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Bill and Dremma Gaul left the world of ‘burgers decades ago, and since have worked at perfecting the tastes of various barbecue sauces. Our good fortune is that we get to taste the results of all that work–at Daleville’s Three Li’l Pigs.
John Park
Do you remember that scene in “Forrest Gump,” where Forrest and Bubba are in Vietnam and Bubba is giving Forrest his days-long list of shrimp preparation styles? I’ve always thought that list could just as easily have been about barbecue and its sauces: hickory smoked, applewood smoked, coal smoked, eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce, South Carolina mustard sauce, Alabama mayonnaise sauce…Like Bubba, I could go on for days; that is, if I were as knowledgeable in barbecue as Bubba was in shrimp. But there is one couple in Roanoke who could pick up where I left off: Bill and Dremma Gaul, owners of Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque in Daleville.
Bill Gaul credits his North Carolina roots for his deep appreciation of good barbecue. He moved to Roanoke shortly after college with the desire to live in the mountains and start his own business. He started off training dogs, but quickly changed course once he realized he was living off his part-time job bartending and only breaking even on dog training. So, he left the dog scene and walked into the restaurant scene…permanently.
The Gauls’ first shot at restaurant ownership wasn’t barbecue, it was burgers—Burger in the Square, to be exact. They opened shop in the Market Building downtown, selling fresh ground burgers, hot dogs and sides.
“The Market is a great place to get started,” explains Bill. “It’s forgiving. Customers allow you to mess up and try again; and it’s low overhead.”
Burger in the Square did great; so great, in fact, the Gauls found themselves wanting to invest further into Roanoke’s restaurant scene. A barbecue place in the Market Building came up for sale. Given Bill’s love of barbecue and the great opportunity to expand where they already were, they decided to purchase it.
Going from burgers to barbecue was no easy task. “Barbecue is a lot more complicated than burgers,” says Bill. “There are so many different types depending on the region. There’s three different types of barbecue from east to west North Carolina alone,” he laughs and shakes his head at the enormity of barbecue and its ways.
The Gauls spent six months researching, eating at barbecue joints across the south and practicing lots of trial and error. They simplified the myriad sauce options down to three: classic eastern North Carolina vinegar-based, a tomato-based, and a Jamaican jerk. They figured out if they hand picked and chopped the smoked meat, discarding fatty portions along the way, they’d end up with a more flavorful barbecue. They decided to mix their sauces into the meat ahead of time, allowing the meat to soak in the particular sauce flavorings.
“Most places serve the meat plain and let customers add the sauce,” explains Bill. “But I like the sauce mixed in already. I think it’s a lot more satisfying flavor.” Finally, the Gauls worked hard to perfect their sides. “The sides are just as important. They are part of the meal,” says Bill. “I love visiting other barbecue restaurants when I’m on the road but I have a thing about places with great barbecue and awful sides. It totally takes away from the barbecue.”
In 1999, after 14 years of ownership, the Gauls sold Burger in the Square, deciding they wanted to focus solely on their barbecue.They continued operating Three Li’l Pigs in the Market Square until 2003, when they decided to move the restaurant to Daleville, where they could expand into a sit-down establishment. Bill humbly admits the move was a huge learning curve, especially in staff management skills. “[In the Market Building] we had a very small staff to manage,” explains Bill. “Here, we had to learn how to go from being doers to helpers.”
The Gauls’ hard work—with their food and their staff—has certainly paid off. Three Li’l Pigs barbecue is top notch. I’ve always found vinegar-based sauces an acquired taste; one I’m still acquiring. But I actually like Three Li’l Pigs’ vinegar barbecue. Because they mix the sauce in, allowing the meat time to soak in the sauce’s flavors, I can enjoy spicy barbecue tanginess, and not feel like I’m eating vinegar-doused pork.
My favorite of their barbecued meats is their marinated Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin. They marinate pork tenderloin medallions in their homemade Jamaican Jerk Sauce, then smoke the meat with chunks of apple wood. Bill says he’s especially proud of their jerk sauce, saying he’s been to Jamaica and believes Three Li’l Pigs’ rub and sauce are very close to authentic island fare.
As for the sides, I couldn’t agree with Bill more heartedly. Nothing ruins good barbecue like awful sides. They don’t even have to be “the best,” but they need to be solidly good. At Three Li’l Pigs, the sides are well on the “solidly good” side. Their slaw is tasty—not too creamy, not too sweet, yummy alone or on top of the meat (for all the Carolinians). Their sweet potato fries are served with a tangy peach ketchup. Their hush puppies taste unique; there is a whole-grain heartiness to them; a flavor I appreciate.
Three Li’l Pigs offers a complete menu so the non-barbecue lover can dine happily as well. Their apps are varied and tasty. Their smoked wings are amazing; if I lived closer they’d definitely be my source for weekend wings. And their desserts will make you think you’re at the county fair.
“You’ve got to decide what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it, and stick with it,” says Bill of his and Dremma’s restaurant philosophy. For the Gauls, this means simplifying the gigantic category of barbecue into their own slowed-down, hands-on, sauce-in style…Three Li’l Pigs style.
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