So this is the first restaurant review that I am doing. I felt that I need to write about this place because it’s damn good. I am talking about The Whole Hog Cafe. It opened in 2000 in Little Rock, AK. Under the cooking guidance of Mike “Sarge” Davis. You can see how he does some of his cooking later in this post.
Pulled Pork
If you have read my post on making pulled pork “Pull That Pork Friend!” or seen my video from my first event you know that I add rub back into the pulled pork once it’s all pulled. I do this because when you rub the pork you only flavor the outside of the butt. By adding rub into the finished product you get a ton more flavor. To my knowledge, Whole Hog doesn’t do this. They rub their meat but they don’t add seasoning after the fact. This is not a knock against them it’s really just pointing it out. As for tenderness… Man they cook it well. There is a nice pink smoke ring, good bark, and it is juicy.
Brisket
Now this is one thing that I can’t quite get over. Their brisket bends perfectly and comes apart with a slight tug just as good competition brisket should. The rub on this is really good and again super juicy and cooked well. It’s a definite must have!
Ribs
Now I have eaten at this place at least 10 times this past month, I like their ribs a lot but they have been on and off a few times. Sometimes they leave a perfect bite mark, other times they pull completely off the bone. All in all well done though.
Sauces
Ok, here is where I can really talk for days about their sauce. Now if you didn’t already know I make my own Rubs and Sauces but that doesn’t mean that I can’t like someone elses. Now they don’t really name their sauces, they are #1 – #6 and you can request a #7 which is their “Volcano” sauce.
Now I personally like to mix #2 and #6. #2 is a sweet sauce and #6 is a mustard sauce. I think these two go great together and I wish my own sauce tasted like this. Here is a list of their sauces.
- #1 SAUCE – Classic BBQ sauce – sweet & mild
- #2 SAUCE – Tangy tomato – smooth, sweet, and slightly spicy
- #3 SAUCE – Same as Sauce #2, but spicier
- #4 SAUCE – Traditional Southern vinegar & spice
- #5 SAUCE – Sweet, dark, and bold molasses flavor
- #6 SAUCE – Rich mustard & vinegar – an Old South favorite
- VOLCANO SAUCE – The name says it all… Eat at your own risk
Chicken
So out of all the times I have been there, I have yet to try their chicken… This isn’t to say it’s not good. I’m not much of a chicken person, I prefer my meat from cows and pigs.
I will make sure I try it out so I can give a full review.
Sides
They have all types of sides. My personal favorite is the Potato Salad. I don’t know how it’s made but I can taste sour cream in them. It’s a great taste. They have chili, cheesy corn, cole slaw, and beans. All of them are good.
In Closing
This place is overall a great BBQ place. You won’t be disappointed when you go here. And now I leave you with the other videos I promised.
Please subscribe to my email list and start preparing for the upcoming podcast. Who knows maybe I will have Mike “Sarge” Davis on there one day!