Update: location, photos and more information about this restaurant is available here: Iron Pig American Barbecue on Chengdu Places

In this episode we speak with the proprietor of one of our favorite new expat eateries in Chengdu: the phenomenal American smoked barbecue restaurant called Iron Pig.

We recorded this episode just before Iron Pig opens a highly anticipated new location in the Tongzilin neighborhood of Chengdu. We talk with Justin, the proprietor of Iron Pig, about what first brought him to China 17 years ago and what led him to pursue his passion of opening the first smoked barbecue restaurant in the region.

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Topics Discussed



* 00:00 Intro My Morning Jacket Golden

* 00:55 How did the idea for Iron Pig come about?

* 02:00 About the store front opening in Tongzilin August 21st or 22nd

* 02:20 The smoker

* 02:55 How is “smoking” different from regular barbecue with a grill

* 04:30 Chengdu Living talks about their trip out

* 07:00 Justin’s background in logistics

* 07:50 The Iron Pig’s Chinese smokemaster and the differences between Chinese and American BBQ

* 11:15 – 11:45 Interlude 1M. Ward HiFi

* 11:45 Justin’s long history in China

* 13:00 Justin knows a crane vendor

* 15:00 Iron Pig’s Flower Town location is across the street from DOJO [link]

* 17:45 Iron Pig’s relationship to the other American restaurants in Tongzilin

* 18:20 The attitude you need to open a restaurant in China

* 19:30 Regulations vs. reality

* 21:30 Justin’s new cooking apparatuses

* 26:00 Plans for the Tongzilin Iron Pig

* 27:00 How has the menu evolved since they’ve opened and how does Justin choose new additions to the menu

* 29:00 Educating the customer

* 32:00 Western Entrepreneurship in the food and beverage industry in Chengdu

* 35:00 Having the discipline to do what you’re great at instead of trying to do it all

* 37:40 Justin gracefully deflects our compliments

* 39:00 Eli spins a yarn about food blogs and barbecue and ritual-embedded spaces

* 42:00 The difficulty at doing simple things well

* 46:00 Mutual appreciation

* 47:15 Where to get more info about Iron Pig + where to eat Iron Pig items, besides Iron Pig (Mike’s Pizza, Red Beard)



Recommendations Mentioned



* Homeplate BBQ in Beijing



Songs Featured in this Podcast



* My Morning Jacket – Golden

* M Ward – HiFi

* Justin Townes Earle – Wanderin’

* Leo Kottke – Vaseline Machine Gun

* Outro Avett Brothers NPR Tiny Desk Concert



Got an idea of what we should record our next podcast about? Let us know in the comments and if you like what you heard, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and stay tuned for the next one!