Du Jour: John Richardson, “King of the Tailgate”

If every Tiger tailgate has an identity, John Richardson’s is fueled by the sheer joy of guys tossing meat on a pit. Last weekend’s LSU home opener meant that Richardson could resume a 22-year-tradition of pre-game searing, slow-roasting and holding court. It starts the night before, when he and his nine-year-old daughter, Grace, camp out in their ’83 VW Westfalia to claim the spot originally founded 30 years ago by the family of Hillar Moore, Jr., longtime friends and tailgate partners of Richardson and his wife, Jill. Next morning, the team kicks off with up to 20 lbs of bacon, boudin, sausages, and eggs to order, washed down with spicy bloody Marys, mimosas or Miller High Life. “The Champagne of beers,” says Richardson.

When it comes to the team’s massive grill-smoker, much of the animal kingdom is up for grabs. No surprise, though, the pig gets top billing. Richardson almost always serves pork tenderloin, pork shoulder, chops, pulled pork, boudin and Cajun sausage. Sometimes a whole pig is roasted on the group’s homemade Cajun microwave, especially when LSU plays Arkansas. Hot wings, drunken chicken, chili, bacon wrapped oysters and shrimp and spit-roasted alligator round out the menu, which changes according to Richardson’s whims. He’s often perfecting a dish that he and his team, Suspicious Rinds, will later unveil at the annual Memphis in May Barbecue Competition, which they’ve entered for the last five years. Despite their casual attitude and deliberate lack of fancy equipment, the team has collected a respectable pile of awards, including 4th place in mustard sauce, 5th in hot wings, 10th in poultry, 10th in beef brisket, 15th in seafood, 15th in exotic meats and 22nd in ribs.

This year, Richardson’s tailgate is heavily influenced by a recent trip to Nicaragua, where he worked on a technology mission for the Sisters of St Joseph in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, an internal refugee city near Managua. “I had the opportunity to live with and learn from some local cooks who taught me the basics of cooking their local cuisine, ‘la comida Nica,’ a Latin-Creole mix of indigenous and Spanish dishes and ingredients,” he said. Pork plays a big part, and Richardson closely studied techniques including marinating in cilantro, mint, sweet peppers and natural tenderizers like orange, pineapple, papaya and lime juices. He also returned with a new obsession, banana leaves. “Hey, when it doubt,” he says, “wrap that pork butt in some leaves and let’s see what happens.”