When one thinks of great BBQ pork ribs, a small desert town in Northern Nevada doesn’t usually come to mind. But that’s OK for the folks of Winnemucca, because it’s more great eating for them.
Sash and I stopped into this town of 7,400 residents on our way to Salt Lake City for a butt break and a place to satisfy our hungry stomachs. Being it’s situated along a busy Interstate, Winnemucca has lots of national chains to choose from. But sitting in the city’s center is The Pig BBQ & Pub, considered the favorite place of locals.
Mike Moore is the restaurant’s manager, and happened to be tending bar when we got there.
“We get pretty good business here all year around”, he explained. “Even in the winter when the snow’s up to here, people come here for the BBQ and stay here because it’s warm.”
The BBQ pork ribs were probably some of the best I’ve ever had. Large, meaty ribs where the meat falls off the bone and fills your mouth with smoky, spicy, sweet goodness. And I only ordered the half-rack, which turned out to be plenty enough due to their thick chunks of meat.
And it didn’t just end with the ribs. The chicken wings are pretty damn good too. Again, big, meaty pieces, as if they came from some kind of secret chicken ranch tended by aliens from outer space who know the secrets to raising huge chickens. And then they’re slathered with a spicy, sweet wing sauce that makes you want to lick the plate clean.
Even their BBQ beans are amazing! Filled with chunks of pulled pork swimming in a smoky, seasoned sauce, I was quite amazed that BBQ this good could come from a place so far west of the Mississippi.
“We go through 25 cases of ribs each week” Moore went on to say. “And we special order them from a secret meat wholesaler.”
The Pig BBQ & Pub opened up 6 years ago. The building they’re in was originally built 23 years ago and started out as a bank and eventually became a law office. Today, it’s a fixture in Winnemucca as the local favorite. It also has its own house craft beer made by a brewer in Bend, Oregon. It remains as the busiest restaurant in town with four smokers running all day and night.
But business swells every Memorial Day weekend for the Run-A-Mucca motorcycle rally. “All the bikers come here”, Moore said, pointing his finger outside to the large parking lot surrounding the restaurant. “Well, at least it seems like they’re all coming here!”
The Pig BBQ & Pub
1139 W. Winnemucca Blvd
Winnemucca, NV 89445
(775) 623-4104
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