BBQ Joint with Mega Personality

I know I am behind on posting recipes. But I really wanted to talk about this little hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint my husband and I recently visited.

We had to run a couple errands in “the cities.” That means heading towards Minneapolis, for those that are not familiar with Minnesota Lingo. We were just going to the outer suburbs. Not too far from home but far enough to find a restaurant we hadn’t been to yet. The night before, I mentioned to my husband what we were doing and where. I asked him to find a place for lunch. Man, did he deliver.

We went to Jellybean and Julia’s in Anoka, MN. It is a small BBQ spot. If you are ever in the area, I HIGHLY recommend it. Some of the best BBQ we’ve ever had. And we have had a LOT of BBQ throughout the US: Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis…to name a few. Definitely didn’t expect to find such a gem here in Minny.

We walked into to what appeared to be a very eclectic dive joint. The chairs were mismatched. Tables were small. Along the back wall instead of booth seating were two long church pews, covered in random stickers. The stickers had everything from breweries to tattoo shops to sports teams to Big Foot.  Various out of state license plates, kitchenware chandeliers, Star Wars stuff also adorned the walls.  All of which we enjoyed inspecting while we waited for our food. Short wait by the way. Very quick service!

When the server came to take our drink orders, she mentioned there was one order of BBQ wontons left. We jumped on that. They were absolutely delicious! I wasn’t ready for an alcohol cocktail that early in the day, so I ordered a cherry coke instead. When I took my first sip, I was pleasantly surprised to taste real grenadine. That is always a win in my book. I plan on going back. I am curious to try the Bloody Geisha, a Japanese version of Bloody Mary.  My husband, who most people call Thor, ordered a craft beer, Avenger, and really liked it.

As far as what we ate? Good question! That is the point afterall! I ordered the Black & Bleu Brisket Sandwich. Described on the menu as “blackened brisket with smoked bleu cheese and a raspberry mustard sauce” with a side of Hashbrown Hotdish (creamy, cheesy hashbrowns). My tastebuds were exploding. This was F-ing good! It was quite filling though. I didn’t eat the bun. Not because I didn’t want it. But I could tell I this was going to be too much food. So, I saved the real estate to eat the best parts. The hubby ordered the sliced brisket with tortilla shells and coleslaw. He was a happy camper!

While we dined and soaked in everything our eyes could spy on the walls, we listed to Johnny Cash, Elvis, and Dolly. It was low key, relaxed and fun.

The BBQ was spectacular, the atmosphere was cool. Everything is made from scratch, locally owned, and operated. If this hasn’t been on Triple D, it needs to be. Go there. You won’t be disappointed.