Really cool historic BBQ joint! Friendly service, great prices. I enjoyed my meal. I'd definitely return!

Best BBQ in town chopped when you order and hush puppies are great !! Burgers grilled to perfection they are really good .

We stumbled on this little gym, driving through Statesville, NC headed towards another destination. We quickly decided to pull over and check it out. The friendliness and atmosphere gives you that hometown feel a very welcoming people behind the bar and in the room. There is limited seating, however, we did not have a problem getting a seat, and this is a CASH ONLY restaurant, so please be prepared . The food is Memphis style barbecue, so for all the reviews that said it is tomato based Lexington style BBQ, I guess the need a little more research ‍. And I was amazed at the quality! I had the barbecue sandwich with baked beans and corn nuggets on the side. The beans had pork inside and had a wonderful smoky flavor. The corn nuggets, well, they hit that straight out of the park! With the beans came one hush puppy in the middle. That hush puppy brought me back to my childhood years at my grandparents Lakehouse. I've had a lot of North Carolina barbecue, but this by far was truly the best, although to be fair it is Memphis style and not NC style BBQ. I'm a good old boy from Louisiana, so this was right up my alley! By the way, this is the only known BBQ place that still has the original smoker built right into the building structure. If you decide to give it a shot, remember, this should not be reviewed as a NC style BBQ. That would just be an unfair opinion... History of the BBQ restaurant: When Fred and Fay Sears opened Little Pigs BBQ on July 24, 1963, customers keen to taste the 35-cent sandwiches of Memphis-style barbecue formed a line out the door that wound through Brookdale Shopping Center. A family business from day one, the restaurateurs had their daughter working the counter, but she had already made plans to sneak off that evening for her first date with Lynn Daniels, the 18-year-old produce manager of the downtown Winn-Dixie on East Broad Street. "We were busy - busy, busy, busy - and my father wanted me to work, but I just left," Sherry Daniels said, before pausing to explain her youthful act of defiance. "I guess I thought he was the one, I don't know." A couple of months later, Lynn Daniels came to work for Little Pigs BBQ full time, and a couple of months after that, he married Sherry on Dec. 1, 1963. The newlyweds stuck with the family restaurant and eventually went on to inherit the business. A couple of months later, Lynn Daniels came to work for Little Pigs BBQ full time, and a couple of months after that, he married Sherry on Dec. 1, 1963. The newlyweds stuck with the family restaurant and eventually went on to inherit the business. "I've enjoyed the people, and of course I've enjoyed my job, or I wouldn't have been doing it for 50 years, I guess," he added with a chuckle. The family attributed the success of its businesses to luck, loyal customers and good food, which is made using the techniques Fred and Fay Sears learned in Memphis attending Barbecue University, a weeklong program that was required to open a Little Pigs BBQ back when it was a franchise. The founders' "pigskin diploma" for a "master of barbecue, porky cum laude," still hangs in the restaurant. Rick Daniels, son of Lynn and Sherry, said he started working in the family restaurant at age 15 and, after playing golf professionally for 15 years, he returned to Statesville, where he works alongside his parents, cooking, chopping and helping manage the business. "We have a pit that we use charcoal and hickory wood to slow cook the meat, and then we hand chop it and put it on plates and sandwiches," he said. "Memphis-style barbecue is tomato based and it's a little bit thicker. Also, some people put a rub on the meat before they cook it, but we don't do that. And a lot of people mix the sauce in as they chop it, which we don't so people have the option of not having sauce." Once the meat is cooked, Little Pigs BBQ takes the time to hand chop its barbecue, which Rick Daniels said makes a huge difference. "Some places will put a big chunk of meat in a grinder, and it grinds up all the fat, grease and gristle in with the barbecue, and that's why some places' barbecue is greasy and it's kind of shredded looking," he said. "We hand chop it, so ours comes out more light and fluffy instead of so greasy and matted. I've heard people say, when you walk into a barbecue restaurant, if you don't hear somebody chopping behind the counter, then it's not going to be fit to eat." When his parents decide to retire, Rick Daniels said he plans to take over Little Pigs BBQ with the help of his wife, Laura, whose outstanding macaroni and cheese and desserts may find their way onto the menu. As for the next generation, the couple has a 2-year-old daughter who already does a great job of greeting customers. - Statesville Record and Landmark FOUNDED: July 24, 1963 LOCATION: 226 Brookdale Drive, Statesville HOURS: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed on Sunday

Love this place. I've been coming here since I was a child. The barbecue is smokey delicious and not too fatty. The sauce isn't like any other NC barbecue sauce. It's tart and savory, but a little thicker and spicier than a typical NC sauce, it seems to have paprika, red pepper, and maybe garlic powder? (not sure!) - but I always heard it was "Tennesee style" sauce - whatever it is - it's yummy. It is run by the same family since it started, in 1963 - they are low-key, friendly, and the restaurant itself is like a little time capsule. They have good, hushpuppies, and I like their smokey little cheeseburgers too.