Union Pig and Chicken

Kevin Sousa is well known by foodies in the Pittsburgh area.  His background includes work at the Duquesne Club, Soba, Bigelow Grille and Alchemy.  I met him during his short stint revamping the menu at Yo Rita on the South Side.  Since then, he has focused on the creation of his own restaurant, Salt of the Earth.  After a year of great success with Salt, he has now opened Station Street Hot Dogs and Union Pig and Chicken in East Liberty.

Union Pig and Chicken is strictly BBQ, as the name implies.  This is not a formal restaurant like Salt, although they do share the concept of comfortable communal tables, and a fairly limited menu but that's OK in a BBQ joint.  The menu offerings include ribs, brisket, BBQ and fried chicken and pork.  For lunch I ordered fried chicken with a side of potato salad.  I rarely order fried chicken, but I've heard great things about it, and I wasn't disappointed.  The chicken had perfect crispy outer crunch, and the meat was tasty and juicy.

 It was probably the best fried chicken I've ever had!   Stacy went for the pork BBQ sandwich with a side of mac and cheese. The sandwich and all the other meats here are served "dry".  Three BBQ sauces, a habanaro, sweet BBQ, and a Carolina vinegar sauce are on the table and are all exceptional. I expected a standard pulled pork, but as usual, Sousa surprised me.  The pork was flavorable chunks, so tender and flavorful that no sauce was needed.  You're gonna think that I work for Sousa (which I don't!) but the pork might have been the best pork sandwich I've ever had too!

Union Pig understands that the key to great 'Q is the quality and preparation of the meat, not the sauce.  They don't allow any substitutions to the menu offerings, which I know some people don't like, but I can live with that.  The only complaint we had has nothing to do with the food...It was freezing in there!  Couldn't have been over 60 degrees, but I'm sure that was just on this occasion.

Union Pig and Chicken is located at 220 N. Highland Ave, in the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh

Website:  .http://unionpgh.com/