Surly’s brisket
photo by terry brennan; styled by lara miklasevics
For years, great barbecue spots in the land of lutefisk were few and far between. We had the classic, family-owned style of Market Bar-B-Que, the sweet, sleek polish of Rudolphs, and the smell-it-for-blocks-around, no-frills beauty of Ted Cook’s. Today, there’s a whole new league of chefs across Minnesota clamoring for a space at the pit, tending fires, coaxing flavors, and perfecting the balanced simplicity of smoke, meat, sauce, and seasoning. Revival’s Thomas Boemer said it best, “New-school barbecue is examining old ingredients through a new lens.” We’ve scoured the state for the best in bone-sucking, sauce-slapping, ember-tending barbecue.
Best Ribs
Best Brisket
Best Sides
Best Sauce
Best New-school ‘Cue
Best Old-school ‘Cue
More MN BBQ
Twin Cities Metro Area
Aesop’s Table
919 Dale St. N., St. Paul | 651-488-6591 | aesopstable.com
Blue Collar BBQ
4115 Woodland Rd., Lexington | 651-493-8589 | bluecollarbarbeque.com
C&G’s Smoking Barbecue
4743 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis | 612-825-3400
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
Various locations | dickeys.com
Famous Dave’s
Various locations | famousdaves.com
Hickory Hut
647 University Ave. W., St. Paul | 651-224-9464 | hickoryhutstpaul.com
Mama D’s Authentic Southern Cooking
920 E. Lake St., Minneapolis | 612-280-5044 | mamadskitchenmn.com
Northbound Smokehouse
2716 E. 38th St., Minneapolis | 612-208-1450 | northboundbrewpub.com
Old Southern BBQ Smokehouse
4501 France Ave. S., Minneapolis | 612-236-4827 | oldsouthernbbq.com
Pimento Kitchen
2524 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis | 612-345-5637 | eatpimentokitchen.com
The Rib Cage
19000 County Rd. 81, Osseo | 612-245-3516
Rooster’s
979 Randolph Ave., St. Paul | 651-222-0969 | roosterq.com
Scott Ja-Mama’s
3 W. Diamond Lake Rd., Minneapolis | 612-823-4450 | scottjamamas.com
North
NE BBQ & Smokehouse
7 Eighth St., Cloquet | 218-499-8885 | ne-bbq-smokehouse.business.site
Louie’s Bucket of Bones
101 Fourth St., Ironton | 218-545-3232 | sites.google.com/site/louiesbucketofbones
The Piggy
607 Minnesota Ave., Walker | 218-547-6465 | thepiggybbqofwalker.com
Screaming Eagle
520 N. Broadway, Pelican Rapids | 218-863-1741 | hescreamingeagle.net
Smoke-n-D’s
31 Benton Dr. N., Sauk Rapids | 320-240-6540 | smokeindsbbq.com
Smokey’s Pub N’ Grill
552 Lincoln Dr., East Bethel | 651-464-6046 | smokeyspubngrill.net
Timberjack Smokehouse & Saloon
4443 County Rd. 168, Pequot Lakes | 218-563-6070
South
Baldy’s
11276 210th St. W., Lakeville | 952-469-3343 | baldysbbqmn.com
Bob’s Smoke Stack Ribs
120 Second Ave. SE, Elgin | 507-876-0152 | bobssmokestack.com
John Hardy’s Bar-B-Q
929 W. Frontage Rd. NW, Rochester | 507-288-3936 |1940 Broadway S., Rochester | 507-281-1727 | johnhardysbbq.com
Mr. Pig Stuff
1561 First Ave. E., Shakopee | 952-233-7306 | mrpigstuff.com
Piggy Blue’s Bar-B-Que
323 Main St. S., Austin | 507-434-8485 | piggybluesbbq.com
Quetopia
5757 Sanibel Dr., Minnetonka | 952-405-8495 | quetopiabbq.com
ZZQ Smokehouse
3390 Coachman Rd., Eagan | 651-452-9900 | zzqbbq.com
Food Trucks
Come and Take It BBQ
31620 125th St., Princeton | 763-360-3702 | comeandtakeitbbq.com
Doc E’s BBQ
507-327-8371 | docesbbq.com
Tollefson Family Grill
Bubba’s Fusion BBQ
Sizzling Wagon
612-986-6338 | roaminghunger.com/sizzling-wagon
Finer Meats & Eats
3747 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis | 612-327-8006 | finermeatseats.com
Roberts BBQ & Grill
roaminghunger.com/Roberts-bbq-and-grill
The Rookie Barbecue
763-245-6004 | rookiebbq.com
Signature on Wheels
612-444-2108 | signatureonwheels.com
The Meat & Greet MN
roaminghunger.com/the-meat-greet-mn
Z’s Smokin Bonez
612-382-3735 | smokinbonez.com
Nella’s Barbecue
612-730-1728 | nellasbarbecue.com
The Purple People Feeder
roaminghunger.com/the-purple-people-feeder-msp
Get Sauced Food Truck
chefdrivencompanies.com/home/get-sauced
B3 BBQ Food Truck
651-214-7565 | facebook.com/b3truck
