Photo taken at the Whole Hog Extravaganza. ©Ken Goodman Photography.
1. Destination: Traveling the U.S.A. to see our great country, of course in an old vehicle that I know how to repair, looking for junk to add to my collection.
2. Best gift:My wife’s hand in marriage and our three boys, Turner, Odin, and Asa.
3. Favorite meal besides barbecue: Oysters on the half shell and crawfish.
4. Drink of choice: Ice-cold beer … or whatever is available at the moment.
5. I admire: My dad, Craig Orrison, for putting up with my unending ideas and teaching me how to work hard. My mom, Linda Orrison, for teaching me how to have fun and to always look at the day as an opportunity. In the barbecue world, it’s Mike Mills! I remember meeting Mike at Memphis in May years ago. They had cameras there to catch it, but as soon as I saw him walking by, I ran out to meet him. His gruff voice accepted my enthusiasm with ease. I was shaking in excitement. The cameras couldn’t capture that, of course, but I will never forget that moment. I consider Mike one of my best buds and he has continued to mentor me. He once told me, “That’s the prettiest hog on the circuit. Now if you can get it to taste good, you’ll have something.” Five years later we finally won at Memphis in May. When they announced, the thumbs up from Mike was better than the trophy.
6. Barbecue joint I’d like to visit: Skylight Inn when Sam Jones is there cooking. The way they chop the hogs with the popped skin is out-of-this-world good. I look forward to the Whole Hog Extravaganza class every year at 17th Street. Amy Mills and her crew have it figured out. {ed. note: why, thank you!} I’ll be there again next year, enjoying Sam Jones’s chopped whole hog!
7. Words I live by: Barbecue. One word, lots of meanings: BBQ
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