Iron Pig Alehouse in Pacific Beach is named for its “smoker,” the machine responsible for the authentic, slowed-cooked smoked barbecue, which is its sustenance.
“The smoker is the backbone and the center of our universe,” said Kenny Casciato, one of Iron Pig’s business partners.
“It’s a big, hunking thing with four legs,” concurred Casciato colleague Brigette O’Donovan. “It literally looks like a big iron pig sitting in the back (kitchen).”
“We’ve got a modern barbecue,” agreed Louise Kelly, one of Iron Pig’s partners who handles the PR. She let chef Rick Daniels, a Texas native, explain what makes Iron Pig’s smoked meat a cut above.
“We’re trying to bring a different kind of bbq here, one people don’t usually find,” said Daniels, adding Iron Pig can – and will – smoke everything from quail, pork chops and appetizers to vegetarian items like portobello mushrooms.
“It’s an everyday man’s meal,” said Daniels, of the end product, which he described as a Texas-style brisket cooked “low and slow” for 14 hours plus.
“It’s simple seasoning, nothing crazy,” said Daniels adding the slow-as-you-go cooking process produces a slab of meat that “looks like bark, a black meteorite, but the inside is just juicy flavorful goodness.”
What’s the specialty of the house?
“Brisket,” answered Daniels.
Why?
“Because it’s good,” he answered.
Iron Pig, at 1520 Garnet Ave., is in the retail space formerly inhabited by Haiku Japanese restaurant and, before that, Ingrid’s Delicatessen.
Kelly said Iron Pig is proud to be both a restaurant and a bar and to be cutting edge in both aspects.
“We’re very food forward here,” said Kelly, adding, “but we also have a big, amazing beer selection. PB has really embraced what we do here.”
“San Diego has an embarrassment of great craft breweries,” acknowledged Casciato, noting that makes his job of regularly stocking and rotating Iron Pig’s more than 36 beer taps and four wine taps easier.
Beers from Iceland, Belgium and Germany are frequently on tap as well as brews from Tijuana and South America.
“Kenny has a very strong relationship with a lot of the local breweries, even non-local brewers,” said O’Donovan, adding, “it’s great for us to leverage that against what Rick’s (Daniels) doing in the kitchen.”
O’Donovan said Casciato and Daniels work hand-in-hand to match food and drinks that work well together.
“We have dinner pairings, like a stout that goes well with a short rib or whatever,” she said, adding it’s “not just (about) what’s on the menu at Iron Pig” that’s so impressive.
“It’s also the mad scientists working together to make that happen,” O’Donovan said.
Daniels said everything at Iron Pig, right down to the ice creams, salad dressings and sauces, is made daily from scratch. “You won’t find anything bottled or prepackaged,” he said. “It’s all coming in fresh. We’re making it with our own hands and giving it to the people.”
Open for lunch and dinner, items on both menus are similar. Lunch is more geared toward sandwiches whereas dinners are bigger plates for heartier appetites.
While noting the food and how it is prepared are special, the restaurant-bar’s owners point out “it’s the customers that make this place great and fun to come into.”