By this time of year, some folks have put their barbeque grill under wraps for the winter. But what if you still crave that smoky, spicy goodness that only a barbeque pit can provide? You’re in luck. The former owners of J. Cousineus, Dave and Misty Zapf have opened a new restaurant, Z’s Smokin Bonez. This new place, along with long-time favorite Famous Dave’s and relative newcomer Dickey’s Barbeque Pit, make the aroma of Maple Grove irresistible.
Z’s Smokin Bonez
16362 County Rd. 30
763.400.7979
Z’s uses a blend of two soft woods and one hard wood for smoking meats. The softer woods are fruity while the harder wood is smoky, giving meats just the right combination of flavor. They smoke their meats with a dry rub and serve their house barbeque sauces on the side. Their four flavors of sauce include Original, Sweet & Sassy (tomato based with sweet hickory flavors), Temper (vinegar based with garlic and black pepper) and Mustard-BBQ. Z’s is also planning to bottle their hot BBQ sauce with ghost peppers—the hottest peppers known to man.
Dave Zapf says barbeque runs in his family. Their 14-year-old son developed one of their specialty sandwiches. It’s called the Big Pig Wrap and it’s made of pulled pork, roasted peppers, onions, cole slaw, baked beans and BBQ sauce all neatly wrapped in an herb tortilla.
Their 10-year-old daughter has a creation of her own on the menu. The Whole Hog Hoagie is made with beef brisket, pulled pork, sweet Vidalia onions, dill pickles and topped with mac and cheese. And for customers with a sweet tooth, Z’s chocolate bacon cupcakes and Piggly-wiggly sugar cookies are sure to please.
For those who want to pull on their parka and attempt some barbeque at home over the winter, Zapf recommends starting with a pork loin because it has a shorter smoke time and is more forgiving. He says, “Experiment with different rubs, marinades and wood variations to come up with your own flavor profile.” For those ordering out, Z’s Smokin Bonez enjoys playing around with different styles of BBQ. Zapf says, “Check out our daily specials. You won’t be disappointed.”
Famous Dave’s
7825 Vinewood Ln. N.
763.416.4600
Famous Dave’s smokes their meats with a traditional Southern Pride Smoker with rotating rotisseries. General manager John Jarvis says the key to smoking meat is low and slow. “Smoking over low heat for a long time causes fats to render and smoke to penetrate the meat for optimum flavor,” he says.
They also use a dry spice rub before smoking their meats and offer a variety of sugar and salt rubs, pepper rubs and a rib rub blend for sale. For home smokers, Jarvis recommends, “Season your meat first. Then look online for how long to smoke the meat per pound, depending on the cut.”
Famous Dave’s uses traditional hickory wood for smoking meats because it tends to smolder and burn for the extended time necessary to create great taste. Some meats take only 2-3 hours (some things, like fish and cheese, take even less). Most, including pork, take 8-9 hours.
Jarvis harkens back to when Dave started out smoking meat in a modified trashcan. “That method still works for folks who find home smokers a bit spendy,” Jarvis says. If you order the Famous Dave’s All American BBQ Feast, it’s actually served on a trashcan lid. An homage to Dave’s early days.
Dave has traveled to all regions famous for barbeque and incorporates that variety into Famous Dave’s menu. Their recipes won the Best in the West BBQ Showdown, and were featured on Food Network’s Best in Smoke, a reality TV show the team competed in last year, placing second after losing the tofu challenge.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
11631 Fountains Dr.
763.416.2271
Dickey’s also uses a dry rub before smoking meats. Their larger meats like brisket are smoked overnight using hickory. Manager Thor Mengelkoch says Dickey’s specializes in a Texas-style versus a Memphis Style barbecue. So most meats are served with sauce on the side. The exception would be their pork ribs or chicken breast. “We brush sweet barbeque sauce on those items to keep them moist,” says Mengelkoch.
One of Dickey’s specialties is their Texas style chopped beef brisket. “You can get pulled pork anywhere,” Mengelkoch says. “But this is truly special. It can be served on a sandwich or on a plate or even on top of salads or piled on potatoes. It’s amazing.”
