Hockomock Swamp Supper Club & Desserts Emporium

For People Who Love to Eat Good Food at South of Boston Restaurants

Hockomock Swamp Supper Club & Desserts Emporium

For People Who Love to Eat Good Food at South of Boston Restaurants

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Chef Series with Mike Crooks of Sarcastic Swine BBQ in Abington MA

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What goes on behind the scenes of a restaurant, what inspired your favorite chef or owner to get into the restaurant business!  What’s their favorite tool and what do they LOVE for comfort food!

Chef Series with Mike Crooks of Sarcastic Swine BBQ in Abington MA

Today we meet Mike Crooks  the chef and owner of  some of the Best BBQ  around   of Sarcastic Swine  in Abington on Route 18  Mike  has been passionate about cooking for as long as they’ve been passionate about eating – basically, forever! Their journey in the culinary world began at Chili’s, where they started on the salad and nacho station and worked their way up through the line. Without any formal culinary training,  he built their expertise through years of hands-on experience in the restaurant industry. Sarcastic Swine is their first restaurant, proudly serving the community for over five years with Mike  at the helm as chef, owner, and operator. Known for delivering top-notch barbecue that leaves you “happy one bite at a time,” Sarcastic Swine grew from humble beginnings catering for friends and family into a beloved destination in Abington, MA.  Mike  and the team are thrilled to share their passion for barbecue with every guest who walks through the door. Thank you for being part of the loyal, pork-loving, brisket-biting community – now, dig in and enjoy the feast!

They do catering and have a food truck! They have been at many of the local food truck nights

What was your first restaurant job?

My first restaurant job was at Chili’s starting at the salad/nacho station, and I worked my way up through the line.

What culinary training do you have?

I have no formal culinary training, just years of restaurant experience. Sarcastic Swine is my first restaurant, and we’ve been open with me as the chef/owner/operator for over 5 years.

What ingredient could you not live without?

In the restaurant, I love using honey or brown sugar to add a touch of sweetness to my dishes—they’re my go-to ingredients for balancing flavors perfectly. In my personal life, though, it’s all about Worcestershire sauce. There’s something about its rich, tangy depth that I just can’t resist—it makes everything better

What tool of the trade could you not live without?
(other than a knife)

We’ve managed at different points without lots of pieces of equipment, but we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without our smokers!

What is your current specialty of the house?

Our biggest specialty is our brisket – smoked for 14-18 hours, we all consider it a staple here.

What is your biggest selling item?

We use it for our best seller, the Mac and Cow sandwich, which is like a giant grilled cheese with mac and cheese, brisket, American cheese, and honey BBQ sauce.

Do you cook at home?

I’d like to cook at home more, but since I’m always at the restaurant, most of my home cooking is for holidays and family dinners, or for tailgating at concerts and football games. It’s a big joke among my staff how empty my fridge at home always is.

What is your personal favorite comfort food?

My personal favorite comfort food? Pizza, peanut butter, popcorn mixed with Snow Caps at the movies – I’m a big fan of all comfort food!

Check out the Swampie buzz on the Sarcastic Swine BBQ Restaurant

Husband and I visited Sarcastic Swine BBQ in Abington tonight. We’ve been before and have yet to be disappointed. He got the brisket, ribs, loaded potato salad, fries and cornbread. I’d ask him how it was, but he’s in a good coma. I tried their Mac & Cow “Soon to be Famous” and let me tell you, I will dream of this sandwich for weeks. The service is always top notch and the food is amazing. I watched a gentleman (assuming one of the owners?) help two indecisive patrons when they ended up with a few items they didn’t love. He never got upset, took the time to talk with them and quickly replaced any items they didn’t want. We will absolutely be back, and soon I hope.

 

Went to the Sarcastic Swine in Abington today for the first time. I love BBQ, but had a hard time finding some good places on the south shore as there’s always one or two things on my plate that aren’t very good, so I never go back. This place did not disappoint! It’s not fancy (most BBQ places aren’t), but very clean. It’s take out or eat in, but it’s pretty small so not a ton of tables. The young girl who was at the register was very sweet, and knowledgeable about the food. I got the Brisket meat platter which came with two sides (smoked mashed potato with gravy and Mac and cheese), and cornbread with cinnamon butter (the other butter choices were bacon and honey). Everything was delicious! The Mac and cheese was so flavorful and creamy, the potatoes had a light, not overwhelming smoke flavor, the meat was very tender and tasty, and they knocked it out of the park with the cornbread! I would’ve been satisfied with just the Mac and cheese and cornbread alone! I was going to get the Mac and Cow grilled cheese sandwich with pulled brisket and Mac and cheese, but decided last minute not to. Everyone around me got it and raved about it, so I’ll get that the next time.

Sarcastic Swine BBQ in Abington…WOW…absolute deliciousness.
Kinfolks has really made all of my BBQ dreams come true. I’ve been hooked on BBQ since first trying Kinfolks. When I saw such great reviews for this new local BBQ spot, I couldn’t wait to give them a try. The food was excellent! My friend and I shared the fresh chicken tenders which were lightly coated, fresh, and delicious. We also tried the Drunken Cow (steak tips, peppers, onions, mushrooms and a cheese sauce on a soft potato roll). The veggies were carmalized and delicious. The tips were tender and phenomenal. The pulled chicken was also great. It was flavorful and juicy. We really loved their cowboy beans, dirty rice, and the mac n cheese was pretty good too (I think there was a flour base which I’m not a fan of personally). Cornbread was outstanding…moist and flavorful. I was also really impressed with their BBQ sauces. You could really tell they took their time and put lots of love into their food here. You can taste the quality ingredients, even in their sauces.
Service was also excellent. Michelle was so warm, helpful and accommodating. Her kindness definitely elevated the experience and was the perfect compliment to all of this delicious comfort food.
We will definitely be back!

Sarcastic Swine BBQ Restaurant & Catering Sarcastic Swine in Abington! Wow!! So delicious!! Some might say pricey for  these 2 meals but we each got a bountiful amount of 2 meats, 2 sides, and the most delicious corn bread ever! I highly recommend this place. The meats were pulled pork (my favorite), brisket (my second favorite) and fall off the bone ribs. The ribs were decent but I’d bet they would be much better fresh at the restaurant than take out like we did. Sides were beans (mouth watering), Mac n cheese, cole slaw, and curly fries (I wanted potato salad but they were all out). All so yummy!!

 

Location
988 Bedford Street,
Abington, MA 02351
(781) 871-0033
info@sarcasticswinebbq.com

Hours*
Sun: 12PM – 7PM
Mon: 11AM – 8PM
Tue: 11AM – 8PM
Wed: CLOSED
Thu: 11AM – 8PM
Fri: 11AM – 8PM
Sat: 11AM – 8PM

*OR UNTIL SOLD OUT

Follow them on Instagram

During the spring and summer months you will often see them at the weekly food truck festivals held on the South Shore.

Thanks to  Mike Crooks for taking time to answer our questions! Are you a local restaurant owner and want to have you or your chef answer questions please Send email

 

 

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