I hit the road again and made the drive to Wellington, KS where I visited Travelin Smoke BBQ. They are a BBQ restaurant that originally started as a food truck. A couple of years ago they made the move to the building they are currently in.
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217 N. Washington
Wellington, KS 67152
620-326-0540
Monday – Friday: 11am – 8pm
Closed on Saturday & Sunday
Cash/Card Accepted
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Upon walking inside, I could smell the beautiful aroma of BBQ inside. The walls were adorned with much American and Wellington pride. You could tell there was a lot of love for the city the second you stepped in.
After glancing over the menu, I decided to go with the whopping four-meat dinner. I knew it would be too much food but I wanted to get a good feel for what they offered. When I asked for suggestions, I was immediately given ribs and pork so I went with both of those along with hot links and brisket. For my two sides, I went with baked beans and mustard potato salad.
Travelin’ Smoke BBQ also had three sauce options: hot, apple habanero, and hickory. My favorite of the three was apple habanero. I loved the sweet heat it offered.
Not long after I placed my order, my tray of BBQ was right in front of me.
To be completely honest, I didn’t exactly love all the meats I had. But two meats definitely stuck out for me as awesome. The pulled pork had a slight mushy texture to it but I loved the flavor. There was a strong smoky flavor like it came fresh out of the smoker. I loved it. Same with the ribs which didn’t require a lot of sauce; there was a nice rub seasoning over them that tickled my taste buds.
I wish the hot links packed a little more punch and offered a thicker texture to it. As for the brisket, I don’t have anything negative to say about it. They just weren’t for me and perhaps part of that was because the pulled pork and ribs stuck out much more.
The mustard potato salad was about as good as it gets for potato salad. The baked beans had a strong onion flavor to it and was very sweet.
Through my journey on BBQ, I’ve learned that people’s opinion on what they like in BBQ is wildly different. Of all the foods, it’s the most polarizing on what people define as good, great, awesome, bad, etc. What I’m sure of is you’d probably find something you’ll enjoy at Travelin’ Smoke BBQ.
And the big kicker for the restaurant was the people. Everyone there was very kind. It’s funny because in many of these smaller town restaurants I walk into, one of the first things people say is, “Is this your first time here?”. But the lady at the counter was quick to say, “Please take your time” and offered suggestions. She made me feel welcomed and wanted to make sure my first time was a great one.
Here’s the menu:
Happy Dining,
Eddy
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