Where: The Pig Restaurant, 630 Weaver Dairy Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27514
GF Menu: Yes! You can view their online menu here.
What I ate: GF BBQ Plate with cole slaw, pickles, and potato salad. Mom ordered a GF BBQ Sandwich, also pictured here.
How to order it: The menu is clearly marked with “GF” next to appropriate items. The daily specials are written on a chalkboard. If it is not clear what items are GF, be sure to ask the staff for their GF recommendations when you place your order at the counter.
When looking at the menu, you might be surprised that the collards are not marked gluten-free. The day we visited, the cashier said the collards are not GF because a bit of beer-braised pork is added to the collards for flavor.
The “sprouts & shrooms” are also not marked GF. This is due to the fact that the brussels sprouts are flash-fried in the same fryer as the hush puppies. Good to know.
If they haven’t run out of it by the time you place your order, the GF sandwich bread comes from my absolute favorite GF baker, Dave Gardner, at Imagine That! Gluten Free Bakery.
Dave is based in Durham. I buy his GF bread (flax seed, cinnamon raisin, pumpernickel, among others) at the Carrboro Farmer’s Market. He produces the best GF bread and pizza crusts I have tasted anywhere.
What it looks like:
This NC hickory-smoked BBQ was warm, smoky, and spicy without being overwhelmed by vinegar. It had that fresh red pepper kick that builds pleasantly on your tongue and lips.
Created with finely chopped cabbage, impossibly tiny carrot shreds, and fresh celery seeds, this cole slaw was sophisticated, but not too sweet.
The potato salad consisted of small, red-skinned potatoes that were cooked just right, a very light mayonnaise sauce, and fresh paprika.
I am not a sweet pickle fan, but I could possibly be converted by these subtly sweet pickles from The Pig. I plan to return soon specifically to order their Pickle Plate (GF).
Here’s a photo of mom’s sandwich, which I also sampled. Hickory-smoked BBQ pork was piled high and topped with a layer of slaw on toasted GF bread from Imagine That! Gluten Free, of Durham.
Green Note: Chef and owner Sam Suchoff, who formerly worked at Lantern, Neals’ Deli, and the Barbecue Joint, carefully selects local antibiotic-and-hormone-free meats to serve in his restaurant.
He prepares locally-sourced meats such as sausages, bologna, and bacon for customers to purchase by the pound and take home. He also sells his homemade “hog dogs” at the Carrboro Farmer’s Market.
BBQ and ham for sale at the Carrboro Farmers Market.
Sam at his post at the Carrboro Farmer’s Market. This was a rare moment of quiet. Though it was 10am, his table was already being flooded with eager customers purchasing ham, bbq, and “hog dogs” to either eat on the spot or take home.
The Pig’s home page emphasizes local products with the following line:
“Working with the NC Natural Hog Grower’s Association & their antibiotic & hormone-free , pasture-raised piggies to bring regional flavors & local ingredients to the party in your tummy.”
Sweet Tea & Wheat-Free 
The hushpuppies are gluten-free now; I wonder if that means the sprouts’n’shrooms are too!
Thanks so much for your comment! To follow up on this, I checked with the staff at The Pig. While the hush puppies are indeed made with corn masa now instead of flour, they are still fried in the same oil in which other items containing gluten are fried. So, if cross-contamination is a concern for you or someone you know with an allergy or intolerance to gluten, you’ll need to avoid both the hush puppies and any other fried items.