(Clive) A Texas-style barbecue restaurant in Muscatine is where you’ll find the best pulled pork in Iowa, according to voters in a recent social media contest sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
Voting closed Friday morning on one of the tightest final matches in Pulled Pork Madness history, with Skinny’s Barbeque holding off Barrel Smoke BBQ of Templeton. The bracket-style competition, in its seventh year, starts with 16 contenders and follows a narrowing process similar to the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament. The public determines which restaurants advance to the next round.
The starting Pulled Pork Madness bracket was based on public nominations submitted earlier this month, and about 850 pork fans nominated nearly 70 Iowa restaurants for the top honor. The two restaurants with the most votes in each of IPPA’s eight districts made up the initial lineup.
At Skinny’s, pork butts are traditionally slathered with mustard to bind an equal mix of salt and pepper. Owner Cord Kleist uses a thick-cut pepper to grow a bark, the flavorful black crust that forms on the outside of the meat during the cooking process. He only recently began adding a special blend of seasonings.
Winning the title “brings a tear to my eye,” says Kleist, who will receive $250 and a Pulled Pork Madness plaque. “It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come and adapted and changed.”
Previous winners include The Flying Elbow, Marshalltown (2023); Starbeck’s Smokehouse, which has since relocated to Waterloo (2022); Smokin’ Butt Barbeque, Davenport (2021); Whatcha Smokin? BBQ + Brew, Luther (2020); Warehouse Barbecue Co. + Brewhouse, Ottumwa (2019); and the now-closed Moo’s BBQ, Newton (2018).
