adds.
So what is the hallmark of good barbecue? Lea, who frequently teaches barbecuing cooking classes, notes that judging criteria is highly subjective and often specific to a particular region. The traditional adage says that there is a direct correlation between the number of pickup trucks in the parking lot and the quality of the barbecue inside.
“That’s a real good sign,” Lea says smiling. “But the most important thing to look for is a smoke ring—a tiny layer of pink about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on the outside of the meat. That indicates that it’s been smoked over hot coals—low and slow—and not just cooked in the oven and slathered in sauce. You won’t find that on chicken because it doesn’t cook long enough. But pulled pork, brisket and ribs should all have it.”
Although many of us prefer ribs cooked until the meat falls off the bone, Lea says that this is not what the judges look for.
“They are looking for that perfect half-moon when they bite into a rib—not so tender that it falls off the bone and not so tough that you can’t easily bite through it.”
Carolina barbecue usually has a vinegar or mustard twang; Memphis has a heavier sauce with a hint of Worcestershire. In Texas, barbecue means beef brisket. So what is notable about Atlanta barbecue?
“The preferred sauce here is tomato-base and usually sweet, the pork is pulled, not chopped, and is made from a butt or picnic, and mostly hickory wood is used for smoking—although you will also find some peach and pecan. Peach wood produces a lighter smoke and works well, especially on whole hogs when you have to cook it a long time and you don’t want the wood flavor to be too heavy,” Lea explains.
One of Lea’s goals is to help create a barbecue tradition that is distinctly Georgian and a natural evolution of the farm-to-table philosophy he embraces. “We grow an abundance of wonderful produce here—peaches and onions in the south, apples in the north. I like to take advantage of fresh produce from the local farmer’s market and incorporate it into the sauce. I’ve made a great sauce from blackberries my kids picked and jalapenos my chef grew.
In the fall, I’ll use locally harvested muscadines and apples.”
“Richard’s barbecue is new and different—more flavorful without a heavy sauce,” explains Blain Allen, chair of the Buckhead Heritage Society’s 2011 Party in the Pasture fundraiser that Lea catered for nearly 600 people. “Everyone
commented on how great Richard’s barbecue was. I’m a longtime barbecue fan, and I really like what Five Star is doing with it.”
Come November, Lea hopes to take his farm-to-table barbecue one step further when he opens a barbecue restaurant near Chastain called Five Star Barbecue.
“It has fig trees and a big garden in the back. We’re going to grow a lot of our own herbs and produce—sort of a garden-to-table concept.”
What’s Lea’s best advice for potential pit masters?
“Don’t be afraid. Try anything—it’s an $8 piece of meat. At the end of the day if you mess it up, you get another one and try again.” BHL
