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newlenoxpatriot.com dining out
the new lenox patriot | July 18, 2019 | 21
The Dish
Irish Pig BBQ’s new owner blends tradition with variety
T.J. Kremer III
Contributing Editor
Irish Pig BBQ
280 E. Lincoln Highway in
New Lenox
Hours
• 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-
Thursday
• 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-
Saturday
• Noon-6 p.m. Sunday
• Closed Mondays
For more information…
Phone: (815) 485-1744
Web: irishpigbbq.com
When Scott Tabor took over
ownership in February of New
Lenox’s Irish Pig BBQ, he
brought a lot of experience with
him, albeit from a different profession.
Tabor spent the last 30
years as a mechanic and had his
own shop in Lockport.
But his love for all things barbecue
has been a big part of his
life, and Tabor has been “experimenting”
with barbecue, He even
did some catering when he was
in California, where he lived for
roughly 25 years.
After having neck surgery, he
decided he would rather work
full-time on ribs, chicken and
pork than go back to working on
cars, trucks and vans.
Everything came together when
Tabor was getting ready to celebrate
a birthday and told his girlfriend
at the time that he “wanted
something different” for his meal.
“She saw this place with the
barbecue, and she knew I loved
barbecue, and she saw the sign
‘For Sale,’ and she let me know,”
Tabor said. “Me and [former
owner Kathy Connolly] strike up
a deal, and here I am.”
Tabor has kept many of the
same menu items — such as
BBQ ribs ($13.95 for a half slab,
$22.50 for a full slab, each with
two sides), pulled pork ($8 for a
small sandwich, $9 for the large,
each with a small side or fries)
and brisket ($11 for the small
sandwich, $12 for the large, also
with a small side or fries) — and
has started to add his own touch of
flavor to the restaurant’s offerings.
“I added a whole Carribean
menu, actually,” Tabor said. “I
have a Jamaican gourmet chef
[Newton Hood], kind of a silent
partner. He prepares all the food
and shows me what to do.”
That Caribbean menu includes
jerk chicken ($10), curried goat
($11.95), oxtail ($9.99) and brown
stew catfish ($11.95).
Of course, Irish Pig BBQ would
not be the same without its popular
corned beef.
“The platinum dish when I
bought the place was the corned
beef,” Tabor said. “[Irish Pig
BBQ] is known to have the best
corned beef around. So, I didn’t
touch that, didn’t change it. You
can’t change perfection.”
Connolly left the secret recipe
with Tabor when she sold the
restaurant to him, and Tabor said
he intends to keep the dish on the
menu.
“We’re keeping a little bit of
the old, because a lot of regulars
they love that corned beef, and it
is good corned beef,” Tabor said.
But Tabor has started his own
tradition at Irish Pig BBQ, too, in
Southern Sundays.
“That’s where my Mississippi
comes in,” Tabor said. While he
was born in Joliet and lives there
now, his family is from Mississippi.
“It’s some comfort food, some
down-home country food,” he
said of the special Sunday menu,
which he plans on rotating
throughout the summer.
It recently featured smothered
chicken, smothered pork chops,
fried catfish and rib tips (an entree
costs $11.95 and comes with
two sides).
So what else does Tabor have
planned for Irish Pig BBQ?
“Still experimenting with the
menu,” he said. “I love experimenting
with food, in general
— trying to change things up to
generate interest.”
Irish Pig BBQ’s half slab of ribs with two sides ($13.95) is one of the staple dishes new owner Scott
Tabor has kept on the menu and put his stamp on after taking over the New Lenox spot..
Photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media
Scott Tabor, the new owner of Irish Pig BBQ, keeps many of the restaurant’s well-known attributes
in tact — such as the decor and popular menu items — and has started to add his own touch with a
Carribean menu and Southern Sundays.