People love barbecue. The craft of creating barbecue ranges from state to state and region to region. There are barbecue competitions nationwide and the technique for just how to cook your meat can be a hot button topic. According to traditionalists, using the grill is definitely not barbecue — low and slow over an indirect flame is the only one true way to make barbecue.

In honor of National Barbecue Month, the Daily News spoke with the Harrogate business Heavy’s BBQ.

Owner Terry Lafferty stated, “I always had a passion for cooking barbecue, and there were no place to get good barbecue here in the Tri-State area…it’s the creativity you put into your barbecue, the styles you use, and of course the sauce you use. Combining these together the right way is important to a barbecue connoisseur.”

Not only does Lafferty operate a brick and mortar location, they also run a Heavy’s BBQ food truck that you may have seen camped out in Middlesboro before.

Food trucks are an up-and-coming venture for both Bell and Claiborne counties.

“The demand from our customers — this is when the idea came to me. They needed more convenience, most only get a 3o minute lunch and we were out of their reach for that. So we gave them what they wanted,” said Lafferty.

While there are various styles of barbecue throughout the country, Lafferty stated that they didn’t look at any recipes when crafting their own take on the dish.

“I would like to think I put my own spin on it. I’ve never looked at other recipes or processes; I do it in the restaurant the same way I would cook it at home. We even cook our own sauce daily,” he said.

Lafferty stated what makes barbecue special is that it’s a classic family and friends kind of dish — comfort food.

“If you can have it without the hassle of doing it yourself and it’s good, why not go somewhere you can,” he said.

Heavy’s BBQ restaurant is located at 223 Benfield Lane in Harrogate, Tennessee.