There's no question what's on the menu at Cow Pig N Chicken BBQ. Though it is hidden inside Pasco Golfland at the corner of Argent Road and Road 40, Donna Brown's talent with a smoker grill is well known in the Tri-Cities.

With help from husband Scott, she has been catering for about seven years. The couple also ran a concession truck in the parking lot at Golfland for two years.

"That was a trial run, and it was OK, but Bill McIntyre, the owner of Golfland, said it's time we had a kitchen and had one built," she said.

"We have a serving window looking out on the patio, which is my dining room, and there's a few tables inside the pro shop too," she said.

You don't have to golf to enjoy her Southern-style pulled pork, and chopped beef and chicken sandwiches. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, she'll also be pulling full racks of pork spare ribs out of the smoker grill.

Sandwiches are $6.50. Add two sides -- potato salad, Mexi slaw or beans -- and pay $8.25. An entire rack of ribs is $30.

"And these are spare ribs, not baby back, so they're big and juicy," she said. "You'll need lots of napkins."

Mike Kasch, pro at Golfland, has been enjoying her food for years.

"It's excellent and different from anything in town. It's all Texas dry rub," Kasch said. "It's cool spicy but not smothered in sauce. It's meaty meat."

Another enthusiastic fan is John David, who is working on Second Harvest Tri-Cities' new building on Burlington Road in Pasco.

"Their food is awesome, unbelievably tasty," he said. "We've been using them to feed the workers here week after week, and they're great."

Brown makes everything except bread and cookies from scratch. Even her sauce -- a Southern, vinegar-based sauce -- is made in a roaster oven at the restaurant.

"I grew up learning how from my mom and dad, and Scott's parents were big on grilling too," Brown said.

When the Browns moved in 1978 to the Tri-Cities from Texas, they couldn't find any barbecued foods that met their standards.

"So we cooked at home for our friends. They kept telling us how good our cooking was and urging us to start our own business," she said.

In the mid-2000s, they opened Cow Pig N Chicken BBQ as a catering business.

As for the name, Donna Brown said, "That's what I cook, so that's what I call it. Barbecue is not a stuffy thing. It's a fun, sloppy thing, so I decided my business needed a funny name."

The Browns still do catering and offer take out from the restaurant too.

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Phone: 509-430-4700.

-- Loretto J. Hulse: 582-1513; lhulse@tricityherald.com