Smokey Pig Bar-B-Q - Bowling Green, KY

I was down in Bowling Green, Kentucky recently seeing a dealer who has bought some stuff from us off and on over the years.  On my way in town to see him, I passed by a barbecue place that had both and interesting name - Smokey Pig Bar-B-Q - and a sort of interesting location.  After I saw my dealer later that day, I decided to have some barbecue at Smokey Pig.  

Smokey Pig has been around for a number of years, dating back into the early 70's.  The original owner, Ned "Smokey" Nickerson, sold the business to Kaye Huffer in 1999.  Actually, it was Kaye's husband, Phil, who was instrumental in the family taking over Smokey Pig.  Phil grew up in Monroe County, Kentucky, about 50 miles away from Bowling Green.  In Monroe County, they have a style of barbecue that is called, well, "Monroe County-style barbecue".  Basically, it's a pork-centric barbecue where they smoke the meat with no spices added - the hickory wood smoke gives the meat its signature taste - and before they serve it, they put a little bit of a vinegar-based barbecue sauce on the meat.  It's an acquired taste, for sure, but one that a lot of people in Southern Kentucky seem to like.  Phil Huffer liked it so much that he would make the 100 mile round trip to Monroe County for barbecue a couple times a week before the family bought Smokey Pig Bar-B-Q.   

It wasn't all that busy when I got into Smokey Pig just off Louisville Road on a little side road named after the barbecue joint - Smokey Pig Road. (see map)  It was around 5:30 p.m. - they close promptly at 7 p.m. Tuesday thru Saturday (closed Sunday and Monday).  I went inside the building and took a look around.  The brightly lit dining room as you walk in features the kitchen/ordering window to the left.  There's a number of tables and chairs in the dining room and a porch-like dining room back behind some windows of the main dining room.  There were some guys out there dining when I came in and a solitary man eating near the television that was turned on to CNN in the corner.  

The menu at Smokey Pig is located on the wall next to the window where you order your food.  They feature barbecue plates with your choice of a couple sides, but they didn't seem to have any type of a sampler where I could try more than just one thing.  Kaye Huffer and her son, Scott, were working the window that evening.  Scott Huffer asked me what he could get me.  I said, "You really don't have anything like a sampler where I can get maybe some pulled pork and some ribs, do you?"

Scott Huffer said in a Southern drawl, "Oh, I can make up just about anything you want.  You want like a pulled pork sandwich and some ribs?"

I said, "Well, I'd like to maybe get the pulled pork plate and maybe a couple three ribs, if I could."

"Sure," Scott replied.  "I can do that."  

He asked me what I wanted for my sides and I told him baked beans, for sure, but I wasn't certain what I wanted for the other side.  I had my choice between either mayo or vinegar cole slaw, mac & cheese, and the cute-named 'tater' salad, and red skin mashed 'taters'.  I was really in the down-home South.  

I asked him what he recommended and he didn't even hesitate.  "Vinegar slaw is my favorite," he replied.  I took his lead and got that.  

He then asked me if I wanted the pulled pork "dipped".  Not knowing the vernacular of Monroe County-style barbecue, I asked him what he meant by dipped.  He explained to me that they have a barbecue sauce that they dip the meat into to give it a spicy coating.  "Or, if you don't want all that heat," he explained, "we've got a less spicy barbecue powder that we can sprinkle on the meat for ya.  Or you can just get it plain."  

I said, "No, no.  I'll do it dipped."  

He asked me if I was sure.  "It can be pretty hot for some people," he warned.  He pointed to a sign on the wall in the kitchen that outlined the different levels of hot you can have your meat.  Double-dipped was REALLY hot.  Yeah, I was sure the one dip would be suitable for me.  But for good measure, I ordered a couple bottles of beer, just to be sure.  

For $15.40, I got two ribs, a healthy amount of pulled pork, two good-sized sides and a couple beers.  I certainly couldn't complain about the prices.  Scott Huffer handed me two containers - one carrying the ribs and the sides, the other with the pulled pork, freshly dipped, and a dill pickle spear.  I also got a couple pieces of white bread - a true barbecue joint, I thought.  

I tried the ribs first.  They had a little bit of a tomato-based sauce on them.  Unfortunately, the ribs were a little tough.  Oh, they were meaty, for sure.  But they didn't pull off the bone very easily.  The flavor was good and I added a little bit of a sweet and smokey barbecue sauce that had a nice mild taste to it.  I was hoping the pulled pork would be better.

It was, but it still didn't knock my socks off.  The pulled pork was tender and juicy, but the vinegar sauce didn't seem all that hot to me.  It did have a nice little kick, but my mouth was no where on fire.  When I mixed in some of the mild sauce, it was a pleasant combination of sweet, smokey and spicy.   

I tried some of the baked beans on their own and while they were good, mixing in some of the sweet/smokey barbecue sauce made 'em a little better.  The vinegar cole slaw was a little bland to my taste - a little more sugar probably would have helped it out.  

Overall, I liked my experience at Smokey Pig.  The Huffers were friendly and accommodating; the ribs were a little tough, but still pretty meaty; the pulled pork was tender and had a nice little kick when dipped in the Monroe County-style vinegar sauce.  I did like their sweet and smokey barbecue sauce and it was a nice addition to the interesting taste of the meats.  I got a lot of food for a little price and that's the one thing that I'll always remember about Smokey Pig Bar-B-Q.  It's a very good value with pretty good barbecue.  (Picture at right courtesy Lexeat.com)

Comments

[Beth Bennett]

I just found this blog and I have to say, I certainly love how you capture the whole picture of your visit. The history of the restaurants you go to is interesting and captivating. You are truly a lucky man to be able to find places like this in your travels.