During our recent trip to Wisconsin, we heard about a fantastic BBQ joint that was loved by everyone and also expanding their territory. Located in Wautoma, WI about 30 miles south of Waupaca on the east edge of town. It is a popular place evidenced by the crowds present the Saturday night we attended. It is a decent sized place with both indoor and outdoor seating with live music on holidays and weekends. During our visit the young country singer, Dalene Fox was quite good. Parking can be tricky during peak times and a guide was available to help us with this. Every consideration is taken for your pets as well. They are open 10 a.m. till 10 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday.
You gotta love it
Their menu is decent with offerings from brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs, and sausage with burnt ends and other items from time to time. They also offer an array of sides and deserts. We were with our 4 close friends and arrived just time to beat the dinner crowd at 6 p.m. It got pretty crowded pretty quick, in fact they sometimes run out of certain items, and it is annotated as such on their menu board. https://klingersrealbbq.com All their materials are locally sourced. I would like to have tried their burnt ends and sausage, but supply and demand dictated otherwise.
We sat at the outside bar on our arrival, enjoying the music and ambience. Their pit is a converted semi-truck rig and something to behold.
While you wait
The Pit
Once seated inside we set up our tables together and got in line to order. This is an order at the counter, get, and go operation. It is either to go or back to your table, inside or outside, to enjoy. Barb selected the Baby Back Ribs with Mac n Cheese and Beans. I went with the Brisket, Ribs, and Potato Salad and Collard Greens. The total for our meals was $37.
Rich's Brisket, Ribs, Potato Salad, and Collard Greens
It wasn't long before we were all deep into the Q. Lots of lip smacking and low moaning YUMMMMM. By this time the line in the door was pretty long. I want to say that we have sampled BBQ throughout the U.S. from Kansas City to Memphis, to Oklahoma, to Missouri, and Texas. Not all regions, but a pretty good sample and everyone is different according to tastes. There is a pretty good difference between Northern and Southern Q.
Barb and I pretty much agreed on the meals. The sides were as good as any we have ever had. The Mac n Cheese was creamy, potato salad delicious, the greens tasty, and the beans were so very much actually Charro Beans rather than just baked. They were all top notch. Unfortunately, the ribs were overcooked, and the taste was over the top with black pepper and paprika. Very nearly crunchy and somewhat chewy.
My brisket was not smoked much, if at all. It had a very slight crust, was super tender, and moist. There was no smoke ring, and the taste told the tale. It was marginally smoked and then steamed to finish. The pit seemed big enough to accommodate large amounts of meat for the required duration, but apparently things may be a bit rushed. When ordering I asked what woods they used for smoke and the reply was oak with some hickory for flavor. We found neither in our meals. One of our friends had the grilled chicken salad and she said it was delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their meals. No offense to Wisconsin style BBQ, I'm sure there are plenty of good ones out there. Klinger's Real BBQ will open their new location in Waupaca soon. I wish them all the best of luck.
Smoke Ring YES
I do commend them on the sides as well as a choice of 3 types of BBQ sauce: Classic, Tangy, and North Carolina Style. Service and atmosphere are excellent. It is a very good establishment, but on this day as far as BBQ goes, on a scale from 1-5:
"Good BBQ comes to experience and experience, well that comes from poor BBQ"
Moe Cason
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