The Insiders' Guide to Twin Cities BBQ

BAKED BEANS
A traditional BBQ side dish, baked beans are snuggled up to great ‘cue the world over. The tradition was started by American Indians, then carried west by immigration waves throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. From smoked brisket to ham, hamburger to pork rib tips, all types of meat and seasonings are teamed with baked beans these days. The key is long, slow cooking from scratch, ideally in the pit along with the rest of the barbecue. We found no joint locally that bakes its beans that way, but we did find a troika of great baked beans right here in the Twin Cities.

1. Scott Ja-Mama’s
Made with a sweet barbecue sauce, loaded with onions and pork, and hotter than the Hilton sisters, these tender beans are the ones against which all others should be measured in the North Star state.

2. Whitey’s World Famous Saloon
A close second. Whitey’s beans aren’t as smoky, spicy, or rich, but they are flecked with bits of pork and eat like a sweet chili.

3. Redstone American Grill
Made with ground hamburger, these beans get most of their flavor from Redstone’s awesome Kansas City–style sauce.

INTERNATIONAL ’CUE
Cooking over fire, the mother of modern-day barbecue, is as old as the hills and practiced on a global level. From Indian tandoori to the French rotisserie, there are plenty of worthy open-flame culinary traditions to check out in and around the Twin Cities. When it comes to poultry and pork, if something Memphis-style isn’t exotic enough for you, try these lesser known hot spots.

ASIAN DELIGHT
With growing local populations of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Hmong immigrants looking for quality Asian barbecue, local shopkeepers, restaurateurs, and market owners have responded, offering some terrific barbecue pork and whole-roasted pig, duck, and chicken. These little shops dot Nicollet or University Avenue and cook in a hybridized pan-Asian style (think Chinese-style lacquered duck served with traditional Vietnamese table sauces and Thai side dishes). Go early, before 1 p.m., if you are looking for the best pieces of pig (ribs, cheeks, haunches), as these stores tend to roast only one pig a day.

Hiep Thanh Hiep
Thanh is an Asian grocer that most people would stroll by a thousand times without walking in. Dingy and sleepy, the appearance belies reality—in the back corner of the market is a counter serving some of the best barbecued Asian food in town. Charred, glazed, Chinese-style char siu, the real deal, is scooped up by passionate pork lovers. On weekends, the kitchen puts out sturdy soy-glazed chickens and ducks, while simpler roasted versions are available every day of the week. 2534 Nicollet Ave., Mpls., 612-870-0905

Shuang Hur
This oversized, full-service Asian market also boasts a barbecue counter, right next to the butcher case. Shuang Hur’s whole-roasted hog (available whole or by the pound) is the best we have tasted in the Twin Cities. The rear haunches and ribs are particularly tasty. With the dexterity and finesse of a dancer, the countermen are the most adept we have seen at cleaving apart a whole side of pig. Two of Shuang Hur’s dipping sauces, a Vietnamese sweetened fish sauce and a sturdy chili-paste concoction, are particularly great companions for the pork. The rich, butterflied ducks are the best of the poultry. In China, most street stalls serve similar split ducks, which are drier and leaner than their whole-roasted cousins. 2710 Nicollet Ave., Mpls., 612-872-8606

Tai Hoa BBQ
Specializing in Vietnamese and Chinese barbecue, this gritty little storefront doles out some of the best roasted and barbecued meats in town. Skip the steam-table curried pork stomach and fish maw and head straight for the barbecue counter. Try the pork (you pick the cut), and watch it hacked off a whole salted roast pig hanging in the window—superb. BBQ-glazed duck (split and brushed with sweet soy), whole roasted duck, and special duck stuffed with mushrooms and lily buds are off the charts. All meats and poultry (including several types of barbecued chicken) are served with a few thimbles of a bean-based dipping sauce, a superfluous addition—the barbecue is that good. 854 University Ave. W., St. Paul, 651-298-8480

JAMAICAN SMOKE
In Jamaica, cooking-huts and stalls dot hillside roads and offer smoky jerk-style meats, poultry, and seafood to customers who line up for a seat at counters surrounding the cooking drums. This is the famous Jamaican barbecue. Smoky green allspice (pimento wood) branches are integral to the process. A slow smoke (the ancient Caribbean practice that is the forefather of our modern-day barbecue), a unique rub, and potentially blistering heat from Scotch bonnet chilies are all signatures.