The Celtic Pig

Celtic Pig BBQ grew out of a passion for slow cooking and a shared Scotch-Irish heritage. Melissa Ingram, whose full-time gig is serving 2000 meals a day as the Executive Chef at the University of Louisville, decided she wanted a big BBQ smoker for cookouts in the backyard. Her boyfriend, Sam Bracken, gathered up the components (a 250-gallon propane tank, an old wood-stove, an abandoned trailer, and some weathered barn wood), and, together, they repurposed them into a “steam-punk” smoker named Argyle Mac Guinness! After several years entertaining friends and family by smoking everything from whole hogs and wild turkeys to alligators and brisket, they fine-tuned their craft on the competitive BBQ circuit as “Celtic Pig BBQ.” Using Melissa’s original dry rubs and homemade sauces, they won their first trophy – 2nd place for Ribs — at the 2014 Kentucky State BBQ Festival in Danville. From her grandmother, Melissa, the culinary brains behind Celtic Pig, learned the important skills of drying, preserving, and canning food along with preparing dishes with the time honored traditions of Western Kentucky. She uses locally sourced ingredients in her “Meliciously Delicious Dry Rub”, “Burnin’ Down the Outhouse Hot Sauce,” “KY Red BBQ Sauce,” and “Shagbark Hickory Syrup.” Celtic Pig BBQ serves up a Kentucky twist on Celtic favorites like tatties and neeps, haggis, and savory meat pies; authentic Kentucky BBQ standards like pulled pork, brisket, and ribs; and traditional sides like mac and cheese, green beans, and baked beans.