WISCONSIN MAY BE KNOWN for its cheese. But one small Wisconsin town is noted for both its cheese and BBQ. That would be Nelson, Wisconsin, across the Mississippi River from Wabasha, Minnesota.
Nelson Cheese Factory serves as a destination for Wisconsin and imported cheeses.
You can’t miss the vibrant exterior of B & B Barbecue in Nelson, Wisconsin.
And just down the street at 208 N. Main, you’ll find J & J Barbecue, a mom-and-pop restaurant serving Southern style BBQ that’s mouth-watering delicious.
Love this sign at the order counter.
Owners Jim and Laura Grandy, Minnesota natives who once lived in South Carolina, have perfected their smoked meats and their specialty mustard-based BBQ sauce.
J & J features hickory smoked meats.
The tantalizing smokey aroma will draw you off the highway into this one-of-a-kind joint as much as the BBQ and mustard hue exterior and signage promising the best ribs on the river.
My generous Southern BBQ pork sandwich served with savory baked beans and potato salad.
While my husband and I didn’t try the ribs on a recent lunch stop, I ordered the Southern BBQ pork sandwich and found it simply superb. Randy chose a wrap—Carolina pulled pork with blue ribbon coleslaw tucked inside—a choice I found tasty, but he didn’t. I wondered why he was ordering a wrap because that isn’t his style and he doesn’t like coleslaw. But he felt pressured to order at the walk-up counter, the one negative part of our dining experience. When you’re new to a restaurant, you need time to study the posted menu.
I love the unique and kitschy interior.
On that particular Thursday, a steady steam of customers stopped to dine in or carry out Styrofoam trays packed with BBQed goodness.
You’ll find more than BBQed meat here.
I’d highly recommend J & J BBQ. Just, please, don’t do as one grandma, overheard asking her grandson, “Would you like the chicken tenders or a hot dog?” I wish she’d encouraged him to try the fabulous BBQ.
Walk past this sign and into the next room to enter the bar area. On the other side of that you will find a gift shop, Laura’s Place.
FYI: J & J Barbecue is open Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Husband Day Care Center – ha! – love it – pull up a stool! Just had the Best of the West Rib Cook Off and Fest here in town. Too crowded for our taste, so hubbie smoked his own slab of ribs on the ugly drum smoker he made a few years back – he knows how to cook some B-B-Q – YUM 🙂 Great Captures – love all the signage!
Too bad I don’t live closer to you. I’d be over for some of those ribs.
My hubbie makes some mean smoked meats and we love smoked sweet potatoes and beets too – YUMMERS!!!
Smoked sweet potatoes sound delish. Not so sure about the beets, but then I’m not a big fan of beets.
Yum, looks delicious! We have been t Nelson and visited the cheese shop, cant remember the name of it, but the cheese curds were amazing!
You are right. The curds are amazing. Next time plan to have lunch at J & J.
Will have to take a drive that direction since it’s so close!!!! No excuses, hmmmm??? We love “good” BBQ!! Your choice would be mine……Tom would try the ribs.
I’m pretty certain you two would love this BBQ joint.
We’ve driven by the place so many times but never stopped…….no reason in particular. A lot of the times it’s not been open, though.
Next time, right?
Right!!!!!!
This establishment is pretty darn tasty. Their pulled pork is mighty fine – as is their mustard sauce. For a future trip to Nelson, I recommend the Stone Barn Pizza. I promise you will not be disappointing; I know you are a fan of pizza.
Yes, I love pizza. And thanks for the recommendation. I will add that to our list of places to eat when we head north along the river on the Wisconsin side.
This restaurant looks gorgeous. It’s so quaint and I love the signs and all the memorabilia. Your lunch looks really yummy xx
It was a great place to dine. I’m all for one-of-a-kind local diners rather than chain restaurants.
I am all about the BBQ and had some fabulous BBQ this weekend at the wedding provided by Papa Jack who was a very fun guy. This looks like a fabulous and interesting place and I totally agree with the walk up counter thing—-I like to be able to have a bit of time to ponder and select and this style always makes me limit my pondering time. 🙂
Authentic Southern BBQ sounds fabulous.
Yes, I like to ponder a bit also.