Baked. adds BBQ pork items to new menu

A new location. A new menu. Featured barbeque pork items.

     Just after the new year in January, Baked. Bakery & Food Joint moved into its new home at 250 N. Main St. And with a new home came a new menu.

     After Baked. moved into the Blue Inn, the kitchen equipment that was left behind by a former barbeque restaurant prompted the owners of Baked. to look into an expanded menu for all to enjoy.

     “I think there was a void here,” Baked. Manager Kellie McDermott said.

     Baked. went from deli meat sandwiches to barbeque meats, rib dinners, and skillet meals.

     The expanded kitchen equipment and outdoor smoker opened a whole new world for Baked. lovers.

     That’s when Matt Wennekamp, aka. “Smoked Daddy,” came in to help prepare the barbeque meat.

     “It didn’t make sense to do both deli/processed meats and barbeque,” said McDermott. “We wanted that barbeque flair and smoked meats.”

     Wennekamp admits it’s a lot of trial and error to come up with the ripe recipes. He experiments with different kinds of rubs and spices to give the meat the perfect flavor.

     “They’re all new recipes,” he said of the seasonings.

     Wennekamp can be found prepping the meat overnight so it’s ready for lunch and supper the next day.

     “It’s a hobby and part of my everyday job,” he joked.

     “Fresh is best,” added McDermott of the time it takes to prepare for the week.

     There are about a dozen menu items that highlight Baked.’s pork options:

     • BBQ nachos

     • The Wilbur Salad, featuring pulled pork

     • The Brucie skillet with macaroni, pulled pork, and BBQ sauce

     • The Mikey skillet with macaroni, bacon and BBQ sauce

     • And seven different types of sandwiches (Luke, Freddy, Roxy, Vinny, Tilly, Frank, and Caroline), each featuring a pork item such as bacon or pulled pork

     McDermott said they took their traditional deli sandwiches, kept the name, but replaced the meat with one of their new signature barbeque items.

     “We took out the Panini element because we have the flat grill now,” she said of adding pork, chicken or hamburger. “It’s the same sandwich with a new flavor.”

     In terms of adding the skillet meals, McDermott said macaroni and cheese naturally goes hand-in-hand with barbeque.

     “It’s a comfort food,” she said.

     The three skillets highlight a different meat: pulled pork, smoked chicken, and smoked burger.

     Now that Baked. is open on Mondays, that means the work to prepare the meat begins over the weekend.

     “We don’t have that prep day anymore,” said McDermott. “So we do our food inventory at night and smoke the meat in the morning.”

     Wennekamp said it could take six to seven hours to smoke the meats, depending on the need that week. If he starts preparing the ribs around 3 a.m., they’re fresh and ready to serve at noon.

     In a typical week, Baked. serves 15 to 20 racks of ribs on a Friday (both lunch and dinner). This serves roughly 30 people.

     They go through 40 pounds of pulled/shredded pork, which lasts the entire week.

     Aside from the regular menu items featuring pork, Baked. also offers weekly specials. McDermott said their jalapeno pork sandwich is underrated.

     In addition to dine-in and carryout options, Baked. also sells shredded pork by the pound.

     “It’s seasoned and ready to go,” said McDermott.

     With expanded seating, an expanded menu, McDermott said they simply wanted to cater to the masses, both women and men.

     “Our business and grown exponentially,” she marveled. Baked. opened its doors in 2013 at 101 N. Main St.

     While they’ve grown as a restaurant, their staple is still their homemade cupcakes.

     “We’re still selling out of cupcakes,” added McDermott.

     Baked. is also available for rent for special events and catering.