Meat, Love & a Little Chaos: Smokin' Hog Turns 1

By Ned Kelly, June 6, 2025

What began as a balcony BBQ for friends has become one of Shanghai’s most beloved smokehouses.

Smokin’ Hog is a labor of love from husband and wife team Nacho Virgen and Karina Sasmita, who have carved their place in the city’s food scene with passion, perseverance, and a whole lot of meat.

With their well-earned first anniversary celebrations this evening, we sat down with Indonesian native Sasmita to chat about their journey, challenges, and what’s next for Smokin’ Hog.

Nacho Virgen & Karina Sasmita

First things first, please introduce the Smokin’ Hog dream team…
Nacho was a trained French fine dining chef for over 20 years, and I was working in F&B pretty much all through my 20s and early 30s.

You started out on the pop-up market scene—how did it first come about?
We started smoking on our balcony for dinners with friends. Then, at some point, a friend asked if we could send our BBQ for a group of friends.

Before you knew it, a WeChat group was started (we now have four active WeChat groups).

We began receiving orders through friends’ recommendations, and then we joined Jiashan Market back in October 2021.

Nacho Virgen in Smokin’ Hog's Jiashan Market days

We started with just my husband Nacho and myself, going market to market, pop-up to pop-up, venue to venue, and then opened our waimai kitchen just after the Shanghai lockdown.

Now, Smokin’ Hog is proudly a team of 11.

The growing Smokin' Hog team

When did you decide to open your own brick-and-mortar place?
We had been thinking about getting our own place—something small and cozy—when suddenly, in January 2024, the opportunity to take over the Post No Bills venue became available, since we had also done a few collabs together.

It all happened really fast, to be honest. We secured the place by early February, and the Smokin’ Hog restaurant was born.

Post No Bills becomes Smokin' Hog

How has the first year of Smokin’ Hog as a restaurant been?
I won’t say it’s been a walk in the park. The first 4–6 months took A LOT from both my husband and I.

Dealing with paperwork was always the nightmare—at some point, we had to wait a few months to finish all the necessary paperwork.

And, of course, the first few months are always the heaviest with operational and technical issues.

Building a solid team was also quite a process—trying to find that missing piece of a big puzzle.

Honestly, the beginning was real work, but I must say after August last year, things have been truly amazing. We’re grateful to close our first year way beyond our expectations.

And to have met our customers in person (some we’d been speaking to for over 3–4 years) was always a special moment for us.

Customers relax at the completed Smokin' Hog

Any big lessons learned?
DON’T OPEN A RESTAURANT LOL.

I think the most important thing I learned personally is: No one will love this project as much as Nacho and myself.

What makes you unique compared to the other BBQ joints in town?
Smokin’ Hog is a new-school American BBQ. We of course offer classic American BBQ cuts like smoked brisket, pulled pork, or pork ribs.

But as a chef and a huge carnivore, my husband also loves to adventure with different cuts of meat, like pork cheek, beef cheek, and turkey breast—and improvises with his techniques and sauces.

Smoked hog at Smokin' Hog

We smoke and confit some of our meat, use butter caramel as a base for our pork ribs, or incorporate beurre blanc into our signature BBQ sauce.

As a Mexican, he also honors his tradition by combining our BBQ meat in classic Mexican dishes like tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and chilaquiles.

American South classics meet south-of-the-border Mexican flare

What does the future hold for Smokin’ Hog?
We’re just looking forward to more amazing years. Maybe, in the near future, another ‘branch’ of little hogs will appear soon.

Smokin' Hog in party mode

Finally, what can people expect from the big bash this evening?
Tonight is a pure celebration and a huge thank you to everyone for their amazing support.

Come, drink, have a great time, and most of all—get a big hug (or a shot) from Nacho or myself!