Hog House Barbeque: It’s About Comfort

By Pete & Rosie/ foodie@longislandernews.com

In the Carolinas, barbeque joints are like Starbucks – there’s one on every corner. Unlike the coffee giant, however, each Southern barbecue maker has its own personality and while the offerings – pulled pork, ribs and slow roasted chicken – are pretty standard, the barbeque sauce is what sets each apart, and each maker has his own closely guarded recipe.

In this part of the country, barbeque joints are rarer than hen’s teeth. To anyone who grew up in the South or spent time there, a Long Island barbeque joint is a find. One that captures the essence of the barbecue experience is a dream come true.

Although the popularity of barbecue is on the rise in these parts, good BBQ is still hard to find. Which is why the recently opened Hog House in Huntington Station is a spot worth marking on your foodie map.

The creation of Brian Sellars and Adam Goldgell, Hog House captures the spirit of traditional Southern barbeque. Located in a small corner storefront on Jericho Turnpike, Hog House is a welcome addition to the Huntington food scene – especially to we foodies who are always on the hunt for good barbeque. The eatery is “decorated” to recreate the charm of some of the south’s best BBQ shacks right down to the bottomless glasses (Mason jars, actually) of homemade sweetened tea or lemonade. It’s casual all the way, with mismatched chairs and tables (larger parties can claim one of two large oak tables), and quirky accoutrements throughout. The walls are hung with a collection of window frames, odd posters and pig art. A small counter area with spin style stools near the register area has a retro look, and overhead is an old-style television set (remember when TVs had dials?) playing a video of the pig movie Babe. There’s whimsy throughout the restaurant with pig and pepper patio lights, a battery operated flying pig in the center of the room, and even a talking deer head trophy.

Don’t mistake the décor for the work of a professional. Goldgell said he decorated the place himself with items picked up at local antiques stores. “Nothing in here was purchased more than a mile from here. I wanted a place where people would feel comfortable. Any opportunity I have to take the ‘restaurant’ out of it, I do,” Godgell said.

Adding to the comfort level, a meal starts with a basket of roasted Virginia peanuts to occupy your fingers while you peruse the menu. The result is a homey atmosphere that – for better or worse – encourages people to “set awhile,” as they say in the South.

The menu is another story. Despite its roots in backyard barbeque, Goldgell and Sellars, along with executive chef Michael Zuckerman, bring a worldly sophistication to Hog House’s offerings. CIA trained, Goldgell learned his craft cooking at sophisticate New York City eateries and in “no budget” (meaning the skies the limit) private social clubs, and he and Sellars, a Johnson and Wales grad, cooked together at Panama Hatties. In that fine-dining tradition, everything at Hog House clearly bear’s a food-loving chef’s touch, right down to the homemade pickles (which I declared to my family to be “the best freaking pickle I’ve ever had!). Even the potato chips served with sandwiches are homemade – razor thin slices of sweet potatoes fried crisp and ever so lightly salted. Mmmmm.

The best seller at Hog House – by a three-to-one margin, according to Goldgell – is the pulled pork. The slow roasted, meaty pork is not too smoky, not too sweet, and served heaped on a homemade roll, with homemade slaw, chips and pickles (sandwich, $9.79), or plate style with two sides from an extensive selection of traditional southern dishes.

Ribs are of course another crowd pleaser. Goldgell explains that they developed their process over the course of a few months of experimenting. “My partner and I drank a few cases of Amarone over the course of a few months and learned to smoke meat in his backyard,” he said. The ribs are cooked dry rub style, slowly smoked and served brushed with the house barbeque sauce – a tomato based concoction that might surprise those whose only experience with barbeque is from Fridays or Applebees. Hog House’s sauce is tomato-based Texas style sauce -- barely sweet with a hint of smoke.

“For me, the idea of a sauce is that it should accompany the food,” Goldgell said. “I didn’t want it supper smoky or super sweet.”

The result is a perfect accompaniment to whatever it’s brushed on. The baby back ribs (half rack, $13.99; full rack, $21.99) are a must. We tried the barbecue shrimp ($14.99) and they were tasty, though a little outside the realm of the pork-house experience we crave. Other signature specialties in clued the 16-hour brisket ($14.99); slow-cooked chicken (half-chicken, $12.99, or the whole chicken dinner, including four sides for $19.99).

A round-robin of menu specials assure that you’ll never tire of the menu (we missed catfish night, but will keep trying), and more than a dozen side dishes on the menu mean you never have to have the same meal twice. Each exhibits that chef’s touch that sets Hog House apart from other BBQ joints. The baked beans are a mix of kidney and white beans with flavors of maple, mustard and chunks of fatback; filthy rice is a variation on southern dirty rice; and the mac and cheese is a sophisticated three-cheese blend. Collard greens could have used more vinegar, but are a must for Southerners; and the sweet mashed potatoes are a light, brown-sugary treat.

Desserts include chocolate banana pudding, deep-fried frosted flake cheesecake, and warm blueberry buckle. Pecan pie is one the way, according to Goldgell.

Hog House Barbeque

200 West Jericho Turnpike

Huntington Station

631-271-2400

Atmosphere: Pure comfort

Price Range: Inexpensive to moderate

Hours: Mon-Fri., 11:30-9

Sat. 12-10

Sun. 12-9

Main Menu