Speed Queen

Speed Queen Bar-B-Que in Milwaukee, WI | What to expect

This is Milwaukee’s best barbecue, glazed with some of the Midwest’s best sauce. The mild sauce is full-flavored and slightly sweet. Hot sauce is explosive, a dark orange emulsion that reminds us of Arthur Bryant’s dizzying potion in Kansas City. For many customers, the mild is a little too mild, the hot is too lip-burning; so it is not uncommon to hear orders for “half and half.”

What to eat at Speed Queen

Meat choices include beef, beef ribs, rib tips, and turkey, and a choice of pork shoulder or outside meat. We like the latter two best. Shoulder is thick slices that are almost chunks, tender as velvet. Outside meat is unbelievably luscious – dark, blackened shreds and nuggets some of which are tender, some of which are crusty, and some of which quite literally melt on the tongue.

A favorite way to eat at Speed Queen is to order a half-and-half plate (ribs and outside, rib tips and shoulder, etc.) that consists of meat, sauce, a couple of slices of spongy white bread (necessary for sopping sauce), plus a cup of cole slaw. Beans and potato salad cost extra.

You can also get a sandwich; but beware, these “sandwiches” are, in fact, meat and sauce piled onto white bread in such a way that it is inconceivable to hold it in your hand like a normal pick-up sandwich. If you want to lift something in your hands, you can get pork or beef on a bun, a somewhat more wieldy configuration.

Everything is delivered at the order window in a Styrofoam container; and while most business is take-out, Speed Queen offers functional booths for dining-in. Carry your own meal from the window and please bus your own table when you are through.