Hog Cabin Bar-B-Que promises something for everyone

By Cheyenne Thomas Good food; a friendly, welcoming atmosphere; and a gathering place for the community. That’s what Dan Blastic has in mind for the future of his business, the Hog Cabin Bar-B-Que, at N10005 State Highway 73 just north of Greenwood. The Hog Cabin was officially opened with a ribbon cutting on Nov. 14, and Blastic hopes that the Hog Cabin will ‘put Greenwood on the map,’ bringing in visitors from all over the state to visit somewhere that he and his family have found to be a very special place.

A Milwaukee native, Blastic came to Greenwood a couple years ago with his daughter, Brittany, to be closer to the rest of their family that resides in the Neillsville area. Before coming to the area, Blastic said he went on a long, roundabout journey to not only come to Greenwood, but to also become invested in making barbecue.

“I worked construction and worked 21 years as a master electrician. Then 9/11 hit and everyone was scared,” he said. “No one knew what was going on. I had a brother at the time who was living in Arizona and he told me that there were a lot of people looking for electricians down there. I spent 21 years down there.”

While living in Arizona, Blastic said he stumbled upon the idea to try barbecue.

“I went to the Home Depot one time and they had a smoker on clearance,” he explained. “It was then that I thought that I would try to do barbecue. It was hard to find good barbecue in Arizona.”

So, for the next five years, while raising his daughter and watching her graduate high school and college, Blastic honed his craft. To get the flavor he was looking for took years, as he experimented with different spices and mixes to capture the perfect taste for his sauces and meats.

“It’s not as easy as people would think,” he said. “I think it took me about five years before I had everything figured out to make the sauces and had all the recipes put together.”

Once that was done, however, Blastic began to share his craft with the world, starting out by catering his meaty creations to local parties alongside Brittany, who creates cakes and other desserts. Their duo of sweet meats and sweet treats became more popular because of it, and when he and his daughter moved up to Wisconsin three years ago, they continued to do catering, gaining a new customer base in the area. It was at that point Blastic said he began thinking about setting up a permanent place in the area for people to visit.

“I remember putting in a bid (on the building at N10005 State Highway 73) at the same time the Hereford House did, so we didn’t get it at the time,” he said. “Then, in February we got a call saying that the owners of Hereford House wanted to sell. I thought, ‘That’s strange, it’s only been four months, what’s wrong?’ The owner said he had bought it for family, but once they got into it, the family backed out of it and he couldn’t do it. So this time around it worked out for us to get it.”

Rather than close down the building for a few months before reopening, Blastic said he took up operations in March of this year. Since then, they have been operating on evenings and weekends, giving people a place to go for food.

“In hindsight, we didn’t have a real transition where there was a long close down period before reopening,” he said. “We didn’t do that. There were people who were so happy it got opened the first time (as the Hereford House), we didn’t want them to be disappointed again. The summer was a little slow, but with the grand opening, we have our name out there a little more as a place where people can get supper and a place together that they can be.”

This idea of a communal gathering place is what Blastic hopes the Hog Cabin will become. Ever since he and Brittany moved to Greenwood, he said he has been amazed by the community and its people. Communicatingwithfellowbusinessowners in the Greenwood area, Blastic has found support and guidance he and his daughter have taken on this new venture and he wants to return the favor.

“I want to put them on the map,” he said. “I want to draw people in from all over and show them what this place can really be. I love this small town. The shop owners are all just amazing and I want people to see what is all here up and down the streets of Greenwood.”

In pursuing this goal, Blastic has worked to support various causes in the community, especially now during the holiday season. This month, Blastic said they are promoting the “Hog Cabin Holiday of Hope,” which willberaisingmoneytowardstheGreenwood Food Pantry, the Christmas Angel Project and the Greenwood School District’s Santa Project. Anyone who wants to donate to these efforts can stop by anytime during the Hog Cabin’s business hours to either participate in the raffle baskets that are on display or donate any sort of loose change in a specified container at the bar.

“It was something that my daughter and I wanted to do,” he said. “We bought stuff to make baskets to sell raffle tickets, have a container on the bar for anyone to dump their loose change in there. We thought that our business would be a good place to try to raise money for those causes. We want to make a difference for those people around here who might be struggling around the holidays.”

Besides helping out the community, the main attraction for the Hog Cabin is the food. With six employees, Blastic said he hopes to create a personal sort of experience when serving customers their meals. This starts, he said, with the work done to prepare the meats on the menu. All the food items are carefully selected from distributers and tested before ever being put on the menu, making sure that the customers get quality cuts with great taste.

“This is a passion,” he said. “I’m very, very selective in the products we purchase and use. I tend to drive the distributers nuts because I want to make sure I can test what I’m buying first before I buy it. Because if I don’t like it, it’s not going on a plate for a customer. It has to be top-notch. The customer wants a good meal, and we desire to give them one.”

In addition to barbecue, Blastic said the Hog Cabin offers a variety of other food options during the week. On Thursdays, he said one of his chefs cooks Mexican foods that are enhanced with Blastic’s unique sauces. The menu also includes other foods such as chicken wings, fish fries and pizza, being more than just barbecue and steaks.

“We’re more than just a supper club,” he said. “There’s a lot of other things we have that people can enjoy. We have a lunch menu. There’s a little something for everyone; it’s not just barbecue.”

The Hog Cabin is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2-8 p.m., on Fridays and Saturdays from 2-9 p.m. and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about Hog Cabin Bar-B-Que, they can be found on Facebook.

CHEYENNE THOMAS/STAFF PHOTO