Carey Bringle

“Where BBQ Meets Bourbon”

Carey Bringle was born on March 11, 1969, in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up immersed in the traditions of Southern pit barbecue. From a young age he spent time with his grandfather and uncle learning the art of smoking meats and competing in barbecue contests. Unfortunately, at age 17 the young Bringle was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer called  osteosarcoma, and as a result, his right leg had to be amputated just above the knee.

After his recovery, Bringle channeled his passion into competitive barbecue. For more than 25 years, he competed in the internationally recognized ‘Memphis in May’ World Championship Barbecue Contest. He also catered events and built up a solid reputation in the Nashville barbecue scene. But soon, Bringle decided that the next step for his renowned whole-hog was to commit fully to a restaurant venture. So in 2013, Bringle and his wife, Delaniah, opened Peg Leg Porker in Nashville’s trendy Gulch neighborhood. The trauma of losing his leg had deeply affected him , but Bringle chose to use it to become a part of his personal recovery and professional identity: thus, the name “Peg Leg Porker”:  both a self-referential nod, and a closure to that chapter of his life. 

Peg Leg Porker quickly earned national recognition: it was named among the “hottest BBQ joints in the country” by the Food Network, and received rave reviews by the BBC, Southern Living, GQ, Texas Monthly magazine, and more. Inside the restaurant, photographs of his grandparents, portraits, and even a display of his prosthetic leg reinforce the personal story behind the enterprise. But Carey Bringle was not done. In 2014, he launched his spirits brand, Peg Leg Porker Spirits, becoming the first pit-master in the United States to also create a bourbon brand.  The core idea was to pair his love of barbecue with whiskey: So he sourced aged Tennessee whiskey and the utilized a signature process of charcoal-filtering the spirit through hickory charcoal from his BBQ smokers, imparting an unsubtle, unique, smoky note. 

In the footsteps of his meats, Bringle’s spirits soon gathered numerous awards, and in 2023, his “White Label” 4-6 year bourbon was named “World’s Best Bourbon” by the Tasting Alliance World Championship.  Over the years he has continually built out the business, from sourcing and acquiring barrels to planning a blending and bottling facility in Nashville (DSP #21113), bringing even more of the process in-house. To this day, both Peg Leg Porker restaurant and Spirits remain family owned and operated. Carey and Delaniah are still at the helm, and their three grown children help out when they can with both ventures.