Thursday, October 12, 2017

The History of the Classic Club Sandwich

There are lots of "classic" dishes on the menu at our Des Moines BBQ restaurant that most people are familiar with without having to read the description. Even though we put our own delicious Wobbly Boots Roadhouse twist on these dishes, they're still recognized by nearly everyone. While the names are well-known, the history of these dishes often remains a mystery. 

That's where we come in! Learning the origins of the different foods we choose to serve at Wobbly Boots BBQ is kind of a hobby of ours, and we love sharing our findings with all of you. Today we're turning our inquiring minds towards the piled high, chock full of flavor, Club Sandwich. 



Club Sandwich Basics
The basic ingredients that you are most likely to find in a Club Sandwich, no matter where you go, are: 2-3 slices of bread (often toasted,) turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. It's kind of like a super-sized BLT with poultry added. 

It can be cut into halves or quarters, and it needs to be held together with toothpicks to contain the goodness piled inside. Depending on where you go, these ingredients will vary slightly. (Just wait until you see what we put in ours! Keep reading...) 

Club Sandwich Origins
As with just about every food we delve into the history of, there are conflicting origin stories. One source states that the sandwich may have been invented by the chef at the Union Club of New York City. This is because the earliest known real-life reference was a recipe that began, "Have you tried the Union Club sandwich yet?" The earliest reference to the fictional sandwich appeared in "Conversations of a Chorus Girl" by Ray Cardell in 1903. 

Other sources swear that the Club Sandwich made its first appearance in the late 19th century in an exclusive Saratoga Springs, New York gambling club. Regardless of who gets the credit, this incredible sandwich has been spotted on menus across the United States as far back as 1899. 

Historically, chicken was used instead of turkey, but over time turkey won out as the more popular choice. The sides most often served with Clubs are coleslaw, potato salad, or french fries.  



The Wobbly Style Club 
Our version of the Club Sandwich has everything that a regular Club should, but we didn't stop there! We add a couple of delicious twists that makes our Wobbly Style Club stand out from the rest. 

Instead of three slices of bread, we only use two toasted pieces of sourdough. This leaves more room in the middle for the really good stuff! The turkey and bacon are both prepared in our smoker, and we've also added our incredible hickory-smoked ham to the recipe. We use fresh lettuce and tomato, but we've also added Mozzarella cheese, plus traded out plain mayo for our amazing avocado mayo. 

As for side dishes, our homestyle choices do include creamy coleslaw, gourmet potato salad, and seasoned fries, but you are free to pick from our other options too. These include: baked beans, green beans with bacon, smashed potatoes & gravy, cheesy corn & ham, baked potato, and homemade mac & cheese. In our opinion, as well as our happy customers, those are all excellent choices! 

So the next time you are enjoying a gigantic Wobbly Style Club from the best family restaurant in Des Moines, you'll know that this awesome sandwich has a long history with many variations, but none quite as tasty as we do it here at Wobbly Boots BBQ! Just be warned, you need to either come hungry, bring a hungry friend to share with, or expect to be taking home a doggy bag! 


Award-winning BBQ right here in Des Moines! 

Don't forget you can take home 16 oz. bottles of Wobbly Boots House Recipe BBQ Sauce!!


Open EVERY DAY at 11:00 AM!

Like us on Facebook!
Follow us on Twitter!
Follow us on LinkedIn!
Follow us on Google+!

Wobbly Boots Roadhouse
1301 NW 114th St
Clive IA 50325

(515) 223-5700

No comments:

Post a Comment