Monk: Last weekend, I cooked my second whole hog. I’ll be following up on my “Seven Things I’m Going to Do Differently” post in due time to update on how I did on each one, but in the meantime, here are some photos from the weekend.
I got the fire started shortly after 10 on Friday night and got the hog on about an hour later.
The Jon G’s Beer from Town Brewing was a good call for the cook on Friday night.
After an all night cook, the hog finished up early afternoon and I got ready to feed the 350 or so people who had RSVP’d to the event, which was officially the Second Annual Pig Roast for my neighborhood swim club. Last year, I had it catered but wanted to take on the official pig duties this year.
What a fun, tiring experience. I don’t know when my next hog will be, but I had a blast for this one.
Monk: As we near the end of the summer and fall starts to get close, my mind inevitably turns to the question I’ve thought about off and on since Father’s Day of 2019: “when am I going to smoke another whole hog?”
Well, 2025 is the year I am making firm plans to do just that. I was quite happy with how everything turned out last time but I did learn some lessons from the initial cook that I plan on changing up for my second pig 6 years later. In no particular order, here’s what I’m going to do differently:
I’m going to use a pig cooker (a BQ Grill, specifically)
As fun as a cinder block and rebar pit was, for me that experience may end up being a one and done. Thankfully, I at least didn’t have to purchase 80-odd cinder blocks and instead was able to borrow them from Garren of Jon G’s Barbecue. And while Garren graciously offered to drop them off and pick them up, those blocks were a pain to get from the driveway to my backyard and then back again when time came to pick them back up. Not to mention I was out of town when Garren needed to pick them up and my poor dad had to do it by himself in the July summer heat.
I will get a bunch of wood coals going before I start the cook
One of the lessons learned from the first time around was that I didn’t get enough coals going so I was constantly playing catch up in terms of waiting for coals to burn down before I could add them to keep the temperature consistent. So much so to the point that Speedy made a middle of the night run to a 24-hour Wal-mart to pick up a few bags of charcoal to get help kickstart the fire. This time around, I’m loading the burn barrel full of wood and will keep that adding more and more while also going ahead and proactively getting a couple bags of charcoal in case I need them.
I’m going to crisp up the skin and chop it into the pork
Last time around I made a half hearted attempt to crisp up the skin as party attendees arrived but ultimately did not get it crispy enough so that you had a contrast between the texture of the crispy skin and the pork. Thinking back to some of the best pork I’ve had both this year (at City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia, SC) and all-time (from Skylight Inn in Ayden, NC and from Sam Jones’ pop ups as well as his restaurants in Winterville and Raleigh), those crispy bits are really what set it apart. I’m going to make it a point to recreate that as best I can.
I’ll probably throw some pork butts on (just in case)
In hindsight, I played a slightly risky game smoking the pig last time around with no plan B. What if I struggled to get the fire going? What if Speedy and I both fell asleep (literally) on the job? What if the pig cook took longer than I had planned? What if people started showing up and I couldn’t tell them when the food would be ready? That’s the nightmare of any cook, barbecue or not, so I’m going to make sure I am well prepared just in case.
I will try the head this time
The head was included with the pig last time around and I may have thrown it on the pit for show but I did not even think of trying any part of it, which as any barbecue afficionado knows is known for being really tasty. Had I researched ahead of time I would have realized that the muscles in a pig’s head, especially the cheeks, are known for being tender and flavorful due to their high fat and collagen content. Next time around I’m going to make sure I at least try some pig cheeks.
I will not waste any pig this time around
Due to carelessness, not enough rebar, and a lack of sleep, last time around I ended up accidentally dropping a whole quarter of the pig onto the ground of the pit. Now, I was able to salvage most of what dropped but the last thing you want to do is spend all that time, energy, and money on a pig only to (accidentally or not) waste any of it.
I’m going to recruit a crew to not only help out but enjoy the cook
Last time around it was just Speedy and me, and while we more than managed, we were both pretty pooped the next day for the actual party after taking shift through the night. I’ve got some friends who I’m planning to call upon to not only help out with the cook but also help make the time passing more enjoyable. Because if you’re going to do a whole hog, you might as well enjoy the process right?
Want to see how cook #2 goes? Follow along on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and we’ll have a follow up post next month.
Monk: It’s been a lighter year, barbecue-wise for me but I have managed to hit several big hitters across the southeast (including four restaurants on the Texas Monthly United States of Texas Barbecue list from Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina). I’m looking at it as trying a few worthwhile places instead of a bunch of mediocre ones, and hopefully in the second half of the year I’ll get to a few more places to round out my list by the end of 2025.
In chronological order, here are the best things I have eaten from the first half of the year:
Last year, the carnitas from Union Barbecue was one of my favorite bites of the year (not to mention the brisket and the out-of-this-world Big Deborah oatmeal cream pie). On a subsequent stop in January I tried the smoked half chicken topped with white sauce, salsa macha, and cilantro for a change of pace and found it to be a nice, lighter alternative to the heavier meats.
Shotgun Willie’s outside Nashville did a lot of good things fairly well – brisket, sausage, Brunswick stew – but their pork shoulder dusted with pork rub was my pick of the platter.
Smoked brisket burger from Dampf Good BBQ (review)
While there was a lot to like at Dampf Good BBQ earlier this year, the smoked brisket burger took the cake over the brisket, ribs, and sausage. So much so that I forgot to take photos of it until I had taken a few bites of the delicious burger made from smoked brisket trimmings and topped with cheese, pickles, and mayo on a potato bun. It was a special on that day, but be on the look out if you are checking them out in Cary.
I live by a simple rule: if I see beef cheeks on the menu, I’m going to buy it. Maybe I’ve been lucky but the two places I’ve tried – Palmira Barbecue in Charleston and Owens & Hull in Smyrna – have put out some seriously tasty renditions that are must orders at their respective restaurants.
Chopped pork with crispy skins from City Limits Barbeque (review)
Robbie Robinson mixes in pork belly with his whole pork shoulders and then chops in some crispy skin to finish it off. It’s going to take a lot to knock this sandwich from the West Columbia restaurant off its perch as my favorite bite of barbecue in 2025. Honorable mentions to the barbecue hash and the sweet jalapeno pimento cheese.
Name: City Limits Barbeque Date: 6/14/25 Address: 1119 Methodist Park Rd, West Columbia, SC 29170 Order: Quarter pound brisket, half pound chopped pork, chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins,1 mild sausage link, hash and rice, sweet beans, collards, shells and cheese, jalappeno pimento cheese (link to menu) Pricing: $$
Monk: Have you been to a James Beard-nominated barbecue joint? There are only but a few of those around, so chances are you might not have. How about one that’s been nominated as a semifinalist twice in two years, believed to be the only joint to have that distinction? Well if you’ve been to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia, SC, you can say that you have. It may also hold the distinction to be perhaps the only James Beard nominee to display their nomination next to a loaf of Wonder Bread:
My visit to City Limits had been years in planning before I finally made the trip. I had previously met owner and pitmaster Robbie Robinson through Garren Kirkman of Jon G’s but had only tried his food once before: his barbecue hash over Carolina Gold rice at last year’s Carolina Barbecue Festival in Charlotte. It was one of my favorite bites of the festival and on this day was a close second to my favorite bite of the day and possibly the year.
Speaking of which, the chopped pork sandwich with crispy skins mixed in holds that particular distinction. Robinson smokes pork shoulders as well as pork bellies over direct heat with just a salt rub and chops them together. You can choose whether to have the skins mixed in or not, but I beg you to please get the crispy skins mixed in. It’s then placed upon a nice hefty bun that can withstand the generous portion and you won’t be disappointed. I certainly wasn’t.
In addition to being a James Beard nominee, City Limits also has the distinction of being one of the top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of the state of Texas according to Texas Monthly. I tried a slice of the fatty brisket and while Robinson wasn’t thrilled with the look of the slice I got when I spoke with him at the register, it was more than solid. Being a Texas-style joint, there were a couple of house made sausages on the menu, and I went with the mild hot link which was above average like the brisket. A few days later, I put these two leftovers together into a fold over on a piece of white bread with a dill pickle and had a great snack.
All of the sides at City Limits are scratch made, and there wasn’t a miss in any of the ones I selected: sweet (pinto) beans, shells and cheese, and collards which were Mrs. Monk-approved. I can’t forget to mention the jalapeno pimento cheese, which we saved to eat a few days later during our week at the beach.
Robinson likes to say that it’s better than the pimento cheese at the Masters, and after visiting myself earlier in the year for the first time I can’t disagree. My only complaint was that I didn’t buy a bigger tub of it; it’s a must get.
Unfortunately, Robbie and team (all of which were able to attend the awards ceremony in Chicago with him in person) did not take home the award for Best Chef: Southeast last Monday; instead it went to Jake Howell of Peninsula in Nashville. However in this case it’s not cliche to say that it’s an honor just to be nominated; particularly when its twice in two years.
If you get there during or just prior to the lunch rush at City Limits Barbeque, be prepared for roughly a two hour wait; that was our experience getting there at 10:30am Saturday before an 11am open. Another potential approach would be to wait until 2 or 3pm once the rush has died down. You may risk some items being sold out, but this past weekend I saw someone was still able to nab a beef rib so you never know.
In any case, don’t be a dummy like me and delay your visit to City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia.
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