Aaron and Jamie Evans are the new owners of Hog Wild Bar-B-Que and Catering, which is located at 38 Main Street in Placerville.
Aaron, a native born Texas boy, met Jamie, a native born California girl from Placerville, back in 2000. They were married in South Lake Tahoe in 2002 and began their life together in Texas.
For 16 years, Aaron was a key player for one of the largest catering outfits in the southwest United States, Eddie Deen & Company. He has been a part of two Presidential Inaugural Balls in Washington DC, the Dallas Cattle Baron’s Ball (which is the largest one night fundraiser for the American Cancer Society in the United States) and many more high-profile events around the country.
While at Eddie Deen’s, Aaron learned the art of freshly smoked meats, tasty side dishes prepared from scratch, homemade yeast rolls and, of course, Southern Hospitality.
Jamie was an instrumental part of the new home construction industry for 10 years in the Dallas – Fort Worth area.
Jamie is no stranger to hospitality, either, having grown up helping in her mom and dad’s candy store as well as alongside Aaron at Eddie Deen & Company.
Now, they are making a home, here in Placerville, for their family of 4 wonderful boys, and bringing a little taste of Texas barbecue back to Jamie’s hometown and the area.
My friend Russ Salazar and I had lunch at Hog Wild several years ago, when he was interviewing me for a presentation he wanted me to give for the Sirs (Sons in Retirement) group in Pollock Pines. We thought it would be a good idea to stop by and try out the new recipes that the new owners were using, so a couple of weeks ago we did just that.
It was a little after 11:30 a.m. on a Thursday (we meet for lunch early on days I have my yoga class) when Salazar and I walked into Hog Wild. It was busy, but we found a table and sat down. Our smiling server came over and put two plastic glasses on the table, pointing us to the soda machine, which had of all things, RC, Royal Crown Cola. I haven’t seen that in a long time.
We almost always order a couple of different things and then split them, so we can share comments. I thought about the Smokehouse Burger, Wild Style – topped with pulled pork, but decided I would stick to our usual and ordered a sliced brisket sandwich, cut in two, with a side of “Ranchero Pinto Beans.”
Salazar thought for a while and then ordered a half rack (six ribs) of baby back ribs, probably the best deal on the menu at $13.95. For a side he chose their “Chopped Cole Slaw”
The brisket sandwich, which came on a homemade wheat bun with sauce, pickles and onions, was delicious. They put one-third pound of nicely smoked meat on their sandwiches and the Eddie Deen’s Bar-B-Que sauce they serve really added to it. I also tried their hot bar-b-que sauce, which had a nice bite to it. The beans were likewise good, and full of flavor.
The ribs had a smoke ring that went almost to the bone, which meant they were smoked for many hours. We both agreed they were nicely smoked, moist and excellent.
I don’t know why, but even though they were tender from all that time in the smoker (check out their huge smoker at the side of the building) they didn’t easily pull off the bone, something I look for.
The cole slaw, we both decided, was….cole slaw. We have had better, we have had worse, much worse.
We decided against dessert, but I took a long look at that Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie.
Their menu includes sandwiches, plates and family style meals made from a choice of tender beef brisket (sliced or chopped), spicy sausage links, pulled pork, baby back ribs, spare ribs or smoked chicken breast.
As a warning, their meats are slow smoked and when they are gone, they are gone (even as early as we got there, they were out of their regular spare ribs).
Sides include homemade potato salad, chopped cole slaw, sauteed green beans, a small house salad, Ranchero pinto beans, Campfire potato wedges, mashed potatoes with gravy and sweet cornbread with honey butter.
They also have vegetarian and light items, along with a children’s menu.
We stuck with the soda, but beer and wine are also available.
Hog Wild Bar-B-Que is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11a.m. until 8 p.m., closed on Mondays (Open for Labor and Memorial Day). They can be reached at (530) 622-3883.
You can check out their webpage at http://www.hogwildbar-b-que.com and visit them on Facebook. Their menu, pictures of the building and patio and catered events are there.