Pigman’s Barbeque

Pork ribs overcooked and flavorless. Returned to kitchen and were replaced but the replacement not that much better. Pork seemed old. Pulled pork ok nothing special. Would have liked the pepper vinegar you see at most NC pulled pork places. Sides average. A bright spot was the hush puppies so moist light and honey tasting.

As a matter of full disclosure, I am not a big fan of Pig Man’s. On the Outer Banks, High Cotton serves better and more authentic Eastern barbecue. However, Ms T and Aunt Annie have always liked the barbecue at Pig Man’s so I agreed to take Ms T back for lunch on our first day there, maybe to get this obligation out of the way.
The sandwiches are small, but actually fine for a light lunch. A hearty appetite will require two. The sandwich was actually better than I remembered, despite not being classic style. They are sauced with one of Pig Man’s red sauces. The meat has a little smoke, it is a little sweet and was on the dry side (same as I had four years ago). I moistened it with the hot version of their sauce which is vinegar based but very heavy with ground red chile, like barn paint.
The slaw is coarse and actually chunky. So much so that it is hard to add to the sandwich without half of it falling off. It is creamy and tastes fine on the sandwich, I just would like it to be the fine grind style.
The Brunswick Stew was not an exceptional version. I would describe it as brothy vegetable soup with some of their pork added and is consequently a little too sweet. It is OK soup, but I did not see it as Brunswick Stew. Weak three stars for me, probably four stars for Ms T and Aunt Annie. I am rounding up because I keep agreeing to take Ms T there.

Just had Pigman’s BBQ from OBX. This place used to be my go to spot but over the past couple of years it has been going downhill. Tonight, I ordered ribs. I received boiled ribs that didn’t even have the fat rendered out. They had been charred on the top and still had the membrane on the underneath, that was neither grilled until crispy or removed, like it should’ve been in the first place. They where also over cooked to the point of having the bone pull out and the meat stay on the plate. I know a lot of people that like it like this but trust me, this was gross. I do not recommend this place anymore. BBQ needs to be smoked on wood and/​or charcoal until fat and connective tissue are rendered out. Not boiled with liquid smoke added, cause I’m pretty sure that that’s what I ate tonight.
TLDR:
Pigman’s BBQ, not the best in the outer banks.

Vacationing in the Outer Banks and came across this BBQ place. You order at the counter and they bring it to you — quickly. I ordered the half rack of ribs plate which comes with bakes beans, cole slaw and hush puppies. I believe it was $ 14.99. The food was just OK, nothing to write home about.

Heard about this place from the family and thought I’d stop by. The hype is all true. Food is hot, delicious, and comes out fast. The stew was incredible and the sandwich was to die for. Only problem I had was getting in here (location).

Best BBQ in the OBX!!! My favorite is the BBQ beef platter. Their ribs are so delicious, the meat falls right off the bone. Make sure you go hungry, portions are huge! The hush puppies are the best I have had. I recommend the sweet potato fries also. We make sure to eat here every year and bring tons of their sauce home.

Real good Barbeque!
I like this place because you get in and out real quick.
You order when you go in and then they bring your food.
The que is flavorful and fresh and the side choices are excellent.
The give you a choice of Eastern or Western style sauce.

Pros — Cheap barbeque
Cons — Cheap barbeque. Cafeteria style ordering & premade everything. Our food came out in about 30 seconds.
Got there at lunch time and they were out of ribs. I asked her how a barbeque place could run out of ribs. She told me I could go somewhere else. I was with several people and I was the only one who wanted ribs, so I settled for a pulled pork sandwich. I’ve never had a bad pulled pork sandwich until today. All I tasted was salt — no barbeque flavor. There house sauces were awful. Gave it back and asked for my money back.
Wife had pulled turkey and said it was just ok. Father in law had Beef barbeque sandwich and said it was good. I for one will never go back and I suggest if you’re reading this, then go to a different place.

I’m picky about BBQ, but Pigmans is so delicious! Our family goes every year on our OBX vacation and it is so delicious.
The only thing that makes me sad, is they used to have these deep fried sweet potato things, and they were so good! They have sweet potato fries now covered with cinnamon and brown sugar, very delicious but I miss the other things.
Overall the BBQ is delicious, I always get the boat, with the sandwich. The fries, coleslaw, and sweet tea and pretty darn good also!

Um, they don’t even remove the fatty part on the back side of the ribs. Pure amateur.

The food is ok. Taste like crock pot Bbq. I have had a lot worse. My sandwich was greasy and lacking in bbq flavor. I probably won’t be back.

Three stars because the staff was friendly, place was clean, and the food was hot. I got the beef BBQ boat. Not impressed; the beef had no flavor. I’d compare it more to beef cooked in a crock pot with watered down sauce. The hush puppies and sweet tea were good.

I knew I had to be careful my first time going down to North Carolina, where a menage a trois of BBQ styles all converge and have their die-​hard supporters. I know the Outer Banks isn’t a BBQ haven compared to other parts of the state, but I had to give Pigman’s BBQ a try while I was down there because I do love me some BBQ.
Luckily for me, I am a fan of vinegar-​based BBQ sauce. And let me tell you, their signature BBQ sauce is VINEGARY! If that’s not your style, Pigman’s might not necessarily be the place for you. But personally, I couldn’t get enough of it. As a matter of fact, I had to keep myself from sneaking off with one of the bottles of sauce that sit at each of the tables.
During my week-​long stay in the Outer Banks, Pigman’s BBQ was the only place I ate at twice, and deservedly so.

I always make a point to visit Pigman’s as soon as possible when visiting the Outer Banks. This is the prime Carolina BBQ location around, no question.
How good is it? Currently putting together plans for a wedding and plan to have them cater a reception along the way. Everything on their menu is insane good, but if you’ve got to choose one go with the pulled pork platter or sandwich. Tons of vinegar and flavor, not too much sauce (I like it this way but add some of the Pigman’s on the table if you want), and not too filling. Cheap as well, well worth a trip!

Had the half ribs, half chicken– it was just ok. Chicken tasted more burnt then hickory smoked, sides were better but slightly overdone. Coleslaw was good as well as the hush puppies.

This Food was Very Good! Order at the Counter and the lady Brought it to us, we were some of the very few on a 37 degrees outside November day (off season for Outer Banks)!
We Ordered and Enjoyed :
Brunswick Stew with Chicken, Beef and Pork
Pork BBQ Sandwich
Sauces (two or three) I enjoyed each of them about the same!
My Crumb Kruncher eBay Bride said the Brunswick Stew was the BEST she has eaten and it was a Good Version and maybe I should not compare it to the Wild Gourmet Versions I have eaten

Came here twice during our trip to OBX:
1^st night —
* half chicken & half-​rack rib plate served with coleslaw, BBQ baked beans & hush puppies.
The chicken was juicy and flavorful; the rib meat fell off the bone and was finger-​licking good. The BBQ baked beans were smokey, and those hush puppies were tasty, crispy and light.
2^nd night —
* tuna-​que boat: yellow fin tuna sandwich with fries & hush puppies.
* turkey-​que plate: BBQ turkey with cole slaw, BBQ baked beans & hush puppies
* Brunswick stew: a traditional dish that is tomato based and available in Fall/​Winter only.
The tuna was flakey and smokey, served on a soft bun. The fries were medium thick, yet crispy. The turkey was moist (and would have been awesome with some mashed potatoes if they had any). The Brunswick stew was good and comforting. AND, there’s something about those hush puppies man — I couldn’t stop eating them…
The only thing I was disappointed in was the banana pudding. It looked really lovely, but tasted a bit artificial. :(

Atmosphere was perfect for a BBQ joint. I had pulled pork sandwich with fires, hush puppies and a ham roll. The ham roll is a small «slider» with traditional cured ham. I liked it a lot. Very salty, but that’s what I expected. The pulled pork was super greasy, hush puppies were good. My wife had beef BBQ. That was ok, tasted like beef broth. Not a bad joint, but there are better not too far away.
Noted. The bottles of sauce on the table were disgusting. I don’t look for a BBQ joint to be super clean but the bottles were so sticky we didn’t even use them.

If you’re an absolute BBQ lover and have experienced the best of the best (Texas and Tennessee in my opinion), then this place isn’t going to blow you away or anything. But as one of the few options in the OBX area, it’s definitely worth checking out.
I had the half-​chicken & half-​rack rib plate ($ 21.99), which came with coleslaw, hushpuppies and BBQ baked beans. It was pretty tasty, reasonably priced, and the service was quick and friendly. It was my first time dining there, and I’ll probably go back next time we’re down there for vacation.

Oh, Pigman, what have you done? Where have the glorious sweet potato fritters gone?
That is down side of staying away from the OBX for a decade — things change but your memory remains. And my memory of the old, glorious fritters is still strong. So imagine my hurt to find that the fritters — who knows when — had been replaced by mere sweet potato fries. Good sweet potato fries at that, not the best I’ve had, and surely not a proper tuber stand-​up for my beloved fritters.
Fortunately the freshly made and fried hush-​puppies remain — they are by far the best of the side items and shame coastal joints which are getting theirs off a truck. Unfortunately, Pigman’s seems to have lost its way on cue.
For a place that started out as a ham shop, the porcine focus has been diluted to include beef, chicken, turkey, and tuna — all smoked and claiming to be BBQ. I get trying to appeal to a wider range of folks, but hey it is Pigman’s! There used to be pot-​bellied pigs in a pen out front.
I might could let that go and accept the changes were it not for the fact that the pulled pork sammich — the signature go-​to of any NC BBQ joint — was just kinda meh. Not a lot of flavor to the meat and rather stingy amount of slaw in a tiny ride-​along container. A proper BBQ sammich should have a slaw to meat ratio approaching ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. In short, slaw is not a condiment.
Overall then the 2014 Pigman’s, years after the retirement of the original Pigman, is noteworthy chiefly for not being another beach seafood restaurant — even though it serves shrimp and fish. Sometimes change is good and broadening your focus makes you better — and other times you trade being unique for being a face in the crowd.
Pigman’s still draws crowds, particularly at lunch, but few likely know what they are missing.
PS – Pigman’s has also decided in recent years to branch out into trashy, Myrtle Beach-​style «biker» silliness like bikini cole slaw wrestling — maybe that is why they skimp on the sammiches.