THE SMOKER AT PORKY’S BAR & GRILL | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

On a recent Wednesday, Chad Jockel manned the massive smoker outside of Porky’s Bar & Grill in Etna, churning out 500 pounds of brisket, 36 racks of ribs, 80 pounds of chicken wings, 40 pounds of kielbasa and 200 pounds of tomato sauce for the chili.

When Jockel and his business partner Nick Weiss bought the Bridge Street eatery six years ago, they got the borough’s permission to park a smoker on the sidewalk. They fire up the trailered contraption two or three times a week to keep up with demand. They’d barbecue daily if they had more staff members and storage space.

Now there’s a proposed amendment to a borough ordinance that would broaden the items excluded from sidewalks and streets as a matter of public safety, including the smoker. It is narrower than a car and poses no obstruction or danger, the owners say.

Jockel estimates that BBQ accounts for 60% of Porky’s business. Losing the smoker essentially means losing the business.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Council is expected to vote on the matter at its Nov. 19 meeting. The Porky’s crew plans to be there with a petition signed by more than 400 meat-loving locals.

“It directly impacts the community,” Jockel says, adding that, in addition to punk shows, Porky’s regularly hosts fundraisers and charity events.

In a response to the online outrage, Etna Council President Dave Becki and Mayor Robert Tuñón released a statement last week:

“Etna is attempting to improve existing ordinances in an effort to prevent future issues with overnight parking of certain types of vehicles. Not an attempt to ban Porky’s smoker from Bridge Street.”

Last April, the smoker, the only type of trailer of its kind in the borough, was cited even though it doesn’t violate the current code.

“We went to court and won,” Jockel says.

Moving the smoker to the shared alleyway isn’t an option, nor is transferring it to the back patio, a wooden structure that can’t support the trailer’s weight. The owners recently poured large amounts of money into the building, which was erected in 1895 and has been operating under the Porky’s name since 1943.

In 2023, the “five-star dive bar” closed for six months to repair damage caused when a broken water pipe flooded the business. It reopened last November.

“We do a lot of good work,” says Jockel, who lives in Shaler. “We want to build up this community and the surrounding neighborhoods. A change to the ordinance will affect that.”