Having gone to school in Texas, I am partial to their style of BBQ, especially  beef brisket.  Was craving some good BBQ over the July 4th weekend, so decided to look up some BBQ places on Yelp.  Found The Smoking Pig and according to the reviews seemed pretty good and located fairly close to us in San Jose.

Smokers outside

 Real hardwood for smoking

Pulling into the parking lot, you are greeted with the smells of smoky goodness.  Often when dining out, you can not see a restaurant’s kitchen setup. But for the Smoking Pig, it’s in plain view behind the restaurant – large black smoke boxes fueled by real burning hardwood and seasoned with years of smoking meats on a daily basis.

The menu consists of some appetizers, including their signature one, Wolf Turds, which are stuffed jalepenos wrapped in bacon, then smoked in the BBQ pit. We did not try that, but I glanced at another table which ordered it, and it looked tasty.  Entrees include personal platters consist of 1, 2, or 3 meat combinations that come with cornbread and  personal sized side order, which includes cole slaw, potato salad, etc.  Since we were a large group (5 adults 3 kids), the waitress suggested we do the a la carte option and order the meats by the pound and share. We opted for pound each of the pulled pork and brisket and a full rack of ribs. I had also seen pictures and read rave reviews of the mac and cheese online, so we ordered the quart size to share.

BBQ Beef Brisket

The beef brisket was by far the favorite around the table. You can request whether you want “fatty” or “lean” cuts of the brisket, and we opted for a 50/50 split. Slow smoked/cooked Texas style, the flavor of the rub and smoke penetrated deeply into the meat, which really required no BBQ sauce

The Ribs

Ribs were done St Louis style, slightly dry but with a slathering of sauce on it. Ribs were meaty and well prepared. BBQ sauce is optional on this one, depending on if you are a fan of wet or dry ribs.

Pulled Pork

The pulled pork was prepared Carolina style, and came shredded. with a good combination of crisp , burnt edges and moist interior. Unlike the other 2 meats, I think BBQ sauce is a must on this one with the Carolina style BBQ sauce pairing well with this.

3 Types of BBQ Sauce

Like any real credible BBQ joint, Smoking Pig makes its own homemade BBQ sauce, three types in fact.  The Carolina Sassy has a vinegary profile with a bit of mustard and as mentioned before pairs well with the pulled pork. The Kansas City Hot is powered by habeneros and has a nice heat kick at the end, just enough to burn a few seconds and fade into the background. The California Honey was a bit on the sweeter side, a bit too sweet for my personal preference, but went well with the brisket.  I mixed the KC hot with the Carolina Sassy to create a more balanced sipping sauce for the pulled pork.

Mac and Cheese with bits of BBQ meat in it

I am a big fan of good mac and cheese. I’m not talking about the ones with the sauce you make from a powder, but from real cheese in a bechamel sauce poured over pasta, and sometimes baked off in a casserole dish.  i was anxious to try The Smoking Pigs version because I read they also incorporate bits of their BBQ into the sauce.  When the waitress bought the quart sized container to our table, I could tell it was gonna be good because of the weight. This stuff was dense.   Scooping some out, you get a satisfying thud as it hits your plate, meaning this stuff is rich, and met my expectations of how a good mac and cheese should be made.  The bits of BBQ lent a nice smokiness that differentiates it from other restaurant’s mac and cheese.  My suspicion is if you were to refrigerate this overnight, it would solidify back into its natural, unmelted, cheese block form, which means it was made right (in my personal opinion at least).

Verdict:
The Smoking Pig is definitely a place I would recommend for good BBQ. They do it well and prices are pretty reasonable.  The brisket is a must order,  although the ribs and pork are no slouch food either. Worth a trip from anywhere in the South Bay, especially if you like really good BBQ.

Tips:
We went for an early dinner because Theresa read it gets crowded during the peak dinner hours. When we left, I noted the dining room was almost full, and the parking lot had no empty spaces.  Since slow smoking takes a while, they can only cook a set amount of meat a day, so if you go later, there is also a danger they will run out of meats. So my advice is to come early so you can to ensure you can get what you want. They also do take out orders, which we will definitely do in the future.

The owners of Red Hot Wok have opened another restaurant, Mango Garden in Cupertino. We actually stumbled upon Mango Garden because Theresa called Red Hot Wok asking for Oliver or Dominic, and was told “they are at the new restaurant”.  We were very eager to try it, especially since the cuisine is Singaporean.  Equally exciting was they carried over their “snow” desserts from RHW, which we really enjoyed.

We started off with Roti Prada and Chicken and Beef Satay. Both came with a curry dipping sauce. The roti was nicely made, slightly sweet, which complimented the spicy curry well. Satay chicken and beef were tender and flavorful.

Belachan Okra

Belachan is a shrimp paste/sauce used in Singaporean cuisine and often serves as a seasoning agent and stir fry sauce for vegetables and meats. The okra did not have the typical “slime” you associate with okra, but the dish was a little wetter than previous versions I have had before.  My personal preference is to have it a bit drier, but most people will like this dish.

Sizzling Penang Prawns

Brought to your table on a black hot plate, Sizzling Penang Prawns come in a creamy sauce with onions, peppers, and in this case curry leaves.  You can really taste the buttery goodness, and the sauce is really good over rice, so make sure to get a bowl or two.

Siam Salmon- Spicy/sweet sauce with mango.

Stir Fried Crab

Oliver made a suggestion for the crab, which is not on the menu, a mix of their sambal and special curry. The sauce clung to the crab similar to the way a dry rub clings to ribs, which is a good thing.  While I am not the biggest crab fan, Theresa and her cousin are, and they were all over this one. The sauce was very tasty, and and goes well with rice.  Will definitely have to try the other flavors on our next trip.

Mango and Taro Snow

Milk Snow with strawberries, sweet red beans and coconut jelly.

The dessert is a carry over from their other restaurant, Red Hot Wok.  It’s a “snow ice”, which is basically like Italian shaved ice. The mixture consisting of ingredients similar to sorbet or ice milk are frozen in a block and then run across a blade to create shavings. This creates a fluffy textured dessert. This is then topped with fresh fruit.  My table mates were the most excited about this part of the meal, especially since it was a rip roaring hot day in the South Bay.  Rarely do I cite a dessert as the must have dish when you go to a restaurant, but this is one of those instance. Save room, as this is worth it.

Verdict: 
Mango Garden will definitely be on the regular rotations of restaurants we dine at. Lots of choices, and great take on Singaporean food.  If that was not enough, it has the snow desserts that we crave. Would highly recommend it for fans of Singaporean food and a great addition to the Cupertino area.

Jang Su Jang has a two locations in the Bay Area — Santa Clara and Milpitas. They are known for Korean BBQ, although if you get a non-grill table, you can still get BBQ that is served on a hot/sizzling plate and brought to your table. They also have noodle, dumpling, and tofu soup dishes.

If you order the package meals, it comes with a selection of meats that the staff cooks on the grill in the middle of the table for you.  We order the brisket and marinated short rib. Each person gets their own dipping sauces.

As with most Korean BBQ places, you get rice and a number of side dishes, which you can get refills. There was one with beef chunks that was really good, but that one was not refilled, so we only got some for the table.

Verdict: 
Staff was efficient at rolling out orders and  cooking the meats at the table. Sides were tasty and made you want to eat more rice.  The Santa Clara location is pretty popular, so definitely expect a wait if you walk in during dinner time.  I would suggest making reservations, especially if you want a grill equipped table. A group of 4 or 6 is probably ideal, as you can order a larger variety and share.  Definitely would put on rotation of restaurants that are good for small groups, especially those that love to eat meat. I have been to the Milpitas location for lunch, ordering the lunch specials. Experience was the same, so if that location is closer to you, would recommend you try that one.