Tuesday
Mar222011
Local Eats: The Pig - Chapel Hill, NC
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 12:05PM 
I used to think that my spirit animal was butter. I'm starting to think I'm a pig. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of talking with Victoria Bouloubasis(click here to read that article), a writer for The Independent. We spoke for hours at length about tour and food and performing all the while stuffing our faces with amazing food. This is a recap of that meal.
The above (drool) is a pork belly sandwich topped with cole slaw, and served with a side of home-made pickles. The pork is perfectly braised to that fall apart texture and the pickles are sweet and crisp.
So the above is what I consider to be vegetable bliss. It's roasted brussel sprouts with mushrooms, and seriously, it's so good you'll swear there's lard on them. PERFECTION in a bowl.
If you're ever in the mood for some good ole fried zucchini I'd say it's official, The Pig, has the best fried zuchs. in town and darn good fries to boot. The BBQ is chop style and for my palette could be spicier and more sour.
This dish reminds me of being in Germany. ThaSam was so nice to bring us out this awesome cold cut plate with home made sauer kraut and spicy mustard. The Germans really know what's up.
Now THAT is a fried green tomato. Most of the time when you get these at restaurants they are thin and non substantial and really don't have much to offer. The crust on these were super crunchy and these tomatoes were HUGE. They were practically a big thick slice of bread with some warm, firm green tomato on the inside.
Prior to this meal I had no idea what the process was for making real "cracklin's." The process is a lot more than just throwing some fat back in a fryer. In fact very little fat is left on them when they hit the grease. The process is too long to discuss for this post but let's just say the next time you eat a cracklin' you should savor every moment of it. AND, if you get the chance to eat some of Sam's cracklin's you're in for a treat. Perfectly airy and crisp, with a touch of sweetness just the way the should be.
So let's go over what we've eaten so far, pork belly, sprouts, zucchini, fries, bbq, cold cuts, fried green tomatoes, cracklin's, and now how am I supposed to fit puffs of air and dough into my belly? Ok, well the fact that they are mostly air really helps, but these things are perfect for that long meal. You get the sweetness without all the heavy, unless of course you eat the whole bowl like we did.
This is Sam. Does he look familiar, because he sure did to me when I walked in. Turns out Sam and I were on the UNC varsity fencing team together my senior year. Crazy small world I tell you. Thanks so much Sam for all the fantastic food!
If you live in Chapel Hill and have a car, you need to drive on over to The Pig and have some pig.
tagged brussel sprouts, french fries, fried green tomatoes, local, pig, pork in Chapel Hill, NC
brussel sprouts, french fries, fried green tomatoes, local, pig, pork in Chapel Hill, NC
Reader Comments (9)
You had me at homemade pickles. I really want to try this place!
Wow, what camera are you using? With the great light and shallow depth of focus, they look like professional shots!
great post. and great BBQ joint. the meat is also super sustainable, right? thanks for the food love
There is something about pork belly that is just irresistible. That sandwich looks perfect!
And roasted brussel sprouts are the only way we eat them in this house - delicious.
Next time I'm in Chapel Hill, it's on my list!
Besides, any restaurant with the name Pig in it, has got to be good ;)
I tried this place last time I was in Chapel Hill and it was delicious! I love that the pigs are local and pasture raised. Unfortunately they were out of the sprouts; I will definitely get those next time.
The only thing I'm not crazy about is ordering at the counter. We decided we needed some hush puppies after we got our food and had to go wait in line again to order them.
"I used to think that my spirit animal was butter." Joe Kwon, you are hilarious! :) And the food looks fantastic! My mouth is watering for those dough puffs!!
That is some good looking BBQ there! Nice menu too.. can't go wrong with Catfish.
I've had this restaurant on my *MUST* list for Chapel Hill visits and now I'm only more convinced that I need to hit it up ASAP. Beautiful photos/review/blog!