Young pitmasters are embracing whole hog barbecue (plus top news & events)
Whole hog barbecue is one of America’s oldest culinary traditions, reaching back in our history to a time when American Indians cooked whole animals over fire and enslaved people prepared whole hogs for hours to feed large groups of people. But whole hog’s historical significance is not the only thing that makes it noteworthy.
Cooking an entire animal evenly is difficult, taking hours and hours of hard work and attention to detail. It’s no wonder the vast majority of pitmasters prefer to work with individual parts of the hog instead — shoulders, ribs, belly, and hams are much easier to manage.
For years, we have been hearing about the dying art of whole hog barbecue and it’s true there are far fewer restaurants serving whole hog barbecue than there were in the past. Yet, a whole hog resurgence is currently underway in a most unlikely place — namely, Texas, where beef is king.
Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden in Austin regularly serves whole hog (currently Thursday through Sunday) and might just be the only barbecue restaurant in all of Texas with no beef dishes on the menu. Pitmaster Patrick Feges offers whole hog at Feges BBQ located in a food court in Houston’s Greenway Plaza. Other BBQ joints across Texas, including Cattleack BBQ in Dallas, Reveille Barbecue Co. in Magnolia, and Brett’s Backyard Bar-B-Que in Rockdale also regularly offer whole hog during special events.
Outside of these newer spots in Texas, the whole hog style of barbecue is largely found in the Carolinas and Tennessee. However, pitmaster Pat Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint has been successful at exporting his west-Tennessee whole hog barbecue to new markets outside of his home state, including Louisville, Kentucky; Birmingham, Alabama; and most recently, Charleston, South Carolina.
A new, younger generation of pitmasters is also keeping the whole hog tradition alive in spots all over the country. Here are some other notable spots for whole hog barbecue that we have visited and greatly enjoyed.
Sam Jones BBQ - Winterville, North Carolina
Pitmaster Sam Jones was born into a family known for barbecue. His grandfather Pete founded the famous Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden, North Carolina in 1947 and he can trace his family’s barbecue roots back to the 1830s. More recently, Sam Jones struck off on his own and built Sam Jones BBQ in Winterville, North Carolina and has plans to open a location in Raleigh. Sam Jones BBQ serves the whole hog barbecue chopped with the skin incorporated in with the meat the same way it has always been done at Skylight Inn. The menu has been expanded to include ribs, chicken, turkey, burgers, catfish, and more.
Rodney Scott’s BBQ - Charleston, South Carolina
When it comes to whole hog pitmasters, few have attracted more accolades than James Beard award winning Rodney Scott. He cut his teeth at his family’s whole hog joint Scott's Bar-B-Que in Hemingway, South Carolina, but then opened his own joint (aptly named Rodney Scott’s BBQ) in Charleston in July 2016. It is already a staple in the competitive Charleston BBQ scene and serves great whole hog, spare ribs, and turkey. Also be sure to get the mind-blowing chicken wings if you go. Scott opened a new location in Birmingham, Alabama not long ago and he has his sights set on Atlanta next, showing his desire to bring whole hog cooking to more cities.
Buxton Hall - Asheville, North Carolina
Chef Elliot Moss opened Buxton Hall in a gorgeous historic building in downtown Asheville, North Carolina in 2015. The restaurant serves whole hog barbecue cooked for 16-18 hours over hot coals and mopped with a Moss family recipe vinegar mop sauce. The restaurant also serves ribs and southern staples such as buttermilk fried chicken and catfish but the whole hog is the star of the show.
B.E. Scott’s Bar-B-Que - Lexington, Tennessee
Early Scott started B.E. Scott’s Bar-B-Que in Lexington, Tennessee in 1960 and pitmaster Ricky Parker, who Scott had taken under his wing as a teenager, took over the restaurant in 1989. After Ricky’s passing, his son Zach has taken over running the restaurant, carrying on the tradition of cooking whole hogs over hickory with the work ethic his father instilled in him. B.E. Scott’s Bar-B-Que is particularly unique in that customers are able to request meat from different cuts from the hog - the shoulder, ham, or the prized belly section or middlin’. The restaurant also serves both vinegar and mayonnaise-based coleslaw and mild, medium, and hot sauces for a seemingly endless array of choices for whole hog barbecue.
Arrogant Swine - Brooklyn, New York
Arrogant Swine opened in Bushwick, Brooklyn in 2014 with the promise of bringing North and South Carolina barbecue to New York, including whole hog. Owner and pitmaster Tyson Ho has done a great job of bringing Carolina-inspired chopped whole hog, “outside brown” pork shoulder, pork belly, and mustard-glazed spare ribs to the Northeastern U.S. The menu also features unique items including Vietnamese chicken wings, sweet potato waffles, and mac ‘n’ cheese waffles.
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These are but a selection of whole hog joints, and we know there are several other whole hog joints around the country that are worth stopping into. Did we miss any that we need to know about? Let us know.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist) and Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Click here to read more about the upcoming World Series of BBQ.
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
It may not surprise you to hear that’s Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, Texas was named as one of the top BBQ joints on Southern Living’s list of the 50 best.
Southern Living contributing editor Robert Moss has published his list of the 50 best barbecue joints in the South for 2019. The list is a mix of old and new joints that includes top spots in Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. We appreciated the inclusion of many small spots that are out-of-the-way but still very much worth a visit. Moss also wrote a related story discussing Alabama’s impressively strong rib game.
Pitmaster Matt Horn was called “the future of Bay Area barbecue” even before he had his own restaurant. That’s about to change, with Horn securing a brick-and-mortar location in West Oakland. Horn Barbecue is expected to open this fall.
The Houston Chronicle’s J.C. Reid writes that “the rebirth of rural Texas is dependent on a tradition that has been there all along: barbecue.” He points to examples such as Brett’s Backyard Bar-B-Que in Rockdale as joints that are taking center stage in small towns and giving tourists a big reason to visit.
James Beard award winning pitmaster Rodney Scott will open a new location of his whole hog barbecue joint in the southwest Atlanta next spring, Eater Atlanta reports. “Southwest Atlanta is a place rich in African-American business leadership, and we’re confident this is the perfect place for the third location of Rodney Scott’s BBQ,” Scott said in the press announcement.
Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn wrote about the newest barbecue joint in Australia in his latest story. He writes that Houston’s Barbecue in the suburbs of Melbourne was inspired by a Texas road trip and serve solid brisket, pulled pork, chicken wings, and burgers.
The team at Austin’s LeRoy & Lewis are planning to host a “Pitmaster’s Potluck” at their truck at Cosmic Coffee and Beer Garden on September 8. Pitmasters from around Texas including Esaul Ramos (2M Smokehouse in San Antonio), Patrick and Erin Feges (Feges BBQ in Houston) and Reese Bros and Phillip Moellering (Brick Vault Brewery & Barbecue in Marathon) will all be in attendance.
When it comes to buying pork ribs, it’s good to know what to look for. Bon Appétit’s Sarah Jampel breaks down the three types of pork ribs you’re most likely to find and what makes each of the special.
Forbes contributor Gary Stoller asks “Can Any City Rival Austin's BBQ?” in a new column. While we would argue there are other top cities that can rival Austin, it’s true that Central Texas does feature many of the best joints in the country.
If you’re looking for unique barbecue menu items, look no further than the soon-to-open Bonez Brothers BBQ near Boston. The joint will have an emphasis on alligator, including “smoky alligator sausage, alligator tail, and alligator fritters,” Eater Boston reports.
Daniel Vaughn wrote a short piece for Bon Appétit on five of the most interesting Asian-inspired dishes at Houston’s Blood Bros. BBQ, including Brisket Fried Rice and Thai Peanut Butter Sticky Ribs.
Congratulations to Lee Ann Whippen of Tampa’s Deviled Pig on winning the top prize on the Food Network program BBQ Brawl: Flay V. Symon. Whippen defeated Hey Grill, Hey’s Susie Bulloch to be named the new Master of ‘Cue for the network.
Finally, in a sad note, "Smokey" John Reaves, the longtime owner and founder of Smokey John's Bar-B-Que & Home Cooking in Dallas, passed away last Saturday. Smokey John’s was opened in 1976 and the family-owned restaurant grew to become a force in the community.
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Pitmaster Pat Martin talks about whole hog to Eater on the How We Eat program.
Watch: Whole Hog BBQ is Alive and Well in Nashville Thanks To Pat Martin's Bar-B-Que - How We Eat
In West Tennessee, whole hog barbecue is a dying art, but pitmaster Pat Martin is working to change the story. How We Eat visits Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville to learn about the smokey tradition, how it differs from other barbecue methods around the country, and what Martin and his team are doing to preserve the practice. Watch here.
Listen: Sean Ludwig of The Smoke Sheet and NYC BBQ - Baseball and BBQ Podcast
The Smoke Sheet co-founder Sean Ludwig was interviewed recently for an episode of the Baseball and BBQ podcast. Hosts Leonard Aberman and Jeff Cohen sat down to eat barbecue with Sean at John Brown Smokehouse in NYC, then spoke about national and local barbecue trends, the process of creating both The Smoke Sheet and NYC BBQ, and many other topics. Listen to the episode here.
Read: Ten Lessons Learned from Smoking Our First Whole Hog - Barbecue Bros
Over the Father’s Day weekend in 2019, Monk and Speedy from the Barbecue Bros did something they have been dying to try for years - smoke their first whole hog. The two used Sam Jones’ new book Whole Hog BBQ and the Buxton Hall Book of Smoke to guide them through the process. Even with these two acclaimed books as sources, they ran into a few bumps in the process. Here are ten lessons they learned while smoking their first whole hog. Read it here.
The Sister Cities Smokeout will bring some serious heat to Minnesota.
August 29-30: Sister Cities Smokeout - Moorhead, Minnesota
The Sister Cities Smokeout festival takes place on August 29-30 at Bluestem Meadow in Moorehead, Minnesota. This two day festival will include music from a variety of national and local artists, and award-winning pitmasters from Sugarfire Smokehouse, Ubon’s Barbeque, and Pappy’s Smokehouse will serve delicious mouth-watering barbecue. More info here.
August 30 - September 1: Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival - Bedford, Texas
You won’t want to miss out on three days of blues music, delicious barbecue, and more at the Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival. Come out on Friday night for a free-for-all with free admission and parking, presented by the Trinity Rivers Blues’ Society. Bring your appetite for exclusive tasting events all weekend, then stay for the eclectic musical lineup of blues legends and local Dallas-Fort Worth favorites. More info here.
September 6-8: Kentucky BBQ Festival - Danville, Kentucky
The Kentucky BBQ Festival will feature great food, live music, and a backyard barbecue competition. Top pitmasters that will be serving barbecue there include Leslie Roark, Amy and Mike Mills, Moe Cason, Carey Bringle, and Shelly Hunt. More info here.
September 7: Pig Island NYC - Brooklyn, New York
For those that love all things pork, the 10th annual Pig Island NYC in Brooklyn will be a can’t-miss affair. Held outdoors at beautiful Erie Basin Park in Red Hook, this all-inclusive event will feature great food from top Northeastern pitmasters, plus a ton of beer, cider, and liquor. More info here.
September 12-15: American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Kansas City, Missouri
The American Royal is celebrating 40 years of competition barbecue in 2019. On top of a huge KCBS competition with teams from around the country, this signature Kansas City event includes public-facing activities, including incredible live music, delicious BBQ and local food, a full line up of kids activities, and a vendor fair authentic to Kansas City and BBQ enthusiasts. More info here.
September 19-21: 2019 Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off - Murphysboro, Illinois
The Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off is a unique dual cook contest sanctioned by the Memphis Barbecue Network and the Kansas City Barbeque Society. The event will also include a steak cookoff and a bloody mary contest as well as a kids Que competition. More info here.
September 21: Smoked Dallas - Dallas, Texas
Join us for a Texas-sized food fest and backyard BBQ party in the heart of downtown Dallas at this event. Enjoy tastings from 20 of the most celebrated BBQ joints from all across Texas at the event, along with live music from Dale Watson, Straight Tequila Night, and The 40 Acre Mule. More info here.
September 27-29: Q In The Lou - St. Louis, Missouri
Get ready to go hog wild and get your BBQ fix at another great year of Q in the Lou. Many of the country’s biggest names in BBQ are back once again, including Peg Leg Porker, Ubons BBQ, The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint, Sugarfire Smokehouse, and more. There will also be live music all three days. More info here.
September 29: Houston BBQ Throwdown 2019 - Houston, Texas
The Houston Barbecue Festival and Saint Arnold Brewing Company will throw the 5th annual Houston BBQ Throwdown on Sunday, September 29. It will feature 14 of Houston's best barbecue restaurants competing to create the next great barbecue dish that represents Houston-style barbecue, including Daddy Duncan's BBQ (2018 Judge's and People's Choice winner), Eddie O's Texas BBQ, Harlem Road Texas BBQ, Reveille Barbecue Co, Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue, and Victorian's Barbecue. More info here.
October 3-5: Firebox 3 BBQ On The Bluff Invitational - St. Simons Island, Georgia
The 3rd Annual BBQ on the Bluff Invitational takes place October 3-5, 2019 on St. Simons Island in Georgia. The festival is presented by Southern Soul BBQ and features some of the biggest names in barbecue from around the world. Proceeds benefit the Firebox Initiative. More info here.
October 5: Brew N’ Que - Perth, Western Australia
On Saturday, October 5th, the Brew N’ Que Festival will take place in Perth, Australia at the Ascot Racecourse. Experience the best in craft brew and barbecue. The event includes barbecue food vendors, craft beer, live music, cooking demos, competitions with national and international teams, Kids Q competition, classes from “BBQ Pitmasters” television celebrity Harry Soo, and the headline event with pitmaster Bill Dumas of The Switch in Dripping Springs, Texas. More info here.
October 6: Southern Smoke - Houston, Texas
An impressive lineup of pitmasters and chefs have been announced for the fifth annual Southern Smoke festival, which takes place on October 6 in Houston, Texas. Proceeds from the event will go towards the Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Fund and the National MS Society. More info here.
October 12: EGGtoberfest - Stone Mountain, Georgia
EGGtoberfest is a fun-filled, family-oriented celebration held each October for Big Green Egg fans. This event takes place on October 12 at Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain, Georgia and features food from over 200 Big Green Eggs, demonstrations, music, and more. More info here.
October 20: Butcher’s Ball - Brenham, Texas
The Butcher's Ball brings together Texas' most talented chefs, butchers, ranchers, and advocates for a day of demonstrations, discussions, tastings, and competition at the beautiful Rockin' Star Ranch in Brenham, Texas. The event is an incredible celebration of food, drink, music, and education, meant to shine a light on our local culinary and creative communities, bring awareness to sustainable farming and ranching practices, raise funds for local charities, and make the connection between the producer and the consumer. More info here.
See the full Smoke Sheet events calendar online here.
Smoked Suckling Pig
For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we chose this video recipe from Malcolm Reed’s channel How to BBQ Right for Smoked Suckling Pig. Malcolm adds layers of flavor to the outside of the pig by adding different rubs. Then he uses an injection to get more flavor deep into the meat. He then smokes until the shoulders reach an internal temperature of 190-195 degrees. The result is a BBQ delicacy that you will want to share with friends and family. View the recipe here.
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