Triangle Eats: The Barbecue Tempeh Plate at The Pig in Chapel Hill, NC

Triangle Eats: The Barbecue Tempeh Plate at The Pig in Chapel Hill, NC

 I know of more than a few bonafide vegetarian restaurants that don't even offer tempeh on their menu so imagine my surprise when I discovered tempeh on the menu of a barbecue restaurant called The Pig in Chapel Hill.  The Pig is not your typical southern barbecue restaurant however.  Though barbecue is quickly becoming a hipster passion along with vintage t-shirts and craft beer, you still have to appreciate a barbecue restaurant in the south playing Built to Spill over the loudspeakers and serving 16 ounce cans of Deviant Dale's IPA.

A vegetarian and vegan-friendly barbecue restaurant? Try The Pig in Chapel Hill.

The Pig's menu of veritable pig-based barbecue is long and thorough, but happily, the list doesn't stop there and also includes plates and sandwiches with barbecue tofu and barbecue tempeh.  Tempeh is a meat substitute made from fermented soy beans.  The health benefits of fermented foods like tempeh, with their range of healthy bacteria, have been a hot nutritional topic of late (Fresh Air with Terry Gross recently ran an interview on this topic with Sandor Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation).  The tempeh at The Pig is coated with a delicious dry rub somewhat a-typical for southern barbecue with flavors more similar to Chinese five spice and is served with a sweet barbecue sauce for dipping.  The large plate comes with housemade pickles, slaw, hushpuppies and a side.    The sides at The Pig are also all amazing with flavor profiles that spin creatively off their classical counterparts.  I ordered the green bean vinaigrette, a seasonal side, topped with sliced red onions and toasted pecans.  My husband loves their sprouts n' shrooms, a roasted or possibly even fried combination of mushrooms and brussels sprouts.  If you're vegetarian, vegan or even just curious to try barbecue  tempeh, visit The Pig next time you're in Chapel Hill, NC.

Our son, Declan posing beside the mascot of The Pig barbecue restaurant in Chapel Hill.