Pit Spit combines Viking traditions with classic barbecue

Ever wonder what Vikings would eat with their barbecue? The Pit Spit at Hornburg Brewing Company in Hancock has the answer.

After lots of research and experimentation, the owner and chef, Shawn Affeldt of Peterborough, has paired his barbecue menu with traditional Scandinavian ingredients, swapping mayonnaise for Icelandic yogurt to make a sauce and cranberry jam for lingonberry jam.

“The whole idea behind the menu was I wanted to do something different,” Affeldt said.

This all started about two years ago, when he began cooking with a friend in his free time at Hornburg and eventually decided to monetize it by opening a trailer restaurant outside the brewery.

Affeldt asked himself, “How can I make that a hamburger? How can I make that pulled pork sandwich?”

To find the answer, he watched videos of people traveling to Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland in search of Viking traditions.

It helped that this is not Affeldt’s first time experimenting with barbecue.

Affeldt remembers cooking his first pork butt at 17 years old, then trying different ways to barbecue ribs, briskets, turkey, shoulder clods and chicken.

Family and friends often asked him when he was finally going to open a restaurant. At the time, he was working in construction and did not have time or money to think about cooking for a living.

“This was one of those lifelong dreams that kept coming up,” Affeldt said.

Five years ago, he and a friend started catering at weddings and birthday parties. He worked a bit at Frog Brewing in Swanzey and eventually landed at Hornburg.

“It kept snowballing and snowballing,” he explained.

While cooking in his free time, he worked full-time in construction. Eventually, he took a job in commercial construction, allowing him to save some extra money. After being laid off in August, Affeldt decided it was time to make his move.

“I did pretty well and decided that I was gonna take the leap,” he said.

Now, his hobby-turned-career is his retirement plan.

To start, he bought a tiny home trailer and began building up on top of it in November. About nine months later, the majority of the trailer is built and he has been firing up the smoker on the back every Saturday.

Some items in the trailer, including the sink, were purchased with donations from a raffle on their first day open and throughout the summer. He said they plan to have a sign thanking the people who donated.

Affeldt serves not only homemade items on his Scandinavian menu, but also a more “traditional” barbecue menu for people not interested in the Viking ways, and gluten-free options for almost all the items on both menus.

During the pandemic, his wife, Nancy Affeldt, got COVID and has since been allergic to gluten. That makes her the perfect taste tester every Saturday morning, ensuring all items are, in fact, gluten-free. She’s a strong advocate for high-quality gluten-free food.

Whether you want homemade sauces, cornbread, cookies or mac and cheese, all have a gluten-free option.

“I go through a box and a half of gloves every Saturday,” Affeldt said, to avoid contamination.

In the future, Affeldt hopes to open additional days during the week, but for now, his permits allow him to open only four days per month.

As for the menu, he has tons of ideas and is ready to experiment.

While Affeldt has catered for and worked at other establishments, he said he loves Hornburg because of the feeling there.

“It’s like a backyard BBQ at your friend’s house,” he said.

Everyone seems to know everyone else, and if you’re new to the spot, you’ll quickly get to know the regulars.

The Pit Spit is open on Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m.