Chef Jeremiah Goes Ham for Tenth-Annual P.I.G. Festival

P.I.G. (Pork Is Good) returns this year to celebrate its tenth edition with a weekend of pork-centric dishes by some of Miami's favorite chefs.

The event, hosted by chef Jeremiah Bullfrog, is set for November 2 and 3 at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex.

What began as a small, under-the-radar gathering a decade ago has gradually grown into a full-blown block party. This year, Chef Jeremiah has teamed up with brothers Samuel and Max Baum to curate the music lineup and Adam Darnell of Boxelder Craft Beer Market to bring the brews.

"Ten years ago, we cooked a pig in a caja china and 35 people showed up. Look at us now," Chef Jeremiah says. The idea sprung from a Twitter conversation about holding a festival where the central theme would be working with pork as the main ingredient in creative dishes. Around the fourth year, the event began to evolve into a more communal chef-tasting event. "I'd invite my chef homies to come to do this with me, and it was born into more of what it is now."

Come this November, fans of all things porcine can indulge in dishes prepared by a lineup of chefs from more than 20 restaurants, and they won't want to miss some surprise announcements. Several of the key Miami players include Jose Mendin of Pubbelly, Niven Patel of Ghee, Alex Meyer and Luciana Giagrandi of Boia De, Josh Gripper of RWSB, and Daniel Roy of the Jim and Neesie. The two-day event will offer a different experience each day: Saturday will feature a New Orleans Jazz Fest feel with robust programming of musical acts while chefs serve food for purchase. Sunday, expect the event's annual pig roast and all-you-can-eat tasting stations.

With the recent announcement of the craft beer festival Juicy taking place at Boxelder in January, the market's team will be at P.I.G. to give a preview of what's to come. Darnell has brought in some unique offerings from New York's Finback and Tampa's Hidden Springs breweries in addition to the Doral-based Tripping Animals. The tap list will be well rounded, with a variety of IPAs, lagers, sours, and pale ales, and also include a P.I.G.-exclusive beer by Hidden Springs offered in a custom can bearing the P.I.G. logo.

The music lineup, which leans heavily into funk and soul with some classic hip-hop mixed in, includes headliner Dâm-Funk, along with Tiki Disco, the Vapor Caves, the Love Below collective, and DJ Le Spam.

"We're really stoked to be part of this," says Samuel Baum, who's working on the artist lineup. "I'd seen what Jeremiah was doing with his food festivals. They're creative yet accessible events that are for the locals and not just the elites or out-of-towners, like during South Beach Wine & Food Festival or Art Basel. So I thought, This is really something to get onboard with."

If you can't wait for P.I.G., Bullfrog's PopRamen, an event dedicated to the titular noodle dish, is scheduled for this Sunday.

P.I.G. 10. 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday, November 2, and 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, November 3, at Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59 Ter., Miami. Tickets cost $25 to $225 via eventbrite.com