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Pictured is the chopped brisket sandwich meal from Bad Wolf BBQ. The meal includes fries and a side such as coleslaw.
Bad Wolf BBQ's food truck food looks like the Big Bad Wolf collided with rock music.
Among the villains that readers come across in fairy tales, the Big Bad Wolf is probably the most consistent.
He demolishes two feeble houses owned by pigs until he meets his match with a sturdy brick dwelling. He tries to eat a naïve little girl in a red hood along with her grandmother before a woodcutter or hunter (depending on the tale) saves them. He serves a purpose in the cautionary story about a boy who cried wolf one too many times. Not to mention the wolf that terrorizes Peter and his woodland friends in a Russian symphony. The list goes on and on.
It turns out the Midland area has its own Big Bad Wolf. This food truck version, however, offers barbecued pork and chicken — the irony is definitely not lost on me — so how bad could it be? This week I ventured out once again to the Midland Area Farmers Market with a growling stomach, and an open mind, to check out Bad Wolf BBQ.
By the time I reached the farmers market, the weather had turned from being merely overcast to spitting rain. I pulled up my little grey hood and made my way to the food truck. I gotta give credit to the owners of Bad Wolf BBQ. They go the whole hog — the food truck itself looks like the Big Bad Wolf collided with a heavy metal band. The vehicle is black with a metal wolf’s countenance, complete with headlight eyes and a snarl filled with spiked teeth, sculpted on the hood.
The food truck operators, however, were just as sweet and accommodating as the truck was formidable.
The food, as I mentioned before, mainly consists of barbecue dishes in various forms. Diners can choose from nachos and tacos to ribs, mac and cheese and sandwiches. I was fascinated by the chopped brisket sandwich meal, which came with fries and one other side; I went with the coleslaw.
Since the weather was unfavorable, I took my meal home. The aroma of the meat and fries tantalized me the whole five-minute car ride; even when I drove back to work, the scent still lingered.
My patience was rewarded. The meal took up the entire takeout container and looked like a summer feast. The fries were still hot, nicely salted and were on the crispy side. I’m more of a fluffy, slightly soft fries type of person, but these fries still did the trick. The coleslaw was very saucy — in a good way — and generously flavored with dill. I was worried that the creaminess of the slaw would compromise the vegetables’ crunch, but my fear was in vain. The carrots and cabbage stayed crisp and flavorful, nicely balancing the heavier portions of the meal.
The chopped brisket could’ve easily stood on its own – Bad Wolf BBQ offers just the sandwich as a reduced price compared to the meal. I had brought along a small cup of the sweet barbecue sauce from the food truck just in case. Small amounts of the sauce provided a nice flavor to the meat, but it wasn’t necessary. The meat was tender and moist, split into small pieces. It was like having a roast dinner for lunch. Overall, the sandwich, fries and coleslaw provided a filling meal that could easily be used for leftovers or shared with a friend.
Bad Wolf BBQ knows its craft. I hope to see it continue to roam about the area for summers to come. The portions are generous, the service is friendly and the food is far from bad…it’s wicked good. Cheers!
Editor's note: Out to Lunch with Tori will not appear in next Thursday’s edition of the Midland Daily News; it will return on Thursday, June 2. Victoria (Tori) Ritter can be reached at vritter@mdn.net
Victoria Ritter grew up in Midland and after earning a degree in English at Grand Valley State University, returned. She joined the Daily News as its newsroom clerk, and eventually began editing obituaries, and in 2016 wrote her first article. She loves the arts, from reading and creative writing to catching a movie or singing in her church choir.