One thing I’ve learned through 35 years of traveling the back roads of Indiana is that when it’s lunch time, farmers know where to find the best food. More often than not, it’s at a simple café in a small town.

While it doesn’t apply to Jefferson Street BBQ in Converse, featured in this first edition of Hoosier Fare, many times the buildings aren’t exactly the best-kept establishments. In fact, some of the tastiest food I’ve eaten was served up in places I wouldn’t have entered unless I was with a local farmer!

Farmers Nathan Hunt and Mark Boyer introduced me to Jefferson Street BBQ. The proprietor is Lindsay Baker, who buys pasture-raised meat for her pulled pork from Hunt. Hunt’s hogs eat canola meal from Boyer’s canola oil processing venture.

Many entrees served at this restaurant are farm-raised. Baker herself raises chickens that wind up in the smoker.

Since Hunt and Boyer were with me, I chose pork. I saw a huge baked potato go by stuffed with pulled pork and topped off with sour cream and melted cheese. I couldn’t resist.

It was delicious, and it filled me up. It set me back $9, but trust me, you get what you pay for! There was hickory flavor in every tender bite of cheese-covered, sour-cream dipped pork!

Invite me over!
Do you have a place that fits the bill as a Hoosier restaurant that serves great food, no matter where it’s located or what it looks like? Tell me why I should visit. If I choose it, I’ll not only visit, but I’ll also take you and a friend to lunch or dinner. You can’t beat that deal.

Simply email information to [email protected], or write to: Indiana Prairie Farmer, P.O. Box 247, Franklin, IN 46131. And by the way, I’m on a quest to find the best breaded tenderloin, the most mouth-watering fried chicken, the best pot roast — you get the picture.

Business vitals

Name: Jefferson Street BBQ
Location: 101 N. Jefferson St., Converse
Feature: farm-to-table meats
Menu: whole-hog pulled pork, beef brisket, pork sausages, baby back ribs, pasture-raised chicken
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. EST; Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, noon- 9 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday
Other: reservations accepted, catering offered
Phone: 765-395-5117
Website: jeffersonstbbq.com