Newton, IA: Jasper County
We have been known to travel a long way for many reasons. Over the weekend we found another way to get the family grocery-get’er fired up and rollin’ down the interstate. Thanks to the folks at Iowa Pork for launching a recent promotion, we can now say we went all this way for a pulled pork sandwich. I guess you can say that Pulled Pork Madness had an outbreak at our home and we couldn’t resist.
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16 restaurants from all over Iowa were nominated by their fans and Pulled Pork Madness was born. (Bracket from the Iowa Pork Producers Facebook page)
An excruciating couple weeks went by as the field of 16 was eventually narrowed down to 2 by the voters who cheered on their favorite restaurants. And then on March 29th, the world found out what the locals in Newton, IA already knew. Moo’s BBQ Burger & Catering has championship caliber pulled pork and now they have an Iowa Pork award to back it up even more.
The family name to this establishment is Biondi and with that you get an incredible family owned BBQ experience. The crew at Moo’s BBQ are no strangers to a busy dining room, drive-thru and sudden rushes, but on this day, and the days following, they saw an outpouring of love from the community and new customers that piled in as high as their sandwiches to support the champs.
Newton is in the heart of Jasper County in Central Iowa, which means many of us from here an out of state are going to be getting a whiff of the Moo’s smoke at some point soon or in the near future because it’s right off the Interstate-80 exit. Have time constraints? No prob! It’s BBQ! Just because this juicy Iowa produced pulled pork is slow smoked doesn’t mean it’s going to slow you down. Within two minutes, we heard our order getting called off and we started to let the BBQ sauce fly. Onto our food that is. The Biondi’s would prefer it stays at your table. Just a hunch. Just look at that classic Pulled Pork sandwich up there!
Moo’s BBQ is very proud of their house-made sauces, but you’re going to have to apply it yourself. Three delicious flavors are at every setting and you can choose to have your meal swimming in a sauce or go traditional and let that mastered smoky flavor work its own magic. Up top is the Barnyard. Beautiful smoked pulled pork topped with beef brisket, smoked chicken and crispy bacon. I recommend two hands and a back brace when eating this. Do not leave without trying their BBQ sauce with espresso!
Sandwiches aren’t the only items here. Taco’s, nachos, sampler platters and a legion of irresistible house cooked sides are just a few more items on the incredible menu. We smashed the trinity of Mac & cheese with Bacon, Smoked Beans and Cheesy Potatoes. You know what else Moo’s has? Flatbread creations and they are huge! Take more of their award winning pulled pork and load it on piping hot soft flatbread and top it with rich homemade cream corn and you get the Corny Pig. I challenge anyone to come up with something more Iowan than that!
It doesn’t take long talking with Jeremy, the owner of Moo’s BBQ, to find out that he’s a huge Raiders fan. The late owner of the Oakland Raiders and NFL Hall of Famer, Al Davis, coined the classic phrase, “Just win, baby!” And that’s just what this BBQ crew did. Moo’s won Pulled Pork Madness and brought home a championship to Newton. Moo’s BBQ, all the other contestants in Pulled Pork Madness and hundreds of other families are proudly representing an industry that is supporting so many other families in our state and we call it Iowa Pork. Those two simple, but yet powerful, words mean the world to countless folks in Iowa and beyond. A lot of pride and hard work go into those two words as well and The Iowa Gallivant truly thanks all the producers who help make places like Moo’s BBQ serve up a championship meal everyday.
Click on the website: Iowa Pork
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My wife and I just ate there tonight. She had the Corny Pig, and I had the 1/2 rack with pickle fries. Amazingly good.
Nice! I’m getting their burger with brisket next time!
Two words. Zinc Claussen. Best burger ever!
Thanks for the tip! We love good barbecue. The next time we’re traveling I-80 through Iowa, we’ll make it a point to stop at Moo’s. The Barnyard sound amazing and looks big enough for us to share.
This post made me so hungry for an amazing pulled pork sandwich that I’m considering jumping in the car and heading down to check it out! Will definitely add this to my road tripping bucket list!
The cream corn is amazing!