Having gone to school in Texas, I am partial to their style of BBQ, especially beef brisket. Was craving some good BBQ over the July 4th weekend, so decided to look up some BBQ places on Yelp. Found The Smoking Pig and according to the reviews seemed pretty good and located fairly close to us in San Jose.
Smokers outside
Real hardwood for smoking
Pulling into the parking lot, you are greeted with the smells of smoky goodness. Often when dining out, you can not see a restaurant’s kitchen setup. But for the Smoking Pig, it’s in plain view behind the restaurant – large black smoke boxes fueled by real burning hardwood and seasoned with years of smoking meats on a daily basis.
The menu consists of some appetizers, including their signature one, Wolf Turds, which are stuffed jalepenos wrapped in bacon, then smoked in the BBQ pit. We did not try that, but I glanced at another table which ordered it, and it looked tasty. Entrees include personal platters consist of 1, 2, or 3 meat combinations that come with cornbread and personal sized side order, which includes cole slaw, potato salad, etc. Since we were a large group (5 adults 3 kids), the waitress suggested we do the a la carte option and order the meats by the pound and share. We opted for pound each of the pulled pork and brisket and a full rack of ribs. I had also seen pictures and read rave reviews of the mac and cheese online, so we ordered the quart size to share.
BBQ Beef Brisket
The beef brisket was by far the favorite around the table. You can request whether you want “fatty” or “lean” cuts of the brisket, and we opted for a 50/50 split. Slow smoked/cooked Texas style, the flavor of the rub and smoke penetrated deeply into the meat, which really required no BBQ sauce
The Ribs
Ribs were done St Louis style, slightly dry but with a slathering of sauce on it. Ribs were meaty and well prepared. BBQ sauce is optional on this one, depending on if you are a fan of wet or dry ribs.
Pulled Pork
The pulled pork was prepared Carolina style, and came shredded. with a good combination of crisp , burnt edges and moist interior. Unlike the other 2 meats, I think BBQ sauce is a must on this one with the Carolina style BBQ sauce pairing well with this.
3 Types of BBQ Sauce
Like any real credible BBQ joint, Smoking Pig makes its own homemade BBQ sauce, three types in fact. The Carolina Sassy has a vinegary profile with a bit of mustard and as mentioned before pairs well with the pulled pork. The Kansas City Hot is powered by habeneros and has a nice heat kick at the end, just enough to burn a few seconds and fade into the background. The California Honey was a bit on the sweeter side, a bit too sweet for my personal preference, but went well with the brisket. I mixed the KC hot with the Carolina Sassy to create a more balanced sipping sauce for the pulled pork.
Mac and Cheese with bits of BBQ meat in it
I am a big fan of good mac and cheese. I’m not talking about the ones with the sauce you make from a powder, but from real cheese in a bechamel sauce poured over pasta, and sometimes baked off in a casserole dish. i was anxious to try The Smoking Pigs version because I read they also incorporate bits of their BBQ into the sauce. When the waitress bought the quart sized container to our table, I could tell it was gonna be good because of the weight. This stuff was dense. Scooping some out, you get a satisfying thud as it hits your plate, meaning this stuff is rich, and met my expectations of how a good mac and cheese should be made. The bits of BBQ lent a nice smokiness that differentiates it from other restaurant’s mac and cheese. My suspicion is if you were to refrigerate this overnight, it would solidify back into its natural, unmelted, cheese block form, which means it was made right (in my personal opinion at least).
Verdict:
The Smoking Pig is definitely a place I would recommend for good BBQ. They do it well and prices are pretty reasonable. The brisket is a must order, although the ribs and pork are no slouch food either. Worth a trip from anywhere in the South Bay, especially if you like really good BBQ.
Tips:
We went for an early dinner because Theresa read it gets crowded during the peak dinner hours. When we left, I noted the dining room was almost full, and the parking lot had no empty spaces. Since slow smoking takes a while, they can only cook a set amount of meat a day, so if you go later, there is also a danger they will run out of meats. So my advice is to come early so you can to ensure you can get what you want. They also do take out orders, which we will definitely do in the future.
