Located just off of Route 5 in Wallingford, Pig Rig BBQ offers American style barbecue food. Pig Rig BBQ opened first as a food truck in 2006, appearing at special events and serving homemade barbecue favorites such as hamburgers, hotdogs, and pulled pork sandwiches. Eventually, the food truck business evolved into a brick-and-mortar restaurant now located about an eight minute drive from the Choate campus. Mr. Dan Lanigan, the owner of Pig Rig BBQ, started the restaurant after serving five consecutive years in the military. “I am an entrepreneur at heart and I just love what I do,” Mr. Lanigan explained. “I have a dozen employees who all have a sense of pride for me because of my strong passion for the barbecue food industry.” While The Pig Rig now has a physical restaurant location, it still serves its fare through food trucks and catering. Now running in Yale Plaza, Pig Rig BBQ is a highly recognized barbecue restaurant throughout the town.
During its beginnings as a food truck, Pig Rig BBQ only offered a menu with classic hamburgers and hotdogs. As the business grew, the restaurant not only moved into its own building, but also incorporated new menu items. Now, some of the biggest hits on the menu are several types of wings, pulled pork, hickory smoked ribs, as well as the traditional hamburgers and hotdogs. After building up the restaurant’s menu, Mr. Lanigan’s food developed a more successful reputation. In fact, this past year, Pig Rig catered roughly three hundred graduation parties in Wallingford and surrounding towns.
Pig Rig BBQ pays careful attention to the seasoning and flavor of their food. The ribs have a very robust and flavorful taste with the traditional smoked backyard barbecue touch. The pulled pork is also very flavorful and is complemented by the homemade barbecue sauce. Both the ribs and the pulled pork are well prepared and cooked to perfection. The hot dogs and hamburgers also have the traditional flavor and go well with the toasted buns, which are glazed with a golden crust to bring out even more flavor. The wings, irresistibly flavored, are served with a hint of hickory-smoke and covered with barbecue sauce. The items on the menu range from just under $8 for a pulled pork sandwich and $30 for a full rack rib platter including two sides and cornbread.
