Weekend Barbecue At Mel's Liquors In Jessup

If the Lonely Planet Guide wrote about Howard County, it would send 20-year-old foreigners to eat ribs in the parking lot of Mel's Liquors in Jessup.

With the warm weather, our local street food as returned in the form of steel-drum grills set up along the side of the road.  Still during breakfast hours last Saturday, I stumbled on a crew grilling chicken, beef and pork ribs on the side of Rte 175.  The smoke was too good to pass up.

That's how I found myself devouring pork ribs in the front seat of my car at 10 in the morning.  I actually had to hit an ATM for cash, but it was worth the extra effort.  The perfect crust of char and smoked meat ran along the entire 10-inch slab of ribs.  Inside, there was more fat than you'd get at a chain restaurant.  But the meat was moist and tender, and the smokey char was something that I have never been able to get at home.  Nothing was burned.  The ribs had just smoked and crusted along the edge in the way that I absolutely love.

(Update: It's a deep grilled flavor, no sauce or sweet flavors on top of the meat -- in response to Trevor-Peter's comment below.)

It's a $10 plate.  You get meat, plus rice, beans and a mild salsa of tomatoes and sweet onions.  They're all better than you'd get at a chain Mexican restaurant.  The red beans were the best.  They're cook with skill.  Tender, but still firm and tasting of beans in a way that canned or mushy ones never pull off.  As I scooped them up, I promised myself that I'd try soaking dried beans again.

This is great street food.  This area of Jessup and Elkridge clearly serves a growing group of Latin immigrants, and they're kicking off great food like the tacos at R&R Deli or the Pupuseria Lorenita taco truck.  My pork ribs could have -- maybe should have been -- lunch for two.  You could have a great afternoon trying this joint, then working through a few other places or driving the U.S. 1 "Foodie Frontier."

Last weekend, the stand was being run by three people, and they also had plastic bags of mango slices that looked excellent.  As it was, I was eating way more food than anyone needed at 10 am.  Their truck had no name, but they said that they would be cooking on weekends from morning until about 5:30 pm.  A little Spanish helped me ask questions, but you can order in English.

Itinerant BBQ has popped up several times along U.S. 1.  Email me if you spot any or if you can recommend a joint with a regular schedule.

Barbecue at Mel's Liquors

7915 Jessup Road (Rte 175)

Jessup, MD 20794

410-799-2988 (number for liquor store)

301-906-9550 (number on barbecue sign)

NEAR:  Mel's Liquors is at the intersection of Rte 175 and Dorsey Run Road.  It's about a mile east of the prison -- between the BW Parkway and U.S. 1.