Kelley's BBQ & Catering — Restaurant in Mount Vernon

Well let me start this by saying that I am from the South, Texas to be exact. I love BBQ and have had it all over the country. Actually, if I'm being technical I have eaten it all over the world. I am a chef myself so I have also made BBQ with some pretty amazing folks who know how to produce a technically accurate, deliciously moist and tender product.

Having said all that, I happen to be in the La Connor Washington area and came across Kelly's BBQ. Just a small trailer parked in an adorable downtown strip of Mount Vernon on Division street. The trailer is decorated and situated well on this vacant lot with a drive up window and a walk up window as well. Quite cute!

Service: I pulled up and was greeted with smiles and courtesy. I arrived only 20 minutes before closing and I ordered family style, brisket (1lb) and a rack of ribs with 1/2 regular sauce and 1/2 spicy. I don't know if Kelly was one of the women that served me but they were both very cheerful and helpful. The wait time was only a few minutes and they filled .y order quickly and beautifully

Food: The sides I ordered were macaroni and cheese, cowboy beans, and potatoes salad and they were delicious. Excellent cowboy beans, excellent potato salad, macaroni and cheese resembles baked Mac and cheese and is a bit more gooey than I traditionally like but tasted excellent and had a unique flavor that was quite tasty.

The Ribs were perfect to me with a nice smokey bark and taste. I love the meaty ends of ribs and quite often they are dry and chewy if overcooked but these were still moist. The overall texture was excellent, chew off the bone and very moist, flavorful, and tender.

The brisket was pretty lean, as they trim the fat but taste was also very good. They didn't over spice the brisket and the meat and smoke married well. My only suggestion is that they consider leaving on a bit more fat to protect the brisket and self marinate the meat.

Price:

Generally the same as most BBQ these days. Good meat isn't cheap and by smoking you lose a considerable amount of the original weight. Nevermind the vigilance required to be good at smoking meat. My bill was $100. I would call this fair by today's standards

I don't know where these ladies trained or if they are southern originally or locals but they are on my favorites list. I made two mistakes ordering. I should have tried the cookies and the cornbread that she offered. Next time for sure

Do yourself a favor if you are in the area. Better yet, get in the area however you can, Get here by horseback, horse and Buggy, boat, skateboard, bicycle, roller skates, walk or run. Whatever it takes! Get yourself there, eat whatever they cook and be glad they aren't sold out because the meal is worth it.

In my adventures, I have surely eaten my weight in BBQ but don't trust me, judge for yourself. I suspect you'll want to thank me and I'll accept by...

If you have never eaten here GO NOW!! This place is AMAZING! The ladies working here were the nicest, kindest people and were completely dedicated to making sure we had nothing less than a phenomenal dining experience. My coworker and I had driven past this place many times but never stopped, and now I'm kicking myself!

We both had the brisket French dip w/au jous sandwich special and not only was the brisket tender and melt-in-your-mouth good, but the creamy horseradish and BBQ sauce that came with it were top shelf full of flavor. Also, my search for good mac & cheese in WA has officially ended: theirs is hearty and creamy without being overdone or over-worked and had just the right amount of seasoning. We were also offered a sample of the cowboy beans and I can tell you for a fact these were the best damn baked beans I've ever had, and I grew up just outside of Boston! I treated us to their oatmeal butterscotch cookies and... Oh my Gawd! Delicious! They must have someone's grandma imprisoned in the basement!

The food is made with large amounts of love, the service is exceptional, and we will make it point to stop here EVERY time we come through here from now on.

Google should allow 6...

If you smoke meat at home on stick burner or pellet smoker you WILL be disappointed here. I seen this place over and over again and wanted to try it for years. Finally last week I did. Right around $13.53 for a pulled pork sandwich and a side of Mac and Cheese.

First, I had to make the sandwich myself. Second the Mac and Cheese had no flavor. The noodles were just as soft as the cheese that was in it. No texture at all. The pulled pork meat. Lol. Wow, dry, packed in a Styrofoam cup. I think that it had been packed in the cup for a day or two and then they just warmed it up in a microwave. From the time I ordered it and I got it was about 45 seconds. NO FLAVOR AT ALL. It wasn't smoked. I think it was done in an oven.

The only thing that WAS ok was the spicy sauce for the meat.

I smoke my own meats AND my Mac and Cheese. If I would have served what I make it would have been worth about $15 for the serving, moist, lots of flavor, good texture good hearty smoke flavor. Very very disappointed. This was worth pretty...