The Proper Pig Smokehouse

With only two restaurants left to go on the 2017 To Dine Challenge list, Mr. H and I headed to The Proper Pig Smokehouse in Lakewood last week.

This fast casual spot offers a handful of sandwiches, like The Proper Slopper ($12), piled high with chopped beef brisket, pulled pork, Texas hot link sausage, maple bacon BBQ sauce and coleslaw. It comes with your choice of side. It isn't a great way to sample their meats, if you're a first-timer, since it mashes them all up on one sandwich. But, Mr. H threw caution to the wind and went for it.

I stuck with the best option for trying their meats, a Combo Platter. I opted for Two Meats and One Side ($12) and added on three ribs for $3.

I was glad that I did, because the ribs ended up being my favorite of the ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. The brisket took second place for me. While the other two were tender and smokey, the ribs just had a perfect bark and fell right off the bone. I had the Beans and the CLE Potato Salad (made with Stadium Mustard) for my sides, and I would recommend not skipping the potato salad.

Lots of takeout orders going by as we dined in, so it's a great place to grab some grub for home or to pop in for a quick bite. They now have a second location in Mentor as well.

The Proper Pig Smokehouse
17100 Detroit Road
Lakewood, OH 44107
440-665-3768

9582 Diamond Centre Drive
Mentor, OH 44060
440-853-1553

A Brew-B-Q Weekend

This weekend seemed to just fly by, more so than usual. Friday night, "R" and I went and purchased wedding bands! Very exciting. Then, we headed over to Cork & Cleaver Social Kitchen for a fabulous meal, once again. They just do not disappoint.

Saturday came, and the morning was spent doing errands and cleaning the house. All of a sudden, it was the afternoon, and it was time to head to Whiskey Island's Brew-B-Q, hosted by Great Lakes Brewing Company, to benefit The Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland. I think Cleveland was graced with one last summer day on Saturday, and the weather was perfect for this outdoor event in the park.

The sun was shining, boats were bobbing on the lake, dogs were frolicking in the water, and there was some delicious BBQ food and brews to be had.

We wandered around, enjoyed the live music, had a 50 West Brewing Company stout, and started to grab some food. We shared a taco from Barrio, sliders from The Proper Pig Smokehouse, and...

...my obsession with meat on a stick was indulged by Bacon on a Stick from The Proper Pig.

However, my favorite thing that we ate on Saturday came from Sauced Wood Fired Pizza.

They were serving up some delicious wood-fired pizzas, including a BBQ Pork with pulled pork, pineapple, bacon, and BBQ sauce.

I want more. They weren't allowed to compete in the official BBQ challenge, but they would have gotten my voting ticket, if I could have.

What a great day at the lake, and I hope that this becomes an annual event for The Hunger Network.

Disclosure: I was provided with two media passes to attend the event, and two tickets to give away, in exchange for a giveaway blog post. I was not asked to share my experience after the event, but chose to do so. All opinions stated are 100% my own.