Smokin' The Competition

Smoke was rising over Grand Casino in Hinckley in the early ‘90s, and as food writer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, I smelled a story. There, in a tent attached to the casino, stood Dave Anderson, tending ribs and dishing up cole slaw and beans.

Anderson had more important things to do as a partner in that gambling empire. But but he decided folks hungry after pulling slot machines or rolling dice needed an alternative to the standard buffet (the fancier dining room had yet to be built). The guy was passionate about barbecue. Growing up in Chicago, he learned that art from his dad, and the ribs I sampled were fabulous.

“If you hadn’t done a story raving about my ribs, I probably wouldn’t have gone into the barbecue business,” Anderson has told me on several occasions. That and $21.99 buys me a slab, but I am happy for his success.  In essence, I knew Dave before he was Famous.

Diners all over the nation know him now. He oversees 185 Famous Dave’s restaurants.  

The second Famous Dave's opened in Roseville on Snelling Avenue near County Road B in 2002. The first was in Linden Hills in south Minneapolis; somewhere I have a photo of the two of us at that opening.

Now Dave is really, really famous among those who view TV’s Food Network.  Out of 100 potential barbecue champs, he was chosen to be among six competitors for the hot new show, Best in Smoke.    Top prize is 50 grand, and as I write this, Dave and his teammate Charlie Torgerson have survived the first three rounds. You’ll have to watch this Sunday at 8 p.m. to see if they win the final round.

Actual running, necessary to the show’s format as contestants race to the meat truck, has been extra-difficult for Dave who isn’t exactly built like a marathoner.  He broke his ankle prior to first filming and hobbled dead last in the meat race, which meant he had to smoke whatever was left.

Dave and Charlie made points among the judges for their blackberry barbecue sauce, which you can taste at the Roseville location until June 6. The sweet dark glaze (did I detect five-spice powder?) is soaked up by Georgia chopped pork, wrapped in lettuce leaves Asian-style, along with julienne carrots, celery, onion and red pepper.   Even a dieter could indulge, guilt-free. Store manager Tim Gaspard says some non-traditional customers are trying it, but most have ribs or chicken on their radar.

What really wowed Best in Smoke judges was chocolate-covered bacon, which culinary director Torgerson, who runs the company’s test kitchens, invented for Famous Dave’s State Fair booth three summers ago to great acclaim.

By luck, their “mystery” food basket on the show included bacon and strawberries, which, with pineapple and balsamic vinegar, was transformed into dessert – a rarity on the BBQ circuit. “It was a pretty as chocolate-coated bacon can get,” he said.

The two Minnesotans, competing against teams from the Barbecue Belt, suffered through heat and rain when the shows were taped last August in a New Jersey park overlooking the Statue of Liberty.

“That’s a long time to keep the results secret,” said Torgerson, who refused to divulge the outcome. You’ll just have to watch the show to see if he and Dave earn top honors.  He said of his teammate, “We ham and egg it pretty good.” Maybe that’s a hint.

Do Dave and Charlie have any advice to pass along to backyard barbecuers? Yes.  “Keep it simple, don’t overcook, don’t overseason.” Might not get you on TV or make you famous, but the family will be happy.