Adam & Eats: High on the Hog

After enduring the strains of the fallout from a three-day weekend, I thought we could all use a little comfort food this week. Normally, I would find us some place that puts peppered gravy on everything, but I opted for something a bit smokier.

Literally. Both food-wise and atmospherically.

This week, we’re living the good life, so buckle up your Big Smiths, we’re eating barbecue once again.

Located snugly in Mercy medical’s armpit on Rogers Avenue, in what was until recently Randalla’s, is High on the Hog.

You know it is going to be good when you walk in to a restaurant that is hazy with hickory smoke and your friendly waitress proceeds to tell you all of the things that they are already sold out of. Under normal circumstances, this could be construed as offensive. Like it is their fault for running out of food. But, given that it takes hours to properly smoke a piece of meat, this news comes as more of a verbal reprimand.

“If you wanted ribs, then you shouldn’t have waited until 7:30 to show up.”

This puts the blame onto the customer for being irresponsible and lazy. And that’s how it should be. You wouldn’t be mad at your grandmother for not saving you a piece of pie, she spent all morning constructing and baking, simply because you showed up to Sunday lunch three hours late.

Barbecue is pure and simple. The rules are always first come, first served. Needless to say, I didn’t get any ribs. Or chicken. Strangely enough, given that the Razorbacks were playing, there was plenty of pork left.

Personally, I like to honor our noble Hogs by sacrificing one of their brethren to the football gods. Then, I cover said sacrifice with delicious sauces and consume it. I guess other people feel differently. But, I digress.

Let’s talk a little shop (or should I say chop), shall we? Right off the bat, a dish caught my eye. I love creativity when it comes to food, so I had to order “the Missing Link.” Who wouldn’t, really? What you get is a chopped pork sandwich with a hot link, also chopped up, mixed in. (Imagine if you took a pork loin and a hot link and threw them into a wood chipper and caught the meat mulch in a toasted bun.) Drown that bad boy in some of their excellent sauce and you are good to go. Forever.

The intriguing thing about this sandwich, and all of their sandwiches really, is that they toast a bun, set the bottom half onto a paper lined lunch tray (not on a plate, mind you), and then they dump a metric crap ton of smoky meat onto to this half of the bun before topping this mountain of meaty goodness with the other half of the toasty bun. (See the attached photo for a visual representation.)

To quote a fast food chain, High on the Hog “thinks outside the bun.” It is pretty brilliant. It is like a meat sandwich with a side order of meat.

The pork and the hot links are spectacular. I can’t vouch for the chicken or beef, though. You’ll have to try them and let me know.

As far as side dishes go, their okra is some of the best around. Also, get the baked beans. They’re pure sweet, smoky goodness. And the hush puppies. Don’t forget to try those. Also, some of the best around.

If you haven’t been to visit High on the Hog yet, please do so. And bring your friends. Just remember to get there early if you want your pick of the full menu.

Until next time, good eating to you and yours.