New BBQ Restaurant Opening In St. Cloud Next Week

(KNSI) – A new barbeque joint is opening in St. Cloud next week. Up in Smoke BBQ will open its doors on February 21st at 2848 2nd Street South.

The restaurant is owned by married couple Kelli and Kirk Nyquist, along with Tamara Yurczyk and her fiance Tim Hoefer. Kirk told KNSI News he started going to some barbecue competitions about three years ago and did well with his signature homemade sauces. “I just had a love for it. I really enjoyed doing it. And I just thought maybe we would take a crack at making a living at it. Me and my wife had been wanting to go into the restaurant business for years as [have] Tamara and her husband. It all just kind of fell together this way.”

The name Up in Smoke was also the team name he used in competitions. Like many traditional southern BBQ spots, Kelli says they’ll be a plate-to-order place. “We want to serve it fresh and hot. We want to develop a relationship with the customers that come in, like the Cheers of barbecue, or so to speak. And everything is going to be homemade.”

She says two of their specialties are brisket and ribs, but they will have a large menu of traditional BBQ favorites with a few twists, such as BBQ brisket chili. The restaurant buys meats from local farmers and will smoke some items for up to 16 hours.

They plan to add catering and hold a grand opening event after the weather warms up. The restaurant has seating for 20.

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