The Smok'd Hog — Restaurant in Temecula

I only visited this eatery because of the Yelp and the readers review.. They may have been paid for the star ratings because I did not find it as being a 3.5 or a 4. starred rating out of 5 stars as listed. My friend and I both had the Plate special. Pulled Pork , Cornbread + 1 side $16.00. drinks extra. The total dollar spent $39.00 plus $6.00 tip $45.00. I would have enjoyed Jack in the Box more.. The table tops were sticky, the paper plates, with plastic Knife, fork, and drinking glass. The napkins was the superior choice here at least. The Pulled Pork , sides and cornbread were served in cardboard containers each. (my Mac and cheese side was extremely dry and the cheese was so overcooked. My friends chose the Cole Slaw, the cabbage was nice however the dressing not so good. (I always that that Best food mayonnaise had some flavor) so they may have chosen a lessor quality. Both of our pulled pork selection had enough oil (grease would be a better chose of words)floated in the cardboard container. When served at the sticky table, the server/cashier pointed out the different types of BBQ sauces displayed on the table, The containers looked as thought they had not been cleaned for months, the actual opening of the containers displayed a half inch of dried contents. Very nasty. I can not say that the beverages complimented the meal. at least the names enticed the idea of have one. I would bet the neither of the two people had a required Food Handlers care, or attended a required food preparation and safety class, in person or on line! Now on the other hand, As being a retired Restaurant owner of two, I can see this place could have a lot of potential hot spot for it's neighborhood location.. I would concentrate on Carry Out for now with Dine In when their act is together including cleaning the serving area and...

This inconspicuous place is one of my absolute favorite BBQ in San Diego. Having lived in North Carolina for four years, I have very high standards when it comes to BBQ, especially when it comes to pork.

While a few other BBQ joints have standout briskets such as Grand Ole BBQ or Coop's, none of those places come close to touching The Smok'd Hog's pulled pork. The pulled pork here is smoked to perfection, lightly smoke kissed and tender without the slightly stinky smell that pork can sometimes have. This type of pulled pork is exactly what you might have in North Carolina--it's perfect in a sandwich, and also perfect on its own in a plate.

They also have a great selection of BBQ sauces to go with their meats and on the pulled pork sandwich. I can't speak to the authenticity of the NC sauce, but even in NC itself, there is a variety of different sauces as well, and to be honest the most famous east Carolina sauce is probably way too much vinegar for anyone who is not a native from there. The other sauces here are good, and with the large selection I'm sure there's one to fit each person's tastes.

In addition to the pork, the pulled chicken is very good as well. It's smokey and not too dry. It's also pulled, which distinguishes it from the BBQ chicken at some other places. After having it in the sandwich with the Alabama white sauce, I had to order an extra half pound of it to go to eat it at home later!

The Cubano here is also quite delicious and has great flavors. The collard greens have a good meat flavor with a touch of bitterness for balance, and the mac and cheese here has a cheesy texture and good taste without being overly heavy or salty.

Overall, if I lived closer to this place, I'd probably eat it every week. If you like pulled pork, there is no place in San Diego...

A triumph in smoked meats. If you're visiting San Diego, you'll probably go to the zoo or Balboa Park. This puts you in close proximity to some of the best smoked meats & sandwiches around. Located just beyond the north entry to the park is a small red building on a corner with a smoker out front. You'll drive past it if you're not looking....and that'd be a huge mistake. While the lot is very small, find a place to park & step inside the screen door. What meets your eye isn't pretty but the smells that fill your nose more than make up for it. In a 5 day visit, I ate at the Smok'd Hog twice (& would have been a 3rd if not for bad traffic our last day). The first visit, I ordered a pulled pork sandwich with a sweet-heat sauce. Pulled pork is fairly easy but often underwhelms...but not at the Smok'd Hog. It was undoubtedly the best I've had. My wife stole a piece & was hooked. She wanted one for herself, which setup a return visit a couple of days later. In that visit, I had a rib meat sandwich, which was also a treat. The prices are very reasonable & the staff is terrific. My calendar has been reset from Gregorian to "how many days ago I ate at The Smok'd Hog." It's been 10 days, by the way, the longest 10 days of my life. They're 1,000 miles away from my home city & I fear they've ruined smoked meats for me forever. Was it worth it? You're damn...