As we head into the first NFL weekend, Chicago Bears fans (and fans of barbecue) can rejoice — Alary’s Bar in downtown St. Paul has found a culinary partner in Petey’s Texas Bar B Que.

Petey’s owner Mike Peterson has another tie-in to the famously cop-friendly bar: He was a law enforcement officer on the U.S. border in Laredo, Texas.

Peterson, who also spent 23 years working for McDonald’s, started learning about smoking meat while he lived down south, but it wasn’t until he returned to Minnesota that he really got hooked.

“Once I got it dialed in, people kept wanting more and more,” Peterson said.

That prompted friends to chip in to help him buy a trailer-sized smoker that he picked up in Nashville. Those friends were promised food at cost, and a business was born.

After a few years of unofficial catering for friends and family, another friend helped Peterson buy a food truck, and he’s been officially operating as a street food vendor — with a temporary residence at JR’s Bar in Burnsville (now closed).

When Peterson and his wife, Tina, who also worked at McDonald’s and helps run the business, saw that Alary’s was reopening and was looking for a culinary partner, they reached out to owner Bill Collins and a partnership was born.

The extensive menu includes fun apps like Texas Stogies (jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and grilled), smoked wings, smoked queso nachos and rib tips. Entrees range from pulled pork, hot links, brisket and smoked turkey to a full menu of burgers and sandwiches.

Though Peterson is a barbecue purist and believes his meat, lovingly smoked over oak logs, should stand on its own, he recognizes that Minnesotans love sauce, and he goes out of his way to accommodate them with 20 house-made barbecue sauces.

Peterson and Collins want to remind patrons that they have free parking in a lot and in the ramp next door. Food service hours will run 4-9 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on weekends.

As a thank-you for their service, active and retired members of law enforcement get a 50% discount on food and beverage.

Collins, owner of Camp Bar on Robert Street, bought the previously shuttered Alary’s and reopened it this spring.

Alary’s Bar: 139 E. Seventh St., St. Paul; alarys.com

Related Articles

Five fresh takes on summer classic dishes for these waning days

Peach and granola parfait is breakfast and dessert

Four easy dinners for a new school year

After 25 years — and some soured feelings — kosher pickles are finally eligible for State Fair competition. Why did it take so long?

Check out Huntington Bank Stadium’s new food and drink items