Carl’s Perfect Pig Barbeque & Grill

About 30 miles west of Nashville, not particularly near anything else, stands Carl’s, a modest but inviting sit-​down barbecue restaurant. Seating is comfortable and service excellent. But it is the food that stands out. The tip my cousin Adam got was that Carl’s has great ribs, and they do. You get your choice of «wet» or «dry». We had the «dry», (referring to not saucing during cooking, and not the description of the meat) and they were great: flavorful, moist, tender. The pulled pork sandwich is served on home made corn pancakes, and the sweetness of the corn cakes mixes well with the tart vinegar/​tomato-​based barbecue sauce. Fried items include french fries, okra and chicken tenders, all done very well.
And just in case you weren’t completely satisfied, Carl’s serves great desserts. We shared peach cobbler and banana pudding, both great.
I am particularly impressed by the freshness of the food prepared here. The corn pancakes tasted hot off the griddle. The okra pods were vibrant green, tender but not soft. The banana pudding tasted like it was made to order, with the vanilla wafers still crispy.
Carl’s is well worth the drive from Nashville. I’ll certainly be back.
Thanks, Adam.

Let me start by saying that BBQ is my FAVORITE food! Usually when I want BBQ, I go for Ribs or Brisket (still love me some pulled pork). Ribs here «No»! Flavor was pretty good but they are grilled and not smoked, they are also St Louis style and not baby back. I was very disappointed with food and cost. Also they only accept cash or check. Luckily I had cash on me for a change. Service was really good, folks were friendly. Your not going for the atmosphere either, though it was clean in my opinion (other reviews said dirty).

Went there recently while visiting friends. Food was okay but the place is dirty. The waitresses would bus tables by sticking their fingers in dirty glasses then turn around and serve food. Never saw them wash their hands.

Good food super friendly service. Got pork bbq takeout and enjoyed it. I thought the sauce was quite good!

Perfect Pig is my go-​to place when I want good comfort food that brings back memories of my childhood. It was always a staple in our house and still is.
This is not a frilly place and I don’t recommend going if you are someone who knit picks the cleanliness and organization of restaurants. It’s exactly what it is: a spot for country locals who are raised to like a place based on it’s food.
So, about the food. I get the same thing every time, though my sides do vary from time to time. Always on my agenda: chicken fingers (my absolute favorite from ANY restaurant), Mac and cheese, fries, and baked beans. I’ve had many of their other sides: vinegar slaw– not the best, corn– very good just not my favorite, cucumbers and onions– delicious, okra– of course, great.
The prices of the food is very reasonable, especially for the amount of food you get. I don’t think I’ve ever left hungry.
One problem I have with the place is the service at times. Some of the girls act like you are a bother to them by having to serve you. I once asked for napkins and got an eye roll which I found very unprofessional. I work at a café in Nashville and, as frustrating as customers can be, I would never roll my eyes at them. The waitresses and especially the cashier (at times, usually a younger girl that does not engage in conversation and once again, I feel like a bother). It’s just not the southern hospitality that you would expect from a small hometown joint like this! However, I always love being able to see Carl every time I come in knowing that he genuinely means it when he smiles and waves!

Best food ever! This place is worth the drive from nashville. Just make sure you check their hours and bring cash. The service can be lacking, but the food never is. Their bbq is great even without sauce. I highly recommend checking this place out.

Let’s set the table: While good smoky pig is good smoky pig, I have a devout, long-​held preference for eastern NC style whole hog chopped pork with vinegar-​based sauce as opposed to thicker, ketchup-​based sauces.
Carl smokes a fine pig. Good flavor, although not deeply smoky in taste, and good moisture to where it barely needs sauce. Like this better than any other ‘cue I’ve had in middle TN. Sauce options were both somewhat runnier (i.e., more vinegar and less tomato base) than most of what you see hereabouts and that’s a plus in my mind, although on the take-​home portion I used Scott’s sauce.
Place looks like a «locals only» sign should be hanging over the door and was plenty busy with local/​regular trade the day I stopped in. But even arriving with New Jersey plates I was met with prompt, friendly service.
Side dishes include fried okra. That’s a huge do-​right. I went straight pork on this trip — ate a sandwich and took a pound home — but will be back to sample the sides, and possibly the ribs.

First tip: they don’t take credit cards. No big deal, but bring cash or a check.
Overall, if you are in White Bluff or Montgomery Bell State Park, give Carl’s a try. But I would definitely not make the drive from Nashville to try it out. I was out at Montgomery Bell State Park and decided to try out Carl’s. It’s about 5 miles away and it seemed to be one of the best options around. Caveat being, there are very options around.
Food: totally respectable. The BBQ was moist with some very mild seasoning. They had a choice of regular and spicey sauce. They were both tasty but nothing extraordinary. I had the pork on a sandwich. The bun was just a store bought white bread bun (Holsum or Bunny Bread maybe). Overall, the sandwich was tasty but not great. Just good. My sides were the fried cord and green beans. I thought these were great, kind of salty but I like that.
Service: nice girl took our order. Not outstanding service but it got the job done. Ask about the specials. They’re on the wall, but they sound better when described by the waitress.
Atmosphere: not good. They place isn’t really charming or quaint. It’s just a generic eatery with some pieces of flair on the wall. The tables are cleanish. Let’s say, room for improvement.

I’ve stopped here twice so far, and I’ve had good experiences each time. I can’t speak for the full menu, but what I’ve tried has been consistently good. I usually get the large BBQ sandwich on corn cake. When combined with the sauce, it makes for a really good sandwich. Without the sauce and corn cake, the pulled pork is nothing special. The service is good and prompt, but the restaurant does not accept credit cards, which is an annoyance.
In short, it’s not worth seeking out. If you’re in Nashville, eat in Nashville. If you go canoeing on the Harpeth, however, it makes for a decent lunch… if you remember to bring cash.

A friend in my office has been telling me for a while that this is the best BBQ in the greater Nashville area. And boy, does it make use of that qualifier «greater»…White Bluff is pretty far removed from action in central TN, but I used this as an excuse to explore nearby Montgomery Bell State Park.
It seemed that with a name like «Perfect Pig», I would need to stick to ribs and pulled pork. Now, I’ve had enough BBQ to know that cooking GOOD BBQ is a tricky business. The most common flaw I see is that meat with some really good flavor gets dried out to hell. Well, I can say Carl’s nailed the texture of the meat, so they got the bulk of the work right. However, things fell a bit flat on the flavor end. The meat itself was pretty bland, which might not have been the end of the world, but I was not particularly impressed by either of the sauces either. The flavors were really shallow, the consistency was really runny, and the overall package was pretty underwhelming. Also, just a BIT pricy, given the setting.
I’m going to award points for getting the «hard part» right… certainly Jack’s and a couple of other high-​profile places could learn a thing or two, in my opinion… but best in Nashville? Nah, that honor still goes to either Delta Bound (if you count food trucks or brisket) or Papa Turney’s (if you think either of those things makes one ineligible for title of best BBQ). Still a nice little stopover en route to Montgomery Bell, but it’s just that… I wouldn’t go out of my way just to eat here again.

We stopped into Carl’s almost by accident, after taking a wrong turn on Highway 70 and deciding to just go with it and see what White Bluff was all about. I’d heard good things about the BBQ from Carl’s from my coworkers and I’m always excited to support local business, so we came in for lunch.
Upon walking in, I had the heebie-​jeebies — the place was busy, but dirty and worn down. The menu looked reminiscent of another meat-​and-​three I visited elsewhere, which I didn’t particularly enjoy, but I tried to push that out of my mind as I ordered my 4-​vegetable plate (I tend to enjoy side dishes more than meat dishes in almost any restaurant — I’m weird, I know). I selected pinto beans, green beans, cucumber salad and a baked potato. My waitress informed me that they were out of baked potatoes, so I hesitantly ordered the macaroni and cheese. The fiancé ordered the BBQ beef, cucumber salad, fried corn and white beans.
A few minutes after placing my order, we noticed 2 baked potatoes coming out of the kitchen. Just a few minutes before I had been told they were out of baked potatoes! Before we could get our waitress’ attention, she had brought our plates to the table and left in a hurry.
Looking down at my plate, I was instantly disappointed. The food tasted as good as it looked — which was not good at all. The beans were underseasoned and mushy, and the macaroni and cheese had a paste-​like quality to them. The cucumber salad was the only portion of my meal that I’d say was «good» — but nothing special or worth coming back for.
The fiancé was a bit happier with his meal than I was, though we both agreed that we will not be returning. There are much better BBQ and meat-​and-​three joints in Nashville, with nicer service and atmosphere. Check out Jim and Nick’s (I know, it’s a chain…) or Arnold’s for a tastier, friendlier meal.

This place had strong reviews, but we were disappointed. The place is disgustingly unsanitary. The wait staff cleaned our table off with a dirty rag. It might be advised to order take-​out at this place if you are used to a clean restaurant. The food was okay but certainly not worth the drive from Nashville. Sorry, Carl.

Carl’s is ok. I don’t know why it gets so much attention. The BBQ is nothing special and all of the sides, meat, etc… are Sysco supplied like all the other average restaurants.
Not worth the trip out from town.

Awesome pulled pork and good hot BBQ sauce. Great vegetables. Good fast service. Could be cleaner. Could have a bit bigger portions.

When you think of a stereotypical, southern, hole in the wall BBQ, look no further than to Carl’s Perfect Pig! This is old fashioned BBQ done right and smoked right outside the door. The sides are like «what grandma made» and warrant ordering all on their own. Not to mention the delicious ribs which are in a class all their own. The BBQ chicken is great as well (only available by request and is not on the menu).
The staff are friendly and attentive and will make sure you are treated right! The atmosphere leaves something less than to be desired but somehow has an unspoken charm and attitude all its own.
This is BBQ done right and is by far a must go!

simply the best bbq (pulled pork)! fried okra and mac and cheese are stand outs, too. my dad loves the fried chicken livers, and my step-​mom loves the veggie plate.
amazing corncakes make for an overall fantastic country eating experience. like the sign says, a waist is a terrible thing to mind!

Since it was Mother’s Day this weekend and I had the whole week off beforehand, I opted to go out to Fairview during the week and take my mom out for BBQ. I had Carl’s in mind since I saw good reviews of it on Unilocal.I couldn’t wait to get some good BBQ in mah belly.
This place delivered.
Carl’s is out in White Bluff waaaaaay off the beaten path if you don’t live out here. However, don’t think that means it is dead in here. We got there at a later lunch hour of around 1:30PM and place filled in quickly thereafter. All the local people know this place is around and they will pack the place.
Décor is kind of off the wall with bright pink booths along with UT memorabilia and even some pics of celebrities on the wall. Like Emeril. Nice!
Menus are on the table so go ahead and start perusing it. I got the pulled pork with two sides (marinated cucumbers and turnip greens) plus the corn cake. Sauces on the table are regular and hot. The pulled pork was pleasantly smoky and not dry at all. The hot sauce added some decent heat and the entire thing tasted good with the corncakes. The corncakes were perfectly cooked and sopped up the BBQ sauce so nicely. Turnip greens were also good if a little underseasoned. And the cucumbers were tangy. We didn’t try the ribs and I likely won’t as I am not a huge ribs fan, but the pulled pork was plenty good. They had other options on the menu if you don’t like pulled pork so you will definitely be able to find something to eat.
If you are out in the area or feel like taking a scenic road trip out to White Bluff then you could do a LOT worse than Carl’s.

Busy, for a reason.
Sunday, limited space meets popularity. What could have been a miserable experience turned out to be well managed chaos. The staff was great at keeping the masses happy and finding them a place to sit during a very crowded Sunday rush.
Once seated the service was quick and friendly. I sampled the meat and three; Pulled pork, squash n cheese, cucumber n onion and turnip greens. It was all good but the pork is the reason for the crowd. Very tender pulled pork that I topped with their hot tomato based sauce. The sauce was slightly sweet as well as spicy, not a fiery spicy but a gradual building heat that is pleasant and won’t scare off the meek. There is also a mild sauce for the old women and kids.
Long story short (too late) homey BBQ joint that earns it’s popularity with quality.
Warning cash or check only! You can use your credit card to pick your teeth afterwards but it will not allow you to dine on swine. (sorry, I couldn’t resist)

thee BEST Ribs i’ve ever had & Carl & staff are some of the friendliness people around! get a tshirt, i can’t wait to drive 6 hours to get back! the bbq chicken to die for, loved the pulled pork & i don’t even like pulled pork that well LOL
Cash Only for now
dessert like grandma used to make

The best ribs I have ever had. Hands down.
And I’ve had a lot of ribs.
My dad took my boyfriend and I out to the woods while we were home for a visit to this little shack of a restaurant in White Bluff. We went for the ribs, and they did not disappoint. Perfect is an accurate description.
This little country spot has pepto pink painted booths and UT paraphernalia on the walls. It closes at the owner’s whim, which is often early, so be sure to get there before 6 p.m. if you can. Order the sweet tea, which is the way sweet tea ought to be, and ask for some corn hoe cakes while you wait for your gut busting rib meal. Every side we tried was fall down delicious. And the menu is crazy cheap. I got a quarter rack of ribs and three whole side items for 9 bucks.
This is quintessential BBQ right here. Unassuming, down home and driven solely by a commitment to killer country cooking and smoked ribs that would make you want to slap your mama. The pulled pork can’t be beat, either. If you are from out of town, be sure to pick up a bottle of BBQ sauce to share with your city slicker friends.