Patriotism is as much a part of rodeo as the cowboys themselves.

Homage to the Stars and Stripes is always part of rodeo in the USA.

Happy Birthday USA!

July in America.  It’s when we celebrate Independence Day, the birth of our free nation.  We spend time outdoors, and what could be more All-American on a hot summer day than Rodeo and BBQ!   We experienced the best of both when we attended the Killdeer Mountain Roundup Rodeo recently in Killdeer, North Dakota.

The smoke and smell of the meat cooking was enticing!

Where there is smoke, in this case, there was mighty good BBQ!

 

Oh, that DAPL BBQ smoke, that aroma! 

By the time we arrived at the new rodeo ground near Killdeer we were ready for nourishment!   A part of our hunger was prompted by the smell of smoke, that is the enticing aromas emanating from a large (huge!) grill/smoker.  We followed the aroma.  The smoker!  It was so large it was it’s own trailer complete with wheels.  Obviously, someone had a passion for real barbecue and had keen knowledge of how to create it!    The line of other hungry people was long, but not too long for our hungry curiosity. 

 

DAPL BBQ is simple and straight forward.   Fine barbecue does not need numerous amendments to make it good!

A simple, basic menu made it easy for us to get to the heart of the matter…..eat some barbecue!

 

Real barbecue.  Real good!

The menu was simple and straight forward, the way it should be when barbecue is Real Barbecue.  I appreciated the offering of pulled pork sliders, which gave the option of a small meal, or a larger meal.  Water, pop.  Those were the only options we needed.  Adult beverages were available at another location for those who needed added ‘liquid’ nourishment’.   The meat itself was more than good, it was excellent!   Flavorful and moist with just the right amount of ‘smoke’.   This reminded me of my days in the deep south, where barbecue aficionados engrained in me an appreciation for real barbecue meat, as opposed to meat with ‘barbecue’ sauce on top.  In the case of DAPL BBQ, barbecue sauce was offered as well but it served only to complement the true smoky taste of the pork, which had been on the smoker for over 24 hours. 

Pulled Pork Sliders from DAPL BBQ

The pork was smoky and moist. Sliders were the perfect size.

Pulled Pork Sliders from DAPL BBQ were the perfect size!

The sliders were substantial!

Just a bit of sauce to complement the smoky taste of the pulled pork.

The taste of the meat was so good, the sauce needed was minimal, and only a complement to the true barbecue smoky flavor of the meat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friendly is an Understatement!

As important to us as the great barbecue was the warm, friendly personalities of the owners of  DAPL BBQ!  Lively, upbeat conversation accompanied our meal.   These are hard working locals who are proud of the products they produce, and of the area in which they live.   

The friendly, upbeat owners of DAPL BBQ made standing in line a good thing!

The meat was smoky, moist, and plentiful; very appreciated by the hungry crowds.

The BBQ is so good, no one will protest!  A good sense of humor enlivened our experience with DAPL BBQ

Upbeat, friendly people with a sense of humor made this food stop fun!

 

Place your order!  

These guys seem to love what they do, and that is smoke a variety of meats, including special orders which they promote (there is a 5 lb. minimum…which would be gone in short order….so order more!).   According to their Facebook page, they are all about Plain and simple BBQ. Brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, beans, mac-n-cheese. You know the stuff that the Doc says is bad for you but so good!    We suggest messaging them or giving them a call at 701-690-0317 to place your order.

Real Barbecue, Real Pipeline!

The name of this business is as real as the BBQ is good. The firebox of the smoker is….. you guessed it……..pipeline! Perfect!

 

You’ll be awed by the story of the Killdeer Mountain Roundup Rodeo here:   The Killdeer Saddle Club made this possible!

Get in on more rodeo action here:  What a Rodeo!

Oh, and as you may already know. The Beautiful Badlands ND calendar will keep you posted on events you can attend this summer.

Subscribe to get a notice in your inbox when a new story is posted. The subscription box in in the upper right.

Follow us on Facebook to get all the fun details in between the stories.  We can even give you ideas on where to eat!