If your stomach is whiny, fill it at the Pig’s Hiney

I have had pleasant surprise after pleasant surprise with my restaurant visits recently, and this week was no exception. This time, I visited The Pig’s Hiney at 2974 State Highway PP in Scott City.

As per the usual, I visited at a weird time of day, about 3 p.m., and the place was quiet with that expectant lull that many bars have right before nighttime kicks off. But The Pig’s Hiney isn’t just a bar, and they have gone out of their way to make the place family friendly, especially during the day. So don’t let that scare you.

Let’s get right to it, because, spoiler alert, the food was incredible. I ordered loaded skins, because I was on the verge of hangry and wanted food now. They came out quickly and were freshly fried, hollowed-out potatoes, with cheese and bacon inside and sour cream served on the side. Nothing revolutionary, but I was hungry so they tasted great. Then I ordered some barbecue, because I couldn’t go to a place called the Pig’s Hiney and not order barbecue. That would just be silly. The sandwich I chose was called the Big Butt, and fries had to be ordered separately, so I did so. My husband ordered the Hangover Burger.

My plate arrived, and I could easily tell that a little extra pizazz had been taken with the preparation of this food. The fries were perfectly golden brown and sprinkled with (I’m guessing here) parmesan cheese and a seasoned salt with herbs in it. Amazing. Like, I would stack those fries up against any of the fancy foo-foo fries I’ve tried at vastly more expensive restaurants. I will dream about these fries, and I wish I could move the Pig’s Hiney into my backyard.

The Big Butt was, indeed, big. It had a small drizzle of barbecue sauce on it, and that made me purse my lips in consternation. I prefer my barbecue sandwiches swimming in sauce, with every bite a gushy mess, but I decided to give this a bite before I asked for extra sauce. Oh man, am I so glad I did. This pulled pork was so smoky, I couldn’t believe how much flavor was packed into those chunks of meat. I asked Carla, the talented woman who owns the place and cooked our food, if they smoke their own meat, and she said they did. I don’t want to sound pretentious, but I’ve eaten a lot of pulled pork, and tried many different barbecue places, both in our area and outside of it, and this was the best pulled pork sandwich I have had. The Big Butt simply didn’t need to be swimming in sauce, because the meat could stand alone. It was served on buttery toasted Texas toast, and that was well done, too. Each bite was crunchy, but I could feel that rich buttery flavor with every bite. Glorious.

The Hangover Burger consisted of a juicy beef patty, full of flavor, topped with a large slice of fried potato, an over-easy egg, and queso. It was the fried potato that piqued our interest, because we’d never quite seen anything like it. The fried potato was soft, fried with a little bit of caramel color on the surface, and combined with everything else plus a little ketchup, it fit right in. That potato made the whole thing richer and left him with a burger that really sticks to your ribs.

Since everything else had been so good, we lingered just a bit and ordered a Salted Caramel Iced Coffee and a Boozy Milkshake, cherry cheesecake flavored with a shot of alcohol. Both drinks were served in 32-ounce styrofoam cups. I was not expecting the sheer size, but I guess I should have. Both were lovely desserts, and we definitely got our caffeine fix, but that shake was worth every penny.

The Pig’s Hiney has many extra events coming up, such as a cash prize darts tournament every Monday; a car show Saturday, July 20; and a seafood boil plus outdoor happenings on Saturday, Aug. 17. There are food specials available most days, including frog legs, ribs and catfish. I can’t wait to try some ribs smoked like that pulled pork was, and that thought makes my mouth water.

Find them on Facebook by searching for "the.pig.hiney" (no “s”) to keep up-to-date and try that delicious food. Say hi to Carla for me!