A father-son duo squealed their trucks’ tires as they turned the corner. A pair of 72- and 80-year-old longtime College Park residents approached with plastic forks in-hand. The mailman abandoned his truck, flashers on, on the side of Dickinson Road.
Along with about 15 students, they came hot-on-the-trail of Bill Coleman’s cherrywood-smoked golden brown piglet. For two hours Wednesday afternoon, it was the food capital of College Park.
In Coleman’s driveway lives a 6000-pound smoker (towed to Maryland from the factory in Georgia) that resembles a half-scale steam locomotive, a kettle grill and a metallic blue Ford F-250 pickup plastered with stickers touting the merits of Bill’s Backyard Barbecue. In this barbecue enthusiast’s outdoor workshop, neighbors gathered for a taste of Coleman’s skills.
“Nothin’ like an old-fashioned pig-pickin’,” said Tommy Malone, a senior fire protection engineering major who will be joining the Marines following graduation. “Probably can’t find that in Iraq.”
The barbecue pilgrims ate off flimsy Styrofoam plates with plastic forks, scooping pork laced with seductive eastern North Carolina sauce (vinegar, pepper and much else) and Coleman’s own coleslaw. When the pork is smothered in slaw and drizzled with sauce on a soft bun – the way Coleman prefers – each bite is different, like Chipotle but with soul.
“It’s just as good as booze!” said Austin Laws, a junior criminology major, his lips slick with pork fat.
Coleman is the crazy neighbor any student would welcome – he’s a retired Marine-turned-professional barbecue caterer. Best of all, he frequently shares his leftovers.
Coleman started his smoked-meat odyssey while on medical leave from his sales job at Home Depot after a bad car accident. Confined to his bed, he passed the time by watching Food Network. Soon, Coleman began writing his own recipes and discovered his passion for cooking.
“Somebody tells you it’s good, it’s awesome, and it’s instant woody,” Coleman said.
After healing, he returned to work and made a habit of bringing leftovers by the store. “Nobody does just one rack of ribs,” he said during an interview in Applebee’s, to which he brought a sealed plastic bag of pulled pork and a bottle of apple cider barbecue sauce for sampling purposes.
Informal requests for an occasional sausage or a few wings soon led to co-workers bringing meat for him to cook on weekends. That led to his turning barbecue into a full-time business in March 2005. He has since quit Home Depot because barbecue has consumed all his time.
Coleman catered his first event at Home Depot that March. By the time it ended, he had a pocketful of business cards and a head full of offers.
“The first year was slow, but last year, it just ballooned,” he said. “My number-one client is Home Depot.”
He’d found his passion. Soon he expanded into private parties, towing his smoker to the events and cooking on-site, his trademark.
Coleman’s menus have ballooned as well. He lists brisket, pork shoulder, beef spareribs, St. Louis-style pork ribs, chicken, turkey, ham, two kinds of sausage and side dishes on his main menu in addition to gladly accepting special requests.
“He always wants to feed me,” said neighbor Mark Leh, a junior kinesiology major. “I’ve only got so much space in my fridge.”
Coleman learned to sell during his time in the Marine Corps. A recruiter for his last tour of duty, he retired as a staff sergeant with 21 years served. He’s not afraid to go for the hard sell even as he keeps it folksy.
“I’ll put a drop of sauce on their finger and tell them, ‘That’s my card. You like it, I’ve got lots more. You don’t like it, have a nice day,'” he said.
Most people like what they taste. Coleman said he’s only received two major complaints: His ribs were too meaty and his chicken wings too tender.
Although cautious not to reveal too much detail about his cooking methods, he smokes chicken wings for 4.5 to five hours and prefers to pull his beef brisket apart – an unusual approach – instead of shredding it.He’s catered for Home Depots across the northern East Coast as well as for a few White House staff events and last week’s Greek Olympics.
As the crowd thinned Wednesday evening at his front-yard cookout, Coleman, who’d spent the past two-and-a-half hours surrounded by friends, sat on the ground and leaned back against his maple tree.Willie, his black Scottish terrier, who had been happily gnawing on the pig’s ears all day, took a break with his owner.
After smoking the pig for 16 hours through the night and heaving 200 pounds of cherrywood into the firebox, Coleman fed his dog ice from a cup of soda. Exhausted and exhilarated, both were pleased with the day’s events.
“The only people who don’t love Bill don’t know him.” said Stephanie Solari, who lives next door.
