Dixie Pig has rich, tasty history

In 1923, Ernest Halsell opened a restaurant; 95 years later, his grandson Bob Halsell is carrying on that legacy at the Dixie Pig. Halsell’s original restaurant was a log cabin that stood near what is now Kreme Kastle. The Rustic Inn was eventually sold, but in 1950, just a little over a year after Halsell sold the Rustic Inn, he decided to get back into the business and opened the Dixie Pig.

“I think my dad got out of the service in '54, '55 and came straight back to work and he has been here ever since. I was born in 1958 and I’ve been here ever since. We’re doing it the same way he did. We’ve added a few things to the menu. Times change and everything. Basically, everything is just like it was years ago; that’s why people come here,” Halsell said.

Halsell said that Blytheville has a unique way of cooking BBQ. Instead of doing a dry rub, the meat just sits on the BBQ pit and is cooked with charcoal.

“You taste the meat, you don’t taste Sloppy Joe. We have a vinegar based sauce that we’ve used for years and years. That’s usually what Blytheville is known for,” Halsell said.

This year the Dixie Pig has been nominated for the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. Dixie Pig has also been featured by numerous outlets throughout the years. Halsell says he feels honored to receive the recognition.

“My dad has always stayed on me to make sure that everything is put out just like his daddy taught him and like he taught me and that is what I intend to do. That’s how you're successful, is from learning from the generations before you,” Halsell said.

According to Halsell, the BBQ at Dixie Pig has been cooked the same way since 1923 while they were still called the Rustic Inn. The original menu consisted of ham sandwiches, pig sandwiches and a couple of bottled sodas. After the new building was built the menu expanded. A version of the old menu hangs on the wall in the Dixie Pig and lists items such as a T-bone for two for $1.50 and sandwiches for 10 cents.

The current building is the same building that has been around since 1950, although an addition was made in the 1960s.

“We sold out...during the Jimmy Carter administration when things got tough and we got into the carpet cleaning business. The guys that bought into this place, they didn’t make it. We got it back and when we opened the doors people were lined up waiting to see Halsell’s Dixie Pig back in business again,” Halsell said.

Nowadays Dixie Pig sees a lot of regulars but it also sees a lot of customers from the past. Halsell said that whenever groups have reunions, more often than not they end up at the Dixie Pig.

“We have a lot of people that come back through that use to be with the Air Force base. They come in and reminisce and want to see daddy and talk to me. Some of them I can remember and some of them I don’t, but there was a lot of good people here when the base was open and a lot of great customers,” Halsell said.

Dixie Pig remains a local landmark for Blytheville as it has been in business for 68 years.

“I guess it's pretty cool not too many people can say they have been in business that long,” Halsell said.

As far as being considered for the Hall of Fame, Halsell says that he is honored to receive that recognition. He added that if one does what he needs to do every day and puts out a good product, then receiving that kind of recognition feels great.

gwilliams@blythevillecourier.com