Name: Little Pigs BBQ
Date: 7/5/19
Address: 384 McDowell Street, Asheville, N.C. 28803
Order: Regular BBQ plate with slaw and beans, broasted chicken thigh (link to menu)
Pricing: $

Monk: Back in the 1960’s, the Memphis-based Little Pigs Barbecue of America chain of restaurants had nearly 100 franchises throughout the southeast. The corporation went bankrupt by 1967, but you can still find independently run locations still open here and there; in NC there are locations in Newton and Statesville and I know Columbia, SC still has one open that Marie, Let’s Eat! loved. 

And of course there’s this Asheville one. It wasn’t my original plan to try a new Asheville barbecue restaurant on this trip, but Buxton Hall was unexpectedly closed for lunch that day due to some hood system issues so I quickly changed our coordinates towards Little Pigs.

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This Asheville location opened in 1963 (the only year that Little Pigs of America apparently turned a profit before shuttering) in an old gas station just north of the Biltmore Estate. It was owned by a husband and wife duo Joe and Peggy Swicegood (from my understanding, not related to Jess Swicegood who helped create the Lexington style of barbecue) until Joe’s death in 2014 at the age of 91. For more of a profile of them, I can’t recommend this Our State article from Jeremy Markovich enough.

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With all that history at Little Pigs BBQ, it’s unfortunate that I found my barbecue to be fairly average. Behind the registers at the front counters sit old brick ovens that used to cook the meat but Little Pigs currently uses a gas-assisted wood smoker. You can still get some good product out of gassers, but I didn’t get a lot of smoke in the barbecue, or much flavor to honest. Until I mixed in some slaw and Texas Pete, I found my chopped pork to be quite bland. 

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The broasted chicken thigh, on the other hand, was fantastic. If there is a next time, I’ll focus on more of that as opposed to the barbecue. For those curious (and because I just bothered to look it up), broasted chicken is essentially fried chicken that’s cooked in a pressured fryer.

The sides of mayo-based coleslaw, baked beans, and three hush puppies were all standard and not noteworthy in the least.

Little Pigs BBQ is by far the oldest barbecue restaurant in Asheville and for that, its worth a visit but only once you’ve eaten at Buxton Hall or 12 Bones or Luella’s. Try the barbecue but be prepared to get some broasted chicken.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 2.5 hogs
Broasted Chicken – 4.5 hogs 
Sides – 2.5 hogs
Overall – 2.5 hogs

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