According to www.cityviewmag.com “From Knoxville classics to small-town favorites, East Tennessee is chuck-full of opportunities to eat the BEST BBQ around!” City View Magazine continues, “BBQ is an American staple and a Knoxville favorite!” Knoxville, Tennessee is blessed to have quality BBQ restaurants founded by barbeque Pit Masters from all around the country who have “found their way to East Tennessee to tempt our tongues and fill our (pork) bellies with All-American Vittles!”
The Humble Hog is “The New Kid on The BBQ Block!” Opened on February 26th, 2024, The Humble Hog –AKA hh -curated “Community and Collaboration,” via “taste-testing sessions” of its menu prior to its official opening. On February 13th, 2024, The Humble Hog posted, “SO far, soooooo good…just a few more taste tests and we’ll be welcoming our whole community very soon!” Then–et voila…the menu was perfected and “the hh menu was dialed in and hh was ready to swing open these ‘old doors’,”… into this newly renovated establishment! hh is “proud of the team that we are building, the food we’re smoking, and the tastes we’re refining!” Proclaiming, “Eat Well and Stay Humble! At The Humble Hog in Knoxville, we’re all about serving up a slice of barbeque heaven with a side of Southern hospitality. Pull up a chair, be surprised by our unique slow-smoked specialties, and let the warmth of our community embrace you. Welcome home!” From the moment that I walked through the front doors of The Humble Hog, and heard the tune “Wagon Wheel,” by Darius Rucker playing on the sound system, I did indeed IMMEDIATELY feel “at home” in this brand-new beautifully arranged and decorated establishment. Greeted warmly, the ambiance of The Humble Hog is one of; Being relaxed, taking your time to savor your cocktail, and by all means- sit back and wholeheartedly languish in both the aromas and tastes of their scrumptious BBQ Fare.
The service was outstanding. The BBQ was beyond delicious. The cocktails were both STUNNING to look at and luscious to imbibe. The owner, Ben Grice, seemed GENUINELY thrilled to speak to us and visited our table and posed for a photo behind his well-stocked bar! The Humble Hog states, “From our beers and spirits, to our meats, produce and special ingredients—if we can’t make it from scratch, we’ll source it as close to this humble kitchen as humanly possible. We love collaborating with local vendors, makers, brewers and farmers as
we gear up to bring you the highest quality dishes possible.” In regard to the cocktail menu, we had:
–The Humble ‘Rita= Tequila, Smoked Pineapple and Lime; a spicy, smoky, scrumptious take on a traditional Margarita
–The Knox-elada= TN’s Michelada, E&I’s Don Chuy, Lime, Habanero BBQ Sauce, with a Spiced Rim; Think a “Bloody Mary” made with BBQ Sauce as its base- YUP, I drank BBQ Sauce in a Cocktail!
–Sunsphere Spritz= Strawberry, Aspide, Prosecco
….UMMMM- we ordered 4 of the Sunsphere Spritz Cocktails…and not a single drop was left at the end of the meal. The BBQ Sauce in the Knox-elada Cocktail was hh – The Humble Hog’s (hh) own brand, and you may purchase any 3 of their specialty BBQ Sauces: Chipotle BBQ Sauce, Habanero BBQ Sauce, and Mild BBQ sauce, as well as hh’s Dry Rub. The hh line-up of tasty gluten free sauces and house rub are available for in-store purchase, and hh online purchase options are in the works.
Our BBQ Fare was phenomenally tasty. Our order included: The Sticky Ribs, Mac-N-Cheese, Pulled Pork Sandwich, 1 bowl of fried pickles which also contained other freshly battered and fried veggies, Pastrami on Rye Rueben, and for dessert= a BEAUTEOUS BANANA PUDDING!- with 3 spoons!!! The hh Banana Pudding is “perfectly pleasant in every way!” *The Sticky Ribs were BY FAR THE MOST SENSATIONAL RIBS THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN AND/OR EATEN…OOO-EY, GOO-EY, FINGER-LICKING, BONE-SUCKING-PUCKERING-TILL-IT-POPS EXQUISITELY DIVINE AND FLAVORSOME GOODNESS… The Humble Hog’s Sticky Ribs are: “The stuff that DREAMS are made of,” to quote William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” a phrase and literary refence used to describe something MAGICAL, UNREAL, and HIGHLY DESIREABLE.
The Humble Hog’s Social Media photos are equally TANTALIZING…and most assuredly EXCELLENT QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHIC FOODIE PHOTOGRAPHY!!
312 S Gay Street
Knoxville, TN USA 37902
The Humble Hog has both a Facebook Page as well as an Instagram page; “The Humble Hog Knoxville,” on FB and @humblehogbbq on IG. You may find eclectic food and drinks postings featuring some of the hh unique offerings such as: “The Humble Old Fashioned= is a must-try! We BRISKET WASH our bourbon for an incredibly smooth finish with just a hint of smokiness!” And: after a morning spent strolling about town, head on over to hh “and hit up the pork burger banh mi for lunch! It’s loaded with fresh vegetables and our perfectly marinated pork smash burger!” Fans say, “GREAT Smoked meats with a unique twist! I had the pork burger banh mi and the meat was exceptional and the flavor profile was really different from anything else I’ve had (eaten) in Knoxville!” The hh brisket Reuben is “so beautiful that we could just post it every day!” And; “Our smoked crab is one of our signature dinner menu options. Once you try it, it’s easy to tell why. Surf’s up on our turf!”
The Humble Hog comments, “The banana pudding gets a lot of love, understandably, but our sweet potato cake with Vietnamese coffee sauce is no second fiddle. Come try this house-made treat and taste for yourself!” TOP FANS RATE this Dessert; “THE BEST EVER!” Other patrons commented, “The RIBS are 10/10…with just the right rub—just the right smoke—spare-ribs the way spare-ribs should be!” Step on down to The Humble Hog for lunch! “Maybe go a little crazy and grab our SMOKED BOLOGNA SANDWICH so you’ll have some leftovers for later!” The absolutely stunning plate of strawberries and cream pancakes with chopped walnuts is truly a DELECTABLE sight to behold! Brunch menus and items vary by season…but whatever IS on the menu, it is sure to be specially crafted and scrumptious!
On March 8th, The Humble Hog posted, “We are thrilled to announce our new venue at The Coliseum! The Ice Bears Hockey Team have the most amazing fans, and we’re having a blast with our crew serving up some hh bbq favorites! Special thanks to our hh crew for all of the extra effort in getting this launched!” The Knoxville Ice Bears organization was an inaugural charter member of the Southern Professional Hockey League in 2004. “The Ice Bears Hockey Team offers the city and its visitors a balanced product of highlight-reel hockey, unique and exciting intermission activity, and endless fan interaction. The Ice Bears truly present the most affordable, family-friendly way to enjoy sports and entertainment in the Knoxville area.” And now you can order up some fantastic fare of The Humble Hog BBQ whist watching a hockey game!
#IceBears #HockeyLife #CommunityCollaboration
Furthering the theme of Community Collaboration, The Humble Hog features and displays Art Works by local Artist, Matthew Israel. Matthew Israel is a former IT Specialist, Former Analyst/Supervisor at JTV, and studied at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Matthew creates large canvases of local Knoxville landmarks: The Tennessee Theatre, The Hill on the Campus of UTK, Various well know areas of the UTK Campus, Downtown Knoxville- Artist-Alley/Dolly Parton Mural, as well as Downtown Knoxville’s 600-Block and 500-Block, etc. as well as creating an extraordinary canvas of The Humble Hog Building! Matthew Israel has a Facebook Page full of his Art Works, as well as an Instagram account @mattvols3 “Just a guy trying to make ART in Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, Go Vols!” www.myattemptsatart.com “My Attempts At Art.”
Owner Ben Grice says, “We frame it this way…barbeque is our method, not our menu.”
“Juicy pulled pork, tender brisket, absolutely ridiculous burnt ends…we love to play the hits, but we also enjoy mixing things up a bit. We look at barbeque as our method of delivering exciting new flavors. It’s not just WHAT we do, it’s HOW we do it! Are you ready?” The Humble Hog certainly does “spice up” its menu, offering different specials such as: “Smoky Gator Bites- juicy, crispy, and of course, gluten free! Perfect with a Local Brew!” The Humble Hog proudly pours YEE HAW BEER, touting, “Great Day for a VOLS Win!! Time to celebrate with some mighty fine bbq and the exclusive craft beer of the Vols!- Drink YEE HAW BEER!” And, the hh adds, “Nothin’ wrong with a little brisket appreciation post! We’ll see you soon!” Additionally, “Our Smoked Trout Salad with local greens is a fresh new pick-me-up…it’s got chickpeas, pickled blueberries,
and our delicious smoked trout, and then it is served with a Tahini Vinaigrette dressing!!” The Humble Hog also has, quite possibly, One of the World’s Most Picturesque BBQ Sandwiches…A single glance, and you immediately start salivating…Yum.
The Humble Hog Team states: “We are building something special here at The Humble Hog! Smoky flavors, unique recipes,”… AND—
“THIS AIN’T YOUR DADDY’S BBQ JOINT!”
“Come see what all the fuss is about!” …and tell The Humble Hog that www.ribbqnews.com sent you!
