171 McDonough Boulevard SE
Atlanta, GA 30315
Harold’s Barbecue is an Atlanta institution. Just a quick ride south of Downtown, the Georgia State Capitol, Turner Stadium and the Georgia Dome, Harold’s has been frequented by Georgia governors, media tycoons, sports stars, and famous entertainers. While eating at Harold’s is an Atlanta tradition, working at Harold’s is a Hembree family tradition. Co-owner Billy Branyon has been working here since he was 16, joining five generations of his family behind the counter. Harold’s was founded in 1946 by Billy’s grandparents Harold and Hugh Hembree Sr. Just 11 years later, Harold Sr. passed away, but Hugh and her four children—Harold Jr., Don, Lee and their only daughter Kay—carried on. Billy, who is Kay’s son, has been running the place alongside other family members since the turn of the 21st century. In fact, so many brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and uncles work together at Harold’s, Billy says the families don’t get together on holidays. Harold’s Barbecue is celebrated for their chopped pork sandwiches and ribs, but the claim to fame is the smoky Brunswick stew served with a side of “cracklin’ cornbread.” The cornbread is a family recipe that incorporates fried pork fat cracklings gleaned from the hams that are on the smoker.
Date of interview:
November 20, 2010
Ashley Hall, Southern Foodways Alliance