Stockman's Club and Uncle Mike's BBQ Now Open For Business In Broadus

Dave and Hayle Barbero of Broadus, along with Mike Wickham and Amanda Tolbert of Miles City recently opened the Stockman's Club and Uncle Mike's BBQ and Grill in Broadus. We sat down with them to hear all about the establishment.

Stockman's Club

Dave and Hayle Barbero recently completed the purchase of the Stockman's Club, returning the classic Broadus business to its position as a meeting place for food and drinks for folks in the Broadus area.

Dave and Hayle are both locals, growing up in the area, and marrying three years ago. Dave started working at Carquest in 2000, eventually purchasing the Broadus store and expanding to purchase the Miles City Carquest. Meanwhile, Hayle teaches school in Biddle.

Barberos purchased the Stockman's establishment after selling their Carquest store in Miles City (they still own Barbero Auto & Ag in Broadus). The couple was looking to diversify and try something new, and also knew that local people were looking for an additional eating establishment in the area.

The opening of Stockman's comes with most of the familiar sights and experiences people have grown to know from the establishment, with brands on the wall and the ever-present massive steer "Speckles" overlooking the mirror-backed bar. Drinks, food, and gambling machines remain available as before.

Dave and Hayle also told us of some updates, some of which include an expanded specialty cocktail menu, with signature Bloody Marys and varieties of frozen alcohol drinks.

Perhaps the biggest change comes with the addition of Uncle Mike's BBQ and Grill, which will serve as the food provider for the establishment. Bartenders and wait staff will be provided by Stockman's, and Dave told us that the tab for food and drinks will all be on one bill, to provide the easiest service for customers.

Dave and Hayle wanted to thank Troy Mills with Mills Real Estate for his huge help in the purchase, and also wanted to let everyone know how excited they are to provide a family friendly sit-down dining experience for their guests.

Stockman's Club will be daily open from 11 AM to at least 10 PM (and often later, in the case of a bar crowd).

Uncle Mike's BBQ & Grill

Mike Wickham may have grown up in Miles City, but it took a move to Texas for his passion for barbecue to truly blossom.

While in Texas working as a race car driver, Wickham fell in love with Texas style-BBQ, managing a BBQ joint in Texas, as well as owning a catering business for his smoked meats before moving back to Montana.

When speaking of the learning curve for BBQ, Mike told us during a recent interview "I burned a lot of briskets before I figured it out."

During his time in Texas, Wickham figured out his perfect recipe for brisket, as well as many other delectable dishes, as evidenced by his restaurant "Uncle Mike's BBQ and Grill" in Miles City. The restaurant has been a local favorite in Custer County for the past two years, after Mike and his wife, Amanda, opened the restaurant in 2021.

Amanda is originally from Colstrip, and while the couple grew up less than 80 miles apart, she met Mike while he was working as a bartender in Houston, and she came in to sing karaoke. The couple hit it off, and their partnership led to the Uncle Mike's location in Miles City and now the second location in Broadus. The Broadus location came about after Mike met up with Dave Barbero, a frequent customer of Uncle Mike's in Miles City, and while discussing Dave's purchase of the Stockman's Club and need for someone to run the restaurant, Mike and Amanda jumped at the idea.

In Broadus, Uncle Mike's will offer a variety of BBQ options, cooked in Mike's Texas style BBQ, that is, cooked over post oak and pecan, with seasonings of salt, pepper, and garlic.

Brisket is a specialty, as is catfish (raised on Mississippi farms), ribs, steaks, burgers, and a selection of tasty side dishes. The majority of steaks also come from Montana beef.

Uncle Mike's is open seven days a week, 11 AM-8 PM Sunday through Thursday, and 11 AM-9 PM on Friday and Saturday.

Mike and Amanda are still looking to hire kitchen help, so if you'd like to learn the fine arts of smoked meats, stop by for an application.

Wickham told us that his connections with Texas are very important to how he learned his craft as a master of meats, but growing up here in Montana and coming back home was instrumental in his plans.

He commented: "Montana will always be home. Texas is a great place, but Montana is the best state."

Uncle Mike's is located at the Stockman's Club along Highway 212, on the south side of Broadus.