Bill Wheeler's culinary journey started nearly 20 years ago, and his specialty was barbecue.
"I got into competition barbecue," Wheeler told the Mount Vernon News. "I did occasional catering. It slowly grew into having a concession trailer, doing everything from roadside to festivals."
Three years ago, he opened Road Hog Willy's Real Pit Barb-Q, named for his roadside roots, at 504 Harcourt Road in Mount Vernon.
The barbecue is cooked overnight on wood charcoal.
"It's in there for more than 12 hours," said Wheeler. "I've got a big smoker that runs all night. I load it up at night, and when I get here in the morning, I turn the temperature up on it."
By that time, it's ready for the lunch crowd.
Wheeler makes all of his own rubs for his barbecue and sells sauce by the bottle, including sweet Southern peach, Northern blackberry and mild chipotle.
The most popular side order is baked macaroni and cheese.
"A lot of barbecue places – just so they can do it fast – have the creamy mac, which is very basic and flavorless," he said. "Ours is actually a baked mac and cheese."
Other popular sides are corn pudding and cheese potatoes. Desserts include blackberry and peach cobbler.
"I do collard greens on Friday and Saturday," Wheeler said. "I use smoked turkey in them instead of ham. Ribs are only [served on] Friday and Saturday."
He offers family packs, starting with those that feed four to six people all the way up to feasts for 16-18 guests.
The restaurant offers inside and outside seating, takeout and catering, including weddings. Although catering is popular, Wheeler emphasized the dine-in aspect.
"We call ourselves a counter-style restaurant," he said. "You actually walk up to the counter and you can see the food on the steam table and the menu above your head.”
Online ordering is available on the restaurant's website. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
