Wisconsin Tavern Culture

Crock-pots serve a traditional, meaningful role in Wisconsin bars

Walk into any mom-and-pop tap during a Packers game and a crock-pot will be on a table, keeping warm a communal batch of stew or chili. It's yet another example of Wisconsin's unique tavern culture.

Some years ago, I was invited to a Chili Dump dinner. Everyone was expected to bring a batch of chili. The batches of chili were comingled into either a spicy or not-spicy crock-pot. After a quick stir, you dug into the crock pot chili of your choice.

Just as impressive was a bomb fire where a sofa was set on top. The speed this sofa took fire and the heat it gave off was impressively frightening. I had to move my chair back quite a bit to get away from the heat field. My down filled horsehair sofa will never do that, but my mattress likely would.

My niece has a crockpot and an instantpot. Her hospital will allow employees to share food via crockpot. They have seen enough people hurt from instantpot to forbid their use at employee potlucks.

Now I want to visit one of these bars when there is a big game. I believe the Bears and Packers play next Sunday ... I won't be there, though I enjoy the idea.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Crock-pots serve a traditional, meaningful role in Wisconsin bars

. Her hospital will allow employees to share food via crockpot. They have seen enough people hurt from instantpot to forbid their use at employee potlucks.

Ok, I’ll bite-how are people getting hurt from an instant pot??? Can’t figure out what could hurt someone…

boudreaulicious wrote:Ok, I’ll bite-how are people getting hurt from an instant pot??? Can’t figure out what could hurt someone…

Explosions. I guess when your job is piecing people back together, it leaves an impression. The hospital is fine with their employees using crockpots and not instantpots.

You can do a search to find people who have had accidents via their instantpots.

Regards,
CAthy2

I admit that for the last two years or so, I have not frequented Wisconsin Taverns.
But before that, I don’t have any recollection of the ‘Crock Pot’ being a staple in Wisconsin Taverns.
Maybe it is a Milwaukee thing?
Dice, shots, salty bar snacks and just good socialization for sure but Crock Pots?
-Richard

My guess with the Instantpot thing is people opening them w/o fully letting the pressure off.
As far as crockpots in bars I see it all over the old bars I used to work at and hang out at in Villa Park. There would be chili, some concoction I can't remember the name of what was basically hot breakfast sausage and Velveeta to be spread on rye bread, Polish sausage and sauerkraut, you name it.
Granted the clientele at all of these bars made a few yearly fishing trips to Wisconsin and Minnesota, so they may have adopted it years before I was old enough to hit the local watering holes.

I'm still lamenting the disappearance of the back counter Tombstone pizza toaster oven:

https://countertoppizza.com/vintage-tom ... a-oven.htm

There are a lot of pubs in this state. Crock Pots are very prevalent in many. You would be surprised what you find at some. I remember one out of the way place that had the old (must be 50 Lbs) popcorn shaker. The one where you clamped the "Jiffy Pop" type popcorn tin and it heats and shakes it until it pops nicely. The owner told me (after I oogled the machine for awhile) that one company still supplies the popcorn tins that they use. You will find the Tombstone cookers and many other things if you look hard enough or get lost somewhere.

There used to be a tavern in Highwood that seemed to always have a crockpot of corned beef cooking behind the bar for sandwiches. Anyone remember the name of that place?

Katie wrote:There used to be a tavern in Highwood that seemed to always have a crockpot of corned beef cooking behind the bar for sandwiches. Anyone remember the name of that place?

Did you pay for the sandwiches or were they gratis?

Regards,
Cathy2

Crock pots, pizza toaster ovens, air fryers (long before the current trend) - I've seen them all. Anything that can be used to generate revenue or traffic without needing a formal kitchen, especially the dreaded exhaust hood and grease trap.

Been in a lot of Wisconsin bars over the last year of two, all of them attached to restaurants so I have not seen crock pots. Maybe its just the bars that don't serve food. I do know that the culture up there is, well, if you have nothing really to do on an evening, you go to a bar and hang out. Even older people go to bars. They really do drink a lot there.