Georgia Barbecue: A Hunk of Burning Love

https://www.newsbreak.com/doc-lawrence-1599273/3989447656994-georgia-barbecue-hunk-of-burning-love?s=ws_em

Lewis Grizzard remains a goldmine of Southern wit and barbecue devotion—he often wrote about Georgia barbecue as if it were a birthright and a moral obligation.

May begins barbecue season in Georgia, when the scent of hickory smoke drifts across backyards, and grills become altars to the Southern gods of pork, beef, and chicken. Down here, we don’t rush barbecue. We let it happen, low and slow, with patience, pride, and just a little bit of bragging. When it comes to barbecue, Georgians have opinions. Strong ones.

Nobody knew that better than Lewis Grizzard, Georgia’s barbecue laureate. He once said, “It’s not real barbecue unless it’s cooked over hickory coals by a man named Bubba who swats flies with a folded-up newspaper.” And he meant it. Grizzard understood that barbecue wasn’t just food—it was faith, flavor, and folklore.

So when I fire up the grill for my 10-pound pork roast, cooked slowly over hickory coals, I call it Hunk of Burning Love Barbecue—a tribute to Southern passion, porch wisdom, and the kind of slow-cooked truth that Lewis would’ve appreciated.

Bill Oberst, Jr. as Lewis Grizzard, Art Station Theatre

The name’s a wink, maybe a nod to Elvis, maybe just the heat and heart it takes to do it right. Because cooking pork on a smoker isn’t fast food. It’s an act of love. This is not the lean, tidy roast you find in Sunday suppers. This is a mighty cut, rubbed with spices, kissed by fire, cooked for hours until it sighs apart with a tug of a fork. It’s barbecue as it was meant to be: elemental, fragrant, and endlessly shareable.

Hickory is the soul of Southern barbecue. It burns hot and sweet, infusing pork with a deep, woodsy flavor. Start with a good coal base and then add chunks of hickory soaked in water. Keep your grill around 225°F, and let the roast cook for about five hours—turning occasionally, mopping with sauce every hour to keep it juicy.

The Rub and Mop

I rub my pork loin the night before with a mix of brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, and a touch of cayenne. This blend balances sweet, heat, and savor—the holy trinity of Southern spice.

The Sauce

Now, this is sacred ground. Every cook has a favorite. Mine is a hybrid—a Georgia take with a little Carolina sass.

Hunk of Burning Love Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Dash of hot sauce (to taste)

Simmer all ingredients together for 15 minutes until thick and glossy. Baste pork roast every hour. Spoon it on pulled pork, serve it on the side, or just dunk a piece of white bread in it and call it lunch.

Georgia Pork Barbecue

Ingredients:

For the Dry Rub:

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp sea salt

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dry mustard

For the Pork:

10 lb Boston butt pork roast bone-in

Yellow mustard or olive oil (as binder)

Sauce for smoking:

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup apple juice

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Prep the Pork (night before or at least 2–3 hours ahead):

Trim any excess fat, leaving a thin layer for flavor.

Rub the roast all over with oil to help seasoning stick.

Mix rub ingredients and apply generously over all sides of the pork.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or let sit at room temp for 1 hour before cooking.

2. Smoking Instructions:

Preheat smoker to 225°F.

Use hickory chunks or chips.

Place pork fat-side up in smoker.

Smoke for 6 hours, then begin monitoring internal temperature.

Spritz or mop every hour with sauce to keep moist.

Continue until internal temp reaches 195–203°F.

Oven Instructions (if not using smoker):

Preheat oven to 275°F.

Place pork in a roasting pan with a rack.

Roast uncovered for ~6–7 hours until it hits 165°F.

Wrap in foil and continue cooking until internal temp is 195–203°F (about 3–5 more hours).

Remove foil for the last 30 mins and raise heat to 325°F.

4. Rest and Pull:

Let pork rest, wrapped, for at least 30–60 minutes.

Shred using forks or hands. Discard excess fat and bone.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve on buns with side of coleslaw and barbecue sauce.

When it’s done, the pork should be rosy at the edges from the smoke, tender enough to pull apart with tongs, and flavorful all the way through.

Hunk of Burning Love is about gathering folks around the grill, sharing stories while the smoke does its magic. It’s about honoring tradition while adding your own fire to it.

In the South, barbecue isn’t just a way of cooking—it’s a way of connecting.

And that’s something worth burning for.