The Prized Pig

I took one bite of the squealer, and it was so good I literally shit myself right then and there. Would not recommend getting it to go unless you have leather seats to make cleaning up the shit easier.

Great brisket for the husband! Great service at the counter from the girls love this place

Cute little place off the highway that absolutely brings it. I tried the beef brisket, the pulled pork, and the chicken. All were excellent, full of flavor and perfectly done. I sampled the potato salad and it was also a winner. Another plus was the speed of service and the portion sizes. Can’t say enough good things about this place. A little out of the way, but worth venturing for.

I’ll try this more than once, but only because I hope I came on an off-​night. The red beans and rice were pretty good (though producing unfortunate effects not long after), the mac and cheese had a tacky, not creamy texture to it, and the corn «bread» was more like corn cake. Not at all like the glorious corn bread I grew up with that you could sop up after beans, soup, broth, etc, and have it still stand up. This corn bread would fall apart if you put it near blackeyed peas and broth.
I got the triple meat sampler, where you get some pulled pork, some sausage, and a slice of brisket. Let’s see. I tried a little of the pulled pork first, and while it was smokey and tasty, it was also dry. I didn’t feel bad using the sauces on it then. After that I took a bit of the sausage, and should have known I’d be disappointed: what I got was shriveled and wrinkled, not just a little dry, but… unfortunately…tasting and feeling very much of Ekrich. It had some spicy zing to it that led me to think it was not mass-​made, but that was all. Otherwise, there was no difference between this and store-​bought «Polish» sausage. (Is the sausage supposed to make you feel queasy once it’s cooled down a little?) Last came the really, really disappointing brisket. My slice was about ¹⁄₃ fat, and the rest of it was dry, dry, dry. Dry and stiff. If it ever had a smoke ring, that was long gone by the time it was served. I wished I didn’t have to, but I had to rely on the sauces just to hydrate the meat. Yes, I am serious. I have made better brisket.
About the sauces, then, since I tried each of them: there wasn’t really enough difference between the Sweet ‘n’ Whatever and the Original and the Sweet and Zingy, or whatever; one of them was the Bourbon, which was drenched with the flavor of way too much bourbon. There was the Carolina Mustard Sauce, about which the less said the better, and the Carolina Vinegar Sauce, which was my favorite. Oh yeah, and the dinner included two pickle chips and two banana pepper rings, which were very crisp and perfect in flavor. What does it say about your food that the best thing is the garnish?
So, 3 out of 5 for me. It gets some points for getting the smoky flavor down, but points taken away for being dry and needing sauce. The meat should never need sauce. I wouldn’t advise anyone against it, but not for it, either. Like I said, though, this place has its dedicated fanatics, so maybe I caught it on an off-​day. I’ll give them another chance some time soon.

It was awesome! The squealer is one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. Coleslaw, Mac and cheese and fried onions on the GD sandwich! Todays special was poppers wrapped in bacon. If I ever drive through this little town again I will stop and get my BBQ ON!
SOOOOOO GOOD!

I am a BBQ junkie. Seriously addicted to smoked meats. If there was a BBQ anonymous support group I would refuse to attend meetings. This is a good addiction.
When a friend told me to get here, I got up here. I stopped in for a quick bite. I got an order of the burnt ends, which to me are the best damn thing around at a BBQ joint. These didn’t disappoint. They give a great portion, and they are fairly large. I also tried the red beans and rice. That’s was a bit «soupy» for how I prefer to have it, but it was pretty good.
I sampled all of their sauces with the ends. Big fan of their sweet and spicy. The Carolina vinegar sauce was really good. I didn’t care for the Carolina mustard sauce though. The original is pretty good, as is the bourbon sauce.
I will be back and will have to try other offerings. I can’t see how I would not like what else they have.

So I’ve read that the real measure of a BBQ place is their brisket as this seems to be the most challenging for pitmasters to pull off well. Well, these guys nail it. In fact, the Prized Pig manages to edge out Pitts as the best BBQ I’ve had in the Michiana area so far (although I have not yet been able to get up to Jim’s). The portion could have been a little bigger (I mean yeah, it always could) but it was still very good.
I also tried some of my wife’s sampler and their sausage is GREAT. Their pulled pork was also excellent, but this is not really the test of a good joint as pulled pork is not nearly as challenging as brisket or ribs to pull off well. Would have liked the pulled pork to be smokier, but that’s a personal preference.
Their side dishes were good — I had the red beans and rice which was just ok and the gumbo which was excellent. Wife had beans and mac and cheese and said they were both great. Corn bread was good but not the best. It wasn’t dry, but certainly could have been more moist, although I know the trend these days is for corn bread that is almost like yellow sponge cake which is bunk.
I’d have given them five stars but for two things:
1.) kid at the counter taking money was a complete sack. Maybe having a bad day? I don’t know, but this guy was just unpleasant and uncomfortable to deal with for no apparent reason.
2.) their sauces don’t resonate with me. They’re ok — and props for trying to do some different flavors — but we were not finding a ton of differences between the more traditional sauces and they were not really that flavorful. They had some Carolina sauces that I didn’t try as I’m not usually a fan.
After seeing the ribs go out to other tables though, I am certainly going back ASAP to get down w/​those monsters.

This place is amazing! The food is solo darn good! Even my hisbad likes it and he’s such a food critic! I would recommend this place to anyone who is in search for some really good BBQ!

Wow, we found our new favorite place in town. Thanks to Unilocal,we found this place in Niles just before going to the movie theater in town. My family loves a good bbq. We had the pulled pork platter, burnt ends, rip tip platter, and the brisket. It was all really good, but the burnt ends were by far the best. They are only available on the weekends and I recommend you plan around that. The brisket was flavorful and tender. The sides we had were good too. Great mac n cheese, baked beans, and gumbo. I couldn’t get enough of the cornbread. We will definitely be back again in a few weeks!

Bottom line: this is about as good as barbecue gets.
I’ve been here a few times and can’t think of a place I’ve been to that does barbecue better, including some awesome places I’ve tried in Dallas. Every time I’ve been the food has been spot on. It’s well worth a long drive to get to.

Awesome place. Come here and come earlier. I honestly recommend it all. the meats the sides. yassss. everything. I love how it’s served on a red and white sheet on a tray, too. I came here with my boyfriend and we ordered three things with sides. and people looked over at us like we’re crazy but we just chowed it down like nbd because it was that awesome.

I’ve tried a lot of barbecue, but this place is my favorite. Great meats, even better sauces, and a rotating cast of delicious sides. They’ve only ever disappointed me by being closed when I stopped by.

Given the chance they will shank you if you order carryout. Seems to be a common complaint with this place and one that we have personally experienced.
First, you had better call before you drive all the way out there to make sure they’re actually open. They are not open every day and are often closed during posted business hours. My wife made two separate trips out there to the boonies of Niles, once on a Thu afternoon, only to find the place locked up and dark. No clue what they’re doing.
We eventually did find them open and ordered brisket sandwiches and some of their signature ribs. To be kind I’ll just say we weren’t impressed with either one.
Our brisket was REALLY DRY, like it had laid around in a warmer for a day or two, and it didn’t have any char or smoke flavor that we could taste. Given that the whole place smells of wood smoke you’d think there’d be some flavor in the meat just from it laying around there, but nope, nothing. Not sure how they’re smoking meat but you know it should taste like smoke if it’s been smoked–
The buns, a brioche style, were also bone dry, like they’d been in a freezer for months. And way too thick for the sandwiches. Nothing like getting a big mouthful of dry bread with your dry brisket–
The St. Louis style ribs we paid $ 20/​rack for were missing the tips, I guess they remove those and will sell them back to you separately for an extra fee. And as hard as it is to ruin good ribs, they did! Ours were way over-​seasoned with some kind of cheap chili-​powder flavored rub, and were as dry and chewy as a Jack Link’s beef jerky. If someone told me they had been laying outside on a rock in the Serengeti for two days I would have believed them.
What’s troubling here – and Unilocalers please take note – is that this place seems to be JUST FINE with serving this quality of food to people, at full price. No problem. They sneak it right into your carryout order figuring you’ll be long gone before you open the bags.
My Advice: 1. Avoid, and 2. If you decide to risk it anyway, check your food before you leave! Odds are you’re going to get the old stuff if you order carryout.
Don’t trust these folks, they will shank you.
Do not recommend.

Really good nitty gritty barbecue place. The brisket and ribs are excellent. What sets this place apart is the really, really good sides.
The dining area is on the small side. Extremely friendly staff. My son used to love Famous Daves in Mishawaka. He told me the food here is better, but they need a guy to come to the tables in a pig costume.
Why don’t you work on that costume. That’d be great.

I suppose I’ll start with the food. since, let’s be honest, that’s the most important part.
I’ll start with the bird and not the pig :) I dislike white meat, I always go for the thigh and drumstick, turning up my nose at the dry breast meat that tries my patience as I have to sit there and chew. chew…chew. Smoked chicken at The Prized Pig? I really kind of didn’t give an eff which part of the bird I was eating, the thigh, the drum, the wing, the breast… it was all moist, juicy, tender, smoky, and scrumptious. Wing Wednesday… get yourself there.
Next comes the pulled pork. I was leery of trying pulled pork without it being saturated in bbq sauce, after simmering for several hours in the crock pot, because, as everyone knows, that’s the only real way to eat pulled pork. Right? Wrong! Smoked for hours, seasoned perfectly, nice juicy cuts with the perfect ratio of fatty goodness to thick meaty chunkiness, finishing up with a nice crispy skin if you’re lucky enough to get that part of the meat, and you get to choose which dang sauce you use? Please sir, can I have some more?
I’m not sure I’ll have the adequate descriptive words to describe the smoked sausage. Smoky, nice skin that snaps when you bite into it, with a perfect kick of spice to get your mouth juices flowing. I’m not a sausage girl. Well… I wasn’t until I had The Prized Pig’s sausage. I’m waving the sausage flag proudly now.
I’ve had the pleasure of biting into the burnt ends, brisket, and ribs at The Prized Pig, and, again, I’m just not really sure I can convey to you the deliciousness of the smoked meat that they dish out at this place. Smoke, seasoning, meat juice… people, it doesn’t get any better than this as far as BBQ goes.
The homemade sauces are unbelievable. Spicy is my favorite, just a mild heat with some sweetness and vinegar to make you question if life would be worth living, should you not ever get to taste this again. The Carolina Mustard with the smoked sausage makes me salivate all over myself, they should probably serve bibs at the restaurant, I suppose that would be it’s only downfall.
So many sides, and not enough time to review. Out of all of them, baked beans, gumbo, potato salad, red beans and rice, coleslaw, I’m going to have to say that I want to marry the macaroni and cheese. Just serve it up on a big plate «I do».
Good little joint to just chill and pig out on some amazing grub. Little popcorn maker in the corner that my 7 year old immediately bolts for every time we visit, various pig and bbq décor throughout the place (even if the owner does have an odd thing for Michigan State Spartans #NotreDameNation), and friendly staff that greets you as soon as you walk in the door.
I think this may be my favorite place to eat. I just might need a proposal there someday, depending on if the food stays to my liking ;)

Between the Burnt Ends on weekends, the BBQ Chicken, and the Brisket that tastes likes Texas — I don’t know anybody that can have a bad review of this place. Check Facebook because they sell out on a VERY ROUTINE BASIS. That’s just how good the food is. There’s SEVERAL sauces, but I’ve even eaten all my food without sauce and been floored.
I’m looking for my Daddy or Uncle Joe (RIP) to be in the backyard, with flip flops and a funny hat, bent over the grill. My Mamma is in LA chillin’, but you obviously have cloned her for rub preparation.
Taste all the sauces and be adventurous. Bourbon should be called HOT DAMN THAT’S GOOD!
*sigh*

Ate here when we were in the area for a ND game and it was SO good.
I had the pulled pork with cole slaw and mac & cheese, the pork was some of the best I’ve had. Others in my group had the brisket (amazing) with extra cornbread (yum!), and the rib tips with cole slaw and beans.
The place is small and we initially drove right past, but the food is fantastic if you like good barbecue.

I have lived and traveled «Down South» for a few years, I also lived in Chicago for 10. I LIKE and KNOW a little about Bar-​B-​Que. This is the fifth or sixth time I’ve eaten at The Prized Pig, it’s time I write a review.
The short review: for a place like Niles, MI, The Prized Pig is a welcome addition and a good restaurant.
If this were the West Coast of Florida, I would never eat here.
First, the atmosphere is DREK!!! They always have someone different working the counter (high employee turnover rate) and if you pay by card you are required to respond to one of those OBNOXIOUS TIP-​BEGGING screens on the point-​of-​purchase machine. And right next to that is a HUGE gallon-​sized, glass jug with the word «TIPS!» written in large, demanding text.
Very bad form and déclassé!
O.K., I KNOW this is a rib joint– but, begging for tips is never cool!
The deadpan «personalities» of the employees do nothing to liven-​up this dull, dreary little place and it completely lacks any warmth or friendliness.
The food: I ‘ve had mixed experiences here. I’ve eaten the pulled pork sammich several times and a couple of those times there were hunks/​chunks of fat/​gristle in the meat.
I don’t expect/​accept this in a pulled pork sammich that costs $ 6.49 (sammich only).
Their BBQ beans are TOO vinegary! The Mac and Cheese is REALLY GREAZEY!- like a puddle of oil left in the bottom of the Styrofoam container after the Mac is gone. Today the girl at the order window suggested gumbo as I was choosing my 2 side dishes. I LIKE gumbo! But, this gumbo was bland and flavorless. I suspect the spicy zest, usual to gumbo, has been dumbed-​down for the proletariat/​redneck/​AARP audience in the Niles, MI market.
I did get the half-​rack of St. Louis ribs today, and they were good. Tender enough, not the MOST tender ribs I’ve ever had, but I was able to pull the bones apart and the meat was tasty.
Nice and lean with a LOT of meat on the bones!
They have a huge T.V. in the dining room, which is fine, I like T.V., but it is almost always on some spawts-​moron channel like ESPN. Today it was tuned to WSBT’s all weather-​all-​the-​time 22.3, which was fine, but I noticed a simple T.V. antenna in the window next to the T.V. indicating to me they maybe got rid of their cable service as a cost cutting measure– a sign things may not be going very well financially, perhaps?
As I said, for Niles MI, where there are very few choices for ribs (or ANY kind of unique food!) The Prized Pig is a welcome addition. But, if I had a few other choices like I did in Florida, I would never eat here.

My fiancé and I came here for dinner with his Uncle… The restaurant here is very small… literally if you blink you’ll miss it. The chalk board menu outside had a nice touch… he’s from Indiana. I’m surprised he’s never been her before.
I wonder if the Food Network has stopped by here? They need to! This place is a hidden gem. I really wanted to order more food… for later of course.
Word of advice… Get the Smoked Brisket!!! It will change your life! Seriously… and the complementary sauces at each table… no need. I’m always hesitant to try bbq, you never know what your going to get. Also the corn bread is amazing and sweet!!! Normally i hate corn bread but this was OOUT OF THIS WORLD… The greenbean salad was okay, had a frozen taste. Thank to Prized Pig

We love The Prized Pig! I recommend getting meat takeout and then doing sides at home. The brisket and ribs are top notch, but while the pulled pork is passable, it’s just not at the level of TPP’s other porky wonderfulness. The sauce is good too, although I think they could spice it up a bit. As for the sides, this place doesn’t have fries, and the baked beans are just average (seem to be basic canned). The potato salad is dependably picnic-​worthy and the Mac and cheese, although I haven’t tried it, seems to be a big hit.
The best bbq in the area is over at Northside BBQ in LaPorte, but for something local and easy, TPP is great. Make sure you go early since they sometimes run out of ribs or brisket (I think it’s telling that they always have pulled pork left).
Another tip is to get a
certificate. TPP is on there regularly, so you can pay $ 4 for a $ 10 certificate and get two dinners for less than $ 20.