THE DISH: Tipsy Pig BBQ

Whole Boston butt $48 for five to seven pounds of meat

Terrys homemade Brunswick stew $6 per pint

3020 Five Forks Trickum, Lilburn

770-885-5313

tipsypigbbq.com

-- Open since: May 2010

-- Owners: Terry and Dale Lee

-- Location: The Tipsy Pig is located at the intersection of Oak and Five Forks Trickum roads inside the Shell Station

-- Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, closed Sundays

-- Atmosphere: "When I couldn't find a job, I decided I was going to sell barbecue -- some way, some how -- I was going to make it happen," owner Terry Lee said.

So, he found a spot to sell his food and his dream grew from there.

Wonder where the Tipsy Pig BBQ got his name?

"You know when you're hanging out, drinking with your buddies and you get an idea?" Lee said. "That's kind of where it came from."

The restaurant is tucked away inside of the Shell Station. You can find it easily from the road because Lee keeps his smoker in front of the gas station -- and as their motto says, "If we ain't smokin', we ain't open."

Wander inside and take a left to find the barbecue counter. From there, you can order your meal and dine in or take it to go. There are three tables inside with ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper and two types of barbecue sauces, which are made from a house recipe. For warmer sunnier days, diners can sit outside at the one picnic table next to the building.

-- Menu: Terry has been barbecuing for decades, just for the love of the smoke, meat and flavor. After being laid off from his job, he decided he was going to work in a barbecue joint to learn the ins and outs, so he kept applying at Famous Dave's BBQ, his local eatery. They wouldn't hire him because he had no restaurant experience.

"Imagine me, a 40-something-year-old man asking a 20-something-year-old manager to hire me to work on the line without any experience," Lee said. "After trying week after week, they offered me a position as a host."

Then, he went to waiting tables and finally made it into the kitchen.

When Famous Dave's closed, Lee bounced over to Spiced Right, where he said he learned a lot about barbecuing. Now, he has his own spot with his own spin on Memphis-style meats.

Everything at the Tipsy Pig is homemade, including the sides. Terry's wife, Dale, makes the potato salad, one of their friends makes the fresh biscuits and Terry prepares everything else.

"The fresh biscuits have been a hit," Dale said. "But when they're gone, they're gone. We sell out of them in the morning and don't make any more until the next day."

-- Things you might not know: Before owning the eatery, Dale worked in the DeKalb County School Systems for 30 years and Terry was a draftsman.