I will travel for good food. Period.
A related story, yet not directly. My wife and I, many years ago, traveled all the way to South Bend, Indiana (101 miles), around 5pm on a Sunday evening to get Damon’s Ribs. At the time, those were the best we had.
Bringing the clock to the present, Chicago has loads of BBQ joints (yes, BBQ restaurants are joints). And my wife & I have had our share and have enjoyed most of them. But recently, we were reminded of a “joint” in Milwaukee that has some of the best BBQ around.
Speed Queen BBQ is located just northwest of the downtown area, right off Interstate 43. Similar to the experience at Johnnies Italian Beef & Sausage, the fragrance in the air can be pleasantly obtained from several blocks away, depending on the direction of the wind. This is a smokey-style barbecue, apple wood smoked. Speed Queen offers many options; ribs, rib tips, shoulder (pulled pork for us of the Caucasian persuasion), beef, chicken & turkey. They also offer catfish & perch meals. Sides are at the core of soul food delight; fries, yams, mixed green or collards, black eye peas, mac & cheese, backed beans, cole slaw, red beans & rice, spaghetti, and potato salad.
Now, with all that said, there’s one other thing that they offer. But you’ll have to show up earlier, in the first half of the day to order. It’s called “Outside.” What the heck is Outside. Pulled pork, or pork shoulder in this case, is roasted slowly and under low heat (slow & low) until it falls apart. The “Outside” is the outside crusty bits of meat. OMG, it is BBQ heaven. But like I said, as it’s only the outside portion, once they run out of it, it’s gone until the next day. So for someone like me, who is traveling 60 miles for some of the best BBQ around, you better get there early.
One note of caution, more directed to some perceptions. Speed Queen, while located right off the Interstate, is in the neighborhood. It may look like a rough area to some folks (I’m used to it, as I grew up on the west side of Chicago, in the Austin area). But the people there are friendly and hospitable. You can go in, to experience the smells and characters that show up, or go through the drive-through for a faster, more “secure” experience.
They have long hours. In general, 11am until 2-3:30am.
Pay a visit. I’ll guarantee you’ll be back.
Speed Queen BBQ
1130 W Walnut St
Milwaukee, WI 53205
Website: http://www.foodspot.com/speedqueen/
1 Comment
May 20, 2009 at 5:50 am
[...] past attempts, I’m not going to deprive myself of goodies, like Johnnies Italian Sausage, or Speed Queen BBQ. I just won’t indulge as often, and when I do, as [...]