My husband and I consider ourselves BBQ connoisseurs after sampling the best of what Texas has to offer last year, so we were very excited to visit Union Pig and Chicken.
I've read that other reviewers were disappointed in the prices and the portion sizes. I could not have had a more opposite reaction. Our friendly waitress suggested the two of us get the choose 2 with a side and cornbread and assured us that it would be enough. At $20 I have to say this is a steal and DEFINITELY the way to go if you are a party of 2. We picked the pork shoulder and brisket with a side of greens. We also ordered an appetizer of pork belly lettuce wraps.
First off, the pork belly lettuce wraps were awesome. I'll be disappointed if they are not on the menu when we go back. Our meat came and our waitress explained that the sauces on the table were a spicy habanero sauce, a more traditional BBQ sauce, and a vinegary sauce (she described them MUCH better and gave specific ingredients in each.) Right off the bat my husband was disappointed that you do not get bread to go with your meat. That was pretty standard in every BBQ place we've been. Our brisket was juicy and tender but the fat was very overwhelming. I understand keeping fat on for flavor and absolutely do not mind a bit of it, but this was A LOT of fat. The pork shoulder was amazing and my favorite part of the meal.
The sauces were good, but none were "i can't get enough... can I drink this?" good. My favorite was the spicy habanero which was the perfect level of spice for me but WAY too spicy for my husband (wimp). It had an awesome burn to it that crept up on me and warmed my whole body up. A true gem for a heat lover.
The greens were good, but not memorable. I thought the cornbread was very good but was too sweet for my husband.
I can't wait to go back to try the fried chicken. The couple next to us got it and it looked delicious. Also I'd love to try their mac n cheese... well... because I'd like to eat all of the mac n cheese on the planet.
You can definitely find best BBQ in Pittsburgh at Union Pig and Chicken. We had a high quality meal for a very reasonable price, but it just fell short in a few areas where we had high expectations.