Brad Olson
TVWBB Diamond Member
Back in March I took a road trip up historic US-51 and stayed in the Lake Nokomis region just north of Tomahawk, WI. I hadn't really done any barbecue restaurant research but when I passed The Thirsty Giraffe on County Road L I changed my dinner plans for that night.
Behold the "Meat Monster", a tray loaded with ribs, brisket, pork, chicken and sausage. The kind of menu item that a single diner has no business ordering. The kind of menu item that actually requires 2 photos to show everything:
So here's where I have to give a mixed review. Everything was done just right. The meats had the right textures and tenderness, the ribs needed a little tug to get the meat from the bone...not only what I look for when eating barbecue out, but what I strive to do at home as well.
But there's a but. Not a butt, but a but. The smoke was way too light by my standards. Now I realize that northern Wisconsin isn't exactly a barbecue hotbed and I personally like barbecue with a pretty strong smoke presence, but the meats came perilously close to being just roasted. Maybe it was due to a batch of wood that underperformed. Maybe the smoker's firebox was underloaded. Maybe the pitwatcher had one too many Point Specials and took a snooze. Maybe I'm just getting old and my tastebuds are becoming less sensitive. But it's also not uncommon to see this kind of barbecue here in the Upper Midwest, where restaurants sometimes have to make the choice between the real thing and a product that sells. I dunno, I can only speculate. But I'd definitely give The Thirsty Giraffe another try to hopefully prove that this meal was an aberration. Usually if a place falls short I remain mum, but TTG is close. Really, really close.
Fortunately I can close on a positive note, as their broasted chicken is defintely solid:
Behold the "Meat Monster", a tray loaded with ribs, brisket, pork, chicken and sausage. The kind of menu item that a single diner has no business ordering. The kind of menu item that actually requires 2 photos to show everything:
So here's where I have to give a mixed review. Everything was done just right. The meats had the right textures and tenderness, the ribs needed a little tug to get the meat from the bone...not only what I look for when eating barbecue out, but what I strive to do at home as well.
But there's a but. Not a butt, but a but. The smoke was way too light by my standards. Now I realize that northern Wisconsin isn't exactly a barbecue hotbed and I personally like barbecue with a pretty strong smoke presence, but the meats came perilously close to being just roasted. Maybe it was due to a batch of wood that underperformed. Maybe the smoker's firebox was underloaded. Maybe the pitwatcher had one too many Point Specials and took a snooze. Maybe I'm just getting old and my tastebuds are becoming less sensitive. But it's also not uncommon to see this kind of barbecue here in the Upper Midwest, where restaurants sometimes have to make the choice between the real thing and a product that sells. I dunno, I can only speculate. But I'd definitely give The Thirsty Giraffe another try to hopefully prove that this meal was an aberration. Usually if a place falls short I remain mum, but TTG is close. Really, really close.
Fortunately I can close on a positive note, as their broasted chicken is defintely solid:
