Long a staple for take-out in Whitefish, Piggyback Barbecue leapt into new digs—across the street. The unique restaurant known for its succulent pit meats that scent the air north of the viaduct re-opened this week on west side of Wisconsin Avenue. “It’s such as better facility with a larger kitchen,” says owner and pitmaster Clay Nelson, who then grins, “but we still have the pit.”
Along with indoor and outdoor seating and more parking, Nelson revamped the menu for dining. Mainstays are still the seasoned meats from the pit, such as hand-pulled pork, Black Angus beef brisket, and smoked chicken, and Nelson’s homemade tomato, vinegar, spicy mustard, and barbecue sauces.
But now, in addition to sides of barbecue beans, and red pepper cabbage slaw, he’s added appetizers and salads to the menu. You can start dinner with Ancho Rancho fried dill pickle chips, homemade hush puppies with honey-butter, or fried green tomatoes, and the lunch menu features a smoked chicken salad that’s a southern take on the Waldorf classic.
New entrees have also expanded lunch and dinner dishes. Nelson’s Smokey Joe sandwich is already becoming popular with brisket slathered in horseradish, cheddar, and barbecue sauce. The dinner menu now includes a grilled flat-iron steak topped with carmelized onion and a chipotle pepper blue cheese sauce.
To complement the southern cooking, Nelson also brought in both sweetened and unsweetened ice tea and added homemade desserts–banana cream and key lime pies.
Piggyback is open seven days a week. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner is served from 5 – 9 p.m. Those in a hurry can still order take-out—both individual portions and with advance notice bulk to feed families and big parties.
“I’ve always loved barbecue,” says Nelson, who is originally from Virginia. His passion shows in the pit.