Barbecue is the main course at Pork University

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Barbecue is the main course at Lost Mountain Barbecue Company's Pork University, a class taught six times a year by Sam Huff, co-owner of Sam and Dave's BBQ restaurants in Marietta. Take a photo tour of a recent barbecue class.

Ryan Baskin, a recent student, helps Huff season chicken.

Classes start with a homestyle breakfast cooked over hot coals. Huff had 22 smokers and grills at last count.

In addition to preparing ribs and chicken, Huff demonstrates cooking methods for Boston butt, beef brisket and traditional sides like cole slaw and baked beans.

Classes are limited to 16 students. Huff draws folks from as far as Texas who make their travel plans around the class. The all day course is $200 per person. Each participant leaves with a full stomach, a chef's hat, an apron and a binder filled with about 50 pages of tips, recipes and resources.

The "Our Lady of Perpetual Pork" sign hangs outside the Universitatus de Porcinas (Pork U).

Huff wants to "show people that barbecue isn't just something you throw on a plate. It's part of a Southern tradition of family, food and culture," he said.

Throughout the day, students work on side dishes and fruit cobblers for the evening meal that comes off the grills around 6 p.m. "Then we have a feast," Huff said.

Sam Huff, co-owner of Sam and Dave's BBQ restaurants in Marietta, got so many requests for the secret to his tender ribs and mouth-watering chicken that he decided to market it. He started Lost Mountain Barbecue Company's College of Pig Knowledge, aka Pork U, to teach backyard cooks how to take grilling to the next level.

Huff, a lawyer by trade, teaches six classes a year. He starts each eight hour course with the basics, such as how to prep spare ribs.

It's not exactly grilled pig, but the decor is fitting for Pork U.

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Ryan Baskin, a recent student, helps Huff season chicken.

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