The Smok’d Hog

Was looking for a local place to have sum BBQ, so I checked out Unilocal and I like the reviews that people were posting about Smok’d Hog so I decided to give this place a chance and boy I’m glad I did, food was delicious and it was really reasonable price I definitely recommend this place.

They were out of their vegetarian tacos!!! And that is why this place is out of place. Not really sure the name on this review is even correct. The main part of the sign fell off. I’ve heard it called a couple different names. The best BBQ in town.

Had the pork belly tacos and my friend had the kc. Delicious! Will definitely return. Great food.

Hmmm… I was super excited to try the food and we did… but it was totally underwhelming. If you are looking for bbq this not the place to visit… it’s more of a fusion of some sort. However, the establishment had character and I found everyone to be polite.

The food is ok the tall big guy in front is very unprofessional. I’ve tried this place twice and both times he was very rude. Like my business wasnt appreciated. Also if you want something promptly try another place. They need better ventilation in the kitchen because the cook is sweating like a pig ! Maybe that’s how they got their name.

I’m struggling to understand how a rib joint can run out of ribs at 8:00 on a Saturday night. Unfortunately it was my first, and probably last, attempt to try them out. It’s kinda a shame as I had heard good things about them. I recommend beefing up your product pars for the weekends. Running out of your supposedly best product is not a recipe for success in the restaurant business. Good luck with that.

Came back with my dad this time. He was impressed with the food. We did have the meatloaf sandwhich. And, man, wow! It was awesome. Can’t wait to go back again!

Got the Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich, a side of corn bread and a side of potato salad. The sandwich was good and had a BBQ mustard sauce on it. While I liked the sauce, I felt it could have been a little more on the BBQ side and less mustardy. The potato salad was also too mustardy. The corn bread was very good. Not a fan of the fact that they don’t give you your own BBQ squeeze containers and if you want extra BBQ sauce, you have to ask the guy behind the counter to manually squeeze each one you want into little cups for you. A bit on the pricey side as well. I’d only come back here if I was in the area but wouldn’t go out of my way.

Pork. I love pork and when it is done right, I cannot give less than 4 stars. I can’t give 5 stars solely because they were out of ribs. The next round of racks were still in the smoker for another couple hours. Those were the entire reason I went. However, the pulled pork sandwich and mac and cheese were delicious and very filling which made me and the sprats happy. The lemonade was delicious, fresh and refillable. I like their variety of housemade hot sauces. None were particularly scorching but they had subtle differences in sweetness and tartness. Service was extremely friendly and prompt. I will definitely be back to try out the Cubano and ribs.

This place is delicious.
I highly recommend the golden pulled pork sandwich… omg. Best pulled pork I’ve had in maybe forever!
Girl at the front was very helpful and knowledgeable about their meat & ingredients.
This place is worth every dollar.

I’m no BBQ Guru!
But I do enjoy some really good BBQ! I came here on a Saturday evening with my dad and enjoyed the mom and pop vibe as long as the friendly service. The menu seemed limited but I wasn’t too disappointed by it. I really wanted a tri tip but they didn’t have one.
They sell every item on their menu ala cart which I’m really not a huge fan of. I always think a BBQ place should serve meals in plates. My dad and I ordered the 3 pork ribs ($ 7), Mac and cheese ($ 4), and corn bread ($ 3). There was a good amount of Mac and cheese, two slices of corn bread, and the meat on the bone was a good amount. They have a variety of sauces but I wasn’t asked which sauce I would like. We were given the NC style which I’ve never had before but did enjoy the vinegar taste in this sauce. The corn bread was different, but a good different. I’m curious to how it’s made.
Over all the food was good but I wouldn’t pay $ 15 again for it. I understand they can charge those prices being they’re in Hillcrest but I’m just not a fan of over priced food.

Good food, unorganized, and the worst customer service I’ve experienced in a long time.
I was so stoked to come here. I walked into a small building with a lot of character. There were about 4 people in line with 2 cooks in the back and a guy taking orders. I noticed that the menu board was out of items. A nice old lady was in front of me and asked if they had ribs, the guy stared stared at her and said they only have ribs on Friday and Saturdays. (WTH is up with that!!!) It was my turn to order and I went up and asked the guy what he recommended. He paused and look at me like I was stupid, he then turned his head to a small chalkboard and pointed at it. (The daily special) I was then asked «what sauce do you want?» I asked what kind they had and he then looked at bottles again pointed and said those. I just said regular because I sure didn’t want to ask him what the small letters on the bottle said. I sat down and the guy went in the back and started to help cooking food. A lady came out and started packing the orders, the cooks got orders wrong and had to re-​make dishes. I then saw the guy that took my order take a bite of food while he was cooking, at that point I was grossed out.
I got home and opened the food, the meat was great and tender, whatever sauce I ordered was great, Mac and cheese was a little watery but good, overall great food. I believe this place could benefit from some common customer service and have employees eat there meal outside of the kitchen while cooking/​preparing.

When I came here on 06/​21/​2015 this place was called «The Whole Hog» I don’t know what happened to my review at that time. But I’ll try to remember on what i said.
Was spending the day walking through Balboa Park looking at all the art museums, dang all that walking makes a fella mighty hungry. Check on Unilocal to see what was close by BBQ caught my eyes so off to «The Whole Hog» we went. I had the Carolina Gold pulled pork sandwich, my wife had the pulled chicken sandwich and my daughter had the Rib Tips. I loved the collard greens. My wife whispered to me and said this food is fucking good. I told one of the owners and he had a big smile on his face and couldn’t stop laughing. I nice little spot to get your BBQ fix on.

Sigh… another SD favorite I’ll miss once I fully transition out of country. Anyway… let’s get to IT!
This is normally a Sunday favorite for the family. The menu seems to be different every visit and when they are out of a menu item for the day… they’re out. But no worries, because you’ll want to try every thing on the menu. There is good barbecue and then there is FINGER LICKIN’, SLAP YO MOMMA QUE… this place is slap yo momma good.
I highly recommend the meatloaf, sweet potatoes, greens. Every menu item has a unique twist and seems to be paired with something unexpected. Yeah, try the sweet potatoes with blue cheese crumble, you won’t be disappointed.
There are a total of three tables, some counter space, but the reality is, this place is small. Someone once told me never to eat barbecue from a restaurant, unless it was a hole in the wall and the chairs didn’t match. This place isn’t exactly a hole in the wall, but it’s a no frills kinda place. In my experience those are the best barbecue joints.
Overall…great barbecue, awesome staff, quick and friendly service. Oh and they do sweet tea right ;)

Ordered togo, tacos, cubano and Mac and cheese.
Mac and Cheese was decent.
Cubano was saturated with mayonnaise and just not tasty.
Tacos were well not good. It was like they chopped up a sausage and just threw it in a tortilla.

These 5 dandy stars above represent the flavor, enjoyment, and value. Sure, the space might not be fancy schmancy, but that’s not what they’re going for. Apologies to all my friends who don’t eat pork (or any meat, for that matter). This place is delicious. The staff is courteous and efficient, and every once in a while, I have a few laughs with them.
Haven’t had anything bad yet, and I would imagine the same for future visits. I’d recommend the KC Pulled Pork Sandwich and the Pork Belly Reuben. But still, these two thing can potentially be the least favorite on the menu since everything seems to be good.
Great place if you’re in the mood for delicious food and are not on a strict diet.
It’s located by that weird split in the road. If you’re heading south on Park, look for any street parking as you veer left. If you’re lucky, you can make a couple rights and end up on the other side of this place by the liquor store and find parking in their tiny lot.
They use an ipad for their transactions, so don’t worry if you’re cashless. I would personally still try to pay in cash since they’re not a chain establishment.
I have to reiterate. Their food tastes VERY GOOD. Almost WRONG how good it tastes.

This place is my jam. It’s a two minute walk from Casa de Danika and bomb. I feel like as time has gone on, the food has gotten better and better… and that’s not just because I’ve increased my ritual after work beer.
I’ve had half the menu and have yet to find item I dislike. Favorite is probably the Carolina Pull Pork or Pork Belly Tacos.
My ultimate fix is the Mac and Cheese, which has been perfected since they first opened. I believe when they first opened they were just getting into the swing of the ingredients, but now it’s addictive. I LOVE THE MAC AND CHEESE!
There’s a liquor store next door so you can get your beer fix and pull pork fix all in one stop! YOU’RE WELCOME!

I’ve been to The Smok’d Hog twice now, and both times the food and service were outstanding! On my last visit, I spoke with the cashier/​server, and she is extremely knowledgeable about the food and it’s preparation. For starters, they smoke everything in-​house, and they even carve up their own ribs and rib tips. Their current smoker isn’t very large, so they only offer ribs on Sat and Sunday and rib tips on Sunday only. However, they plan on getting a larger smoker and offering everything they make all week long! She also mentioned that they make everything they serve except the bread.
I had the Carolina Gold pulled pork sandwich on my last visit, and it was fantastic! It’s a very large portion of pork on a bun with coleslaw and a mustard BBQ sauce. In fact, there’s enough pork to make a second sandwich if I had another bun. I could see the smoke ring on the pork, and it goes deep. This means that the smoker imparts a distinct smokey flavor without being overpowering.
I plan on ordering ribs and rib tips in the future. Hell, I plan on trying everything they make eventually! My only complaint is that the dining area is very small, as is the dedicated parking.

The Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich was a winner. We also ordered a Cubano, a side of Macaroni & Cheese and Potato Salad and an Iced Tea.
I’m not an expert on Cubano Sandwiches but there was not too much to it other than a lot of ham. The Mac & Cheese was good but I didn’t enjoy this type of potato salad. We paid approximately $ 35 for all and although it wasn’t bad, I don’t think I’ll be back.

OUTSTANDING!!! And I will return, with glee and anticipation.
This hole in the wall is also known as The Whole Hog. They have a small onsite parking lot (OK to park in the «liquor store» spot (just let the boys know).
My friend and I came here for lunch and we knew we would enjoy it. We shared two sandwiches: Carolina pulled pork shoulder, w Carolina gold bbq sauce, jalapeño coleslaw (mild), $ 9.50. Also, the «Torta», smoked chicken w tomatoe, onion, arugala & avocado cream aioli, also $ 9.50. Both were absolutely delicious. I’d order either again, but I’ll probably try something new next time.
We also shared the Pickled Okra, $ 1.50, but I’ll give that a pass. Arnold Palmer teas @ $ 3 and regular tea @ $ 2.50, brought our total up to $ 26 plus a couple of bucks for the «boys».
FYI, ribs are available ONLY on Fridays… best to get your order in early!

This little bbq shop is located right where North Park and Hillcrest come together I believe. The Whole Hog has been on my list to try as I like bbq but don’t know much about it. I had heard they serve both Carolina and Kansas City style bbq sandwiches so I was curious to see what this little BBQ shop was all about.
I tried a few items one evening:
Carolina Gold Pulled Pork Sandwich
They smoke their pork for hours and hours. The pulled pork was incredibly tender and flavorful. I usually don’t take coleslaw on my bbq sandwiches but this combo works well as the crunch from the coleslaw was a nice texture contrast to the pulled pork.
KC Pulled Pork Sandwich
They use the same house smoked pulled pork for their KC Sandwich. I love the bbq sauce in this sandwich as it was nicely sweet and worked well with the smoke from the pulled pork.
Cubano
I liked how the cheese spilled out and crisped up on the toasted bread of this cubano. Here’s another angle of the porky goodness inside this sandwich (see pic). This was my favorite item of the day. The ham and roasted pork shoulder worked well together for this meaty sandwich. I’m a big sucker for aioli so you know that component was a plus for me — I’m trying to remember if I tasted a bit of garlic in the aioli as well?
Cornbread
Gosh I hope you can see the glistening top of this cornbread. I asked Chris, the owner, if I was seeing this cornbread correctly and he smiled and said yes, that it’s more of a sweet cornbread. Almost like cornbread cake. Cornbread cake people. Doesn’t that sound heavenly. You could taste the ground corn bits in this bread. My favorite part was the crust — my goodness — it was so crispy, sugary, and delicious.
Collard Greens (cooked with pork)
I believe the collard greens are cooked with chunks of the pork belly. The collard greens were a bit bitter but I believe this is the way the greens are supposed to taste.
They were fully staffed that day so there didn’t seem to be an issue with service. They share a parking lot with a liquor store but I’m not sure if they have a few reserved spaces just for themselves. Don’t forget metered parking ends at 6p so don’t feed those things any quarters after that hour. I think I heard Whole Hog serves baby back ribs on weekends so I’d come back to try those out if I was in the area.