West Tennessee Whole Hog Barbecue, Explained

What it is

West Tennessee whole hog is exactly what it sounds like: the entire pig, cooked low over wood coals in an open pit, then pulled or chopped and usually served on a bun with slaw2, 7. The difference from most barbecue is choice. Because the whole animal is on the pit, you can ask for the part you like. Ricky Parker of Scott’s in Lexington told the Southern Foodways Alliance that customers could order tenderloin, ham, middling (the belly) or shoulder2, and Pat Martin says Tennesseans have always been opinionated about where their sandwich gets pulled from: loin or ham for lean, belly for fatty7.

Where it comes from

This is a rural tradition, not a city one. When the Southern Foodways Alliance went looking for it in 2003, it framed Memphis as the center of urban barbecue and rural West Tennessee as the home of the whole hog, a tradition “as ancient as the woods”3. The heart of it sits along Highway 412 in Henderson and Chester counties, roughly halfway between Nashville and Memphis1, 6, 9.

A defining keeper of the flame was Ricky Parker of Scott’s in Lexington. He started working for owners Early and Mrs. Scott as a teenager in 1976 and took over the business in 19892. In that 2003 interview he said he cooked nothing but whole hogs, over hickory, on an open pit, and that he put in about 120 hours a week2. The SFA’s 2005 film Whole Hog, by Joe York, made him the face of the tradition4. Parker died in 2013, and his son Zach Parker left EMT school to take over the pits at what is now Scott’s-Parker’s5.

The tradition has shrunk sharply. Pat Martin recalls nine spots serving whole hog in the town of Henderson when he left in 1994; Texas Monthly found they had since closed or switched to shoulders and electric cookers1. A big reason is supply: a restaurant’s hogs must be processed at a USDA-inspected plant, and Texas Monthly reported just one such whole-animal processor left in West Tennessee, serving the two spots then still cooking whole hog over wood, Scott’s-Parker’s and Ramey’s (2017)1. In 2023 Zach Parker bought the closed Jacks Creek B-B-Q, pulled out its electric cookers and set out to restore its wood pits18.

A small discrepancy: Ricky Parker told the SFA that Scott’s was established in 19602, while Texas Monthly gives 19621. We show both until we can confirm.

How it’s cooked

1. Burn the wood down. Hickory is the Tennessee wood2, 7. Pitmasters burn logs to coals in a separate fire and shovel the coals under the meat11.
2. Go big and slow. Tennessee hogs run about 200 pounds and cook for about 24 hours around 200°F7. Parker described hogs of 250 to 285 pounds taking 20 to 23 hours2.
3. Wait on the hams. Martin keeps the pit at 185–200°F so the loin and middlin’ don’t overcook while the hams and shoulders catch up10; “the hams are always dragging,” he told Tasting Table7.
4. Let the skin protect it. Because the cook is so low, the skin isn’t crisped; it acts as a shield for the belly and shoulder7.
5. Pull to order. The meat is pulled or chopped and sauced with a vinegar-based sauce that cuts the fat2, 7.

Watch before you go

People and places to know

How it compares

Where to try it in Middle Tennessee

• Martin’s Nolensville, 7223 Nolensville Rd, the original; its site lists it as open daily 11am–9pm17.
• Martin’s Downtown, 410 4th Ave S, plus Nashville locations Eater lists in Belmont, Midtown and Nissan Stadium16. Nashville Scene readers voted Martin’s Best Barbecue in 202619.

Want the West Tennessee source? Lexington sits on Highway 412, roughly halfway between Nashville and Memphis6. Or read our Nashville city guide.

Whole hog FAQ

What’s changed

Spots close and polls change. Here’s what we’ve updated, newest first.

• Aug 21, 2024Helen’s Bar-B-Q in Brownsville closed when Helen Turner retired11, 20, 21.
• 2023Zach Parker bought the closed Jacks Creek B-B-Q and set out to restore its wood pits18.

Sources

1. West Tennessee Whole Hog · Texas Monthly
2. Oral history: Ricky Parker, Scott's Bar-B-Que · Southern Foodways Alliance · published Mar 22, 2003
3. Rural Tennessee BBQ Project · Southern Foodways Alliance · published 2003

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How we write guides. We don’t publish our own reviews or scores. Listings reflect where independent press and readers’ polls agree, and every claim links to its source. Paid placements never change a guide. Hours and sell-outs change, so check with the spot before you drive.