The Man Behind the Barbecue: Mr. Dickey

The first Dickey's Barbecue Pit was opened in 1941 by Travis Dickey. Travis' two sons, Roland Dickey and T.D. Dickey Jr., took over the business in 1967. They began franchising the business in 1994 and experienced overwhelming success. The public loved their barbecue business model; Quality barbecue (and great sides) cooked slow and served fast! 

Roland Dickey became president of the company in 2006. Roland (now Mr. Dickey) is not exactly your typical corporate "big wig". He is a "good ole boy" from Dallas, Texas. Mr. Dickey loves to visit the franchisees and meet Dickey's customers. Talk to him about barbecue and you will instantly make a new best friend. 

Mr. Dickey recently visited the Minneapolis area and appeared on "Twin Cities Live". The next day he entertained the lunch crowd at the Dickey's Restaurant in Eagan, MN. He gave away signed copies of his cookbook, "Mr. Dickey's Barbecue Cookbook", (filled with great recipes and colorful stories) to the first 100 lucky customers. 

Mr. Dickey was accompanied by "Edna" (on the right) and Jami Zimmerman (left).

Edna does voiceovers for Dickey's radio and television ads. Jami is the Senior PR Manager for Dickey's. These lovely ladies mingled with the crowd, kept Mr. Dickey in line and distributed special discount offers to those who visited.

This sweet retired couple, Dave and Shirley saw Mr. Dickey on "Twin Cities Live" and drove over 100 miles from Granite Falls to meet Mr. Dickey in Eden Prairie. Talk about some real barbecue lovers right there!  

Tom Eggerud, the owner of the Eagan, Shakopee, and Plymouth Dickey's Barbecue Pits, had a great time hosting the visit of Mr. Dickey. A good time was truly had by all that day!  

A Dickey’s Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has a long, enchanting history, but these days, the holiday consists mostly of heart-shaped gifts, teddy bears and dinner reservations. People scrambling and waiting to get a table at their favorite restaurant tends to take the romance out of the day dedicated to just that. So this year, we’ve put together three simple steps for you to have the ultimate Dickey’s Valentine's Day. 

Step 1: 
Call Dickey’s and order some take-out! Choose you and your special someone’s favorite things from our menu, drive on over and pick them up.

Step 2: 
Set the table. Real plates people! It is Valentine's Day. Grab some candles to make it extra romantic.

Step 3:
Enjoy the company of your significant other and some great barbecue. No waiting, no crowds!

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to remember how much you appreciate your better half. Do something different this year. Skip the crowds and enjoy some delicious hot pit smoked barbecue with the one that you love!

Texas Style Barbecue

Dickeys Barbecue Pit serves up Texas style barbecue. Barbecue is a huge part of Texas culture and is loved by many in not only the south, but all around the world. Just like Texas, we take pride in our barbecue and continue to do it just as it was done in 1941.

Texas style barbecue is a traditional style of preparing meat. Beef is thought to be the meat primarily used in Texas style barbecue, however, the meat prepared often varies by region. There are four regions known for BBQ in Texas and each region has it’s own style of barbecuing:


East Texas--barbecue is an extension of traditional southern barbecue, similar to that found in Tennessee and Arkansas. It is primarily pork-based, with cuts such as pork shoulder and pork ribs, indirectly slow smoked over primarily hickory wood. The sauce is tomato-based, sweet, and thick.

Central Texas--was settled by German and Czech settlers in the mid 1800s, who brought with them European-style meat markets. European-style meat markets would smoke leftover cuts of pork and beef, often with high heat, using primarily native oak and pecan. Traditionally this barbecue is served without sauce, and with no sides other than saltine crackers, pickles, and onions.

South Texas--barbecue is mostly influenced by Mexican tastes. The area was the birthplace of the Texas ranching tradition, and the Mexican farmhands were often partially paid for their work in less desirable cuts of meat. Today, barbacoa is mostly cooked in an oven in a bain-marie.

The last style of Texas Barbecue also originated from Texas ranching traditions, but was developed in the western third of the state by Anglo ranchers. This style of "Cowboy" barbecue, cooked over an open pit using direct heat from mesquite, is the style most closely associated with Texas barbecue in popular imagination. The meat is primarily beef, shoulder clods and brisket being favorite cuts, but mutton and goat are also often found in this barbecue style.

Here at Dickey’s we stick to traditional East Texas barbecue. While we don’t only use pork, we slow smoke our meat with indirect heat over hickory wood, which makes it extra tender. Mr. Dickey began his mission to perfect Texas-style barbecue in 1941, and each Dickey’s Barbecue Pit strives to provide exceptional barbecue to all of its customers.

Source: http://www.pigabytes.com/

BBQ CONTESTS ......... YOU WIN!

Every BBQ contest has different rules, depending on the sanctioning body governing the event. The two most prominent such organizations are the Kansas City Barbecue Society and the Memphis Barbecue Network. Every contest is a party. The atmosphere is filled with food,drink and friendly competition. These events often carry into the night with sponsors flooding the grounds with promotions, swag and entertainment for all ages. 

The American Royal BBQ contest (often referred to as the World Series of BBQ) is held each October in Kansas City. It is a 4 day event. This "party" often attracts over 500 competitors. The World Championship BBQ Cooking contest is held annually in Memphis during the Memphis in May Festival. According to the Guinness Book of World Records it is the largest pork BBQ contest in the world. 

Barbecue competitions are held in every state in the United States during the warmer months, usually beginning in April and going through September. These events feature competitions between teams of cooks and are divided into separate competitions for the best pork, beef and poultry barbecue and for the best barbecue sauces. At Dickeys we compete every day. Our goal is to provide our customers with the best BBQ in the world!