Inspired by Grandpa and Dad Anderson

By Eleanor Ostman

I’ve known Famous Dave since before he was famous.

In 1991, Dave Anderson was a partner in the newly-opened Grand Casino–Hinckley, where gamblers had limited dining options. Dave, who grew up in Chicago watching his Native American father, originally from Oklahoma, cook barbecue, decided to set up a tent next to the casino where he offered smoked and sauced meats à la Dad, along with potato salad, slaw, corn and other classic sides. At the time, I was food writer at the Pioneer Press and Dispatch and I got word of that impromptu restaurant. I drove north to Hinckley, was blown away at what he was serving, and did a cover story for the food section, lauding Dave’s fare. I followed his career as he decided to franchise free-standing BBQ restaurants— eventually about 200 all over the country. At first, he wanted to name them Diamond Dave’s, but someone else had rights to that name, so he decided to become Famous.

Recently I reached out to Anderson, hinting that I wanted to reconnect and was thinking of doing a review of his Roseville location. “I’m totally out” he said of the publicly traded restaurants, which are now Canadian owned, though that corporation hires him to promote the brand. He’s now the Colonel Sanders of barbecue. And he produces a line of Famous Dave’s grocery store items like sauces and cornbread, which I have purchased with excellent results. He’s also up to his elbows in sauce as a judge on the World Barbecue Food Championships circuit all around the United States.

“Why don’t you review my son’s place?” Dave suggested. “He has Old Southern BBQ  Smokehouse.” 

Though I’ve eaten at the Lexington Avenue location many times, I didn’t know it was owned by his offspring James, with wife Colleen, who runs the business side. The reporter in me saw the angle: three generations of Anderson men devoted to barbecue. A group of friends who dine together on Friday nights— eight of us —took Dave’s advice, and feasted on ribs, wood-smoked chicken, rib tips and bowls, like dinner in a dish that’s a bit different from dad’s repertoire.

I have always ordered ribs at Old Southern, as I have at Famous Dave’s, but I decided on pulled pork on a bun with a side of coleslaw. The term, “melt in your mouth” was coined for the lightly seasoned, sweetly smoked meat, which could be enhanced with any of a half-dozen Old Southern signature sauces. I squirted several onto my sandwich, including Grandpa Jimmie’s favorite recipe which balances, as the menu says, “zesty and sassy.” Perfect! Chicago Fire, another based on Grandpa’s sauces, might put three-alarm flames in your mouth, but try it anyway.

It took all my willpower not to snatch a meaty rib off my dining companion’s plate, and he didn’t offer, as he gnawed them down to the bone with obvious satisfaction. All of the meats get a turn in a pair of wood-fired smokers right next to the counter where customers place their orders. I asked the manager what kind of wood is used. “Oak,” she said, though hickory and hot-burning red oak alternate. Wood provides smoky character, but it’s up to the pitmaster’s skill to season and sauce and not overcook. At the Arden Hills location, Sean Hels holds that title. “Flame-kissed” is how it’s described.

A Memphis Bowl with pulled pork atop mashed potatoes and a scattering of corn, cole slaw and other vegetables was one choice. Another diner in our group ordered the Dixie Bowl which was a similar melange, except barbecued rice was the foundation. A third eater asked for the Design Your Own Bowl, basing it with mashed sweet potatoes, choosing brisket as her protein. All three were happy.

I am a fan of sweet potatoes, so when I was ordering, I asked if I could taste them. I got a tiny cupful, and would have liked them better with more butter and brown sugar and a dusting of cinnamon. You’re welcome.

James and Colleen Anderson currently oversee a handful of other area Old Southern locations:  44th and France, Excelsior,  Shakopee, Hudson and U.S. Bank Stadium, where specialties include fully-loaded macaroni and cheese or fries that sports fans are loving. Two food trucks are on order. They were honored when the U.S. military tapped them to send ribs to soldiers in Afghanistan as a taste of home. 

“We shipped hundreds of thousands of pounds to the troops,” James said.

FYI: Old Southern will smoke a turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner, and also supply classic sides. James said his seven-year-old nephew, tasting that turkey for the first time, said, “Why does this taste so good?”

Old Southern BBQ, 3845 Lexington Avenue North, Arden Hills. 651-358-3920. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Lead image caption: James Anderson and wife Colleen are the stewards of Old Southern BBQ, the direct descendant of nationally-known Famous Dave’s barbecue chain. Courtesy of Dave Anderson.