Iron Pig Alehouse brings authentic smoked barbecue to Pacific Beach

Iron Pig Alehouse in Pacific Beach is named for its “smoker,” the machine responsible for the authentic, slowed-cooked smoked barbecue, which is its sustenance.

“The smoker is the backbone and the center of our universe,” said Kenny Casciato, one of Iron Pig’s business partners.

“It’s a big, hunking thing with four legs,” concurred Casciato colleague Brigette O’Donovan. “It literally looks like a big iron pig sitting in the back (kitchen).”

“We’ve got a modern barbecue,” agreed Louise Kelly, one of Iron Pig’s partners who handles the PR. She let chef Rick Daniels, a Texas native, explain what makes Iron Pig’s smoked meat a cut above.

“We’re trying to bring a different kind of bbq here, one people don’t usually find,” said Daniels, adding Iron Pig can – and will – smoke everything from quail, pork chops and appetizers to vegetarian items like portobello mushrooms.

“It’s an everyday man’s meal,” said Daniels, of the end product, which he described as a Texas-style brisket cooked “low and slow” for 14 hours plus.