Eating Wyoming: 2Z’s Is Pioneering Its Unique ‘Dubois Style’ Barbecue

DUBOIS — Looks are deceiving at 2Z’s BBQ in Dubois

The tiny log-cabin restaurant is situated in a tiny and tight space, tucked between a laundromat and hardware store. It screams hole-in-the-wall from the outside looking in, with nothing particularly special about it.

But there are hints of something special as you’re waiting in the rather long line to order while perusing a pared-down menu.

That menu has the usual suspects on it. Smoked brisket and chicken, pulled pork, racks of ribs, hot dogs, coleslaw and potato salad. There are the usual thirst quenchers, too — soda, iced tea and frozen lemonade.

But there’s also someone named Mary Ellen and her baked beans on the menu. And someone else named Melba and her cucumber pickles.

Not to mention, the completely surprising minty watermelon-feta salad that you won’t find on the menu of too many other barbecue joints. And the lavender-colored huckleberry margarita.

Another hint on the menu is the disclaimer that suggests customers shouldn’t be too surprised if something isn’t available any given night.

“Our BB is made fresh daily,” that disclaimer warns. “We often run out of items.”

Here Comes The Big Surprise

Still, nothing is too beyond ordinary yet.

Until, that is, you step out onto the back patio, searching for a seat.

And that’s when you see the 6x6 plank of stained and varnished lumber that’s been plunked down smack in front of a babbling brook that lies behind the restaurant, turning a very narrow space into a well-hidden gem.

Invisible from the front of the restaurant, the brook teems with birds playing downstream in a brook. They dart and dip after each other or after bugs, and even the water seems to murmur approvingly as it rolls over rocks in the stream bed.

A green canopy of trees is keeping everything impossibly cool and shady. So cool that even on an otherwise hot July day, it feels as if an air conditioner is running outside.

At this point, anyone who didn’t order the frozen huckleberry margarita or the frozen lemonade is probably rethinking all of their life priorities.

Because either one would have been just the perfect drink for the moment.

It doesn’t hurt this magic at all that the food is just as good as the scenery. It’s perfectly prepared — even the more difficult chicken — and, from the first bite, it’s completely understandable why menu items run out every day.

This is barbecue heaven, and you don’t even have to die first to get here.

Inspired By Two Brothers

2Z’s Barbecue is owned by two brothers, Matthew and Josh Tousignant.

The name comes from their nickname. Family and friends often shorten their last name to “Twozies,” Josh told Cowboy State Daily.

Matthew, who is also the manager of Brooks Lake Lodge, a luxury resort near Jackson Hole, knows a thing or two about hospitality. So, when he spotted a location perfect for a restaurant for sale, he knew it could be a gem, and he snapped it up.

He also knew that his brother, Josh had been looking for a life change. He was tired of driving a truck for his living.

That made him an easy sell. He could be the pit master and day-to-day manager of the restaurant.

For the brothers, barbecue was the obvious choice. Not just because it was something Dubois didn’t really have yet.

“I was about 12 years old the first time I lost my eyebrows to a gas grill,” Josh said. “So, I’ve always done this. Whether it’s a family group or there’s some big party, I’m the one who ends up cooking a lot of the time, and I really enjoy it.”

Barbecue brings out the kind of attitude that Josh feels goes great in a town like Dubois.

“It’s kind of the summertime sort of attitude,” he said.

And, really, who doesn’t love good barbecue and potluck sides in the summertime?

Not Your Backyard Cookout

Challenge is what keeps Josh interested in barbecue.

“Every meat is different,” he said. “Every fire is different. We don’t use pellets or anything computerized. It’s logs in a smoker. That’s how we do it. So, if I made something really well, replicating that isn’t easy. You’ve got to develop a feel for it.”

That feeling doesn’t come from a cookbook. It comes from experience out in the field, with the wind and the weather doing its thing while the pit master does his.

“You’ve got to know what you’re cooking, where your fire’s got to be,” Josh said. “There’re so many variables. That makes it an interesting challenge every day. And timing it all out — when it works, it’s beautiful.”

Timing is everything when it comes to cooking enough barbecue for a restaurant. Because, after all, this is not some backyard cookout.

“The smoker never gets cold except when it’s being thoroughly cleaned,” Josh said. “It’s always going. And we make 150 pounds of brisket in a day and 60 pounds of full racks of ribs.”

They also do about 60 pounds of pulled pork, which at 2Z’s is baked in an oven instead of smoked, and 10 to 15 pounds of smoked chicken.

“Our chicken is really good, but (it’s) not what people typically come in for,” Josh said. “I think people make chicken at home. Here they want brisket, and I’m happy to provide it for them.”

Family Recipes The Magic Behind 2Z’s

The dishes named after people come from the Tousignants’ family.

But they’re not just any family members. These are their grandmothers, who knew how to make something spectacular from something simple.

Growing up, these were the dishes at every potluck; food the brothers grew up on.

“I’m sure if I went into my parents’ refrigerator right now, there would be some of the pickles,” Josh said. “We make ours fresh every day at 2Z’s.”

Josh estimates that he cuts at least 15 cucumbers every day to keep up with demand.

The watermelon mint salad, meanwhile, was his brother’s recipe.

“I don’t know where that one came from but it’s very popular,” Josh said. “It’s a great kind of refreshing side. So much of our stuff is savory, so I think having something that’s sweet and bright, it just flies really well.”

BBQ Is The Main Event

Smoking, though, is the star of the show. That’s all due to Josh and a lifetime of experimenting every time there was a potluck or party.

“It’s funny because everyone who is from Texas will introduce themselves as being from Texas,” Josh said. “And they’ll say, ‘This is good, and I’m from Texas.’”

Customers often ask what kind of barbecue it is that Josh is making as well.

“And I say it’s Dubois,” he said. “Because I’m not from any of those places that are famous for anyone’s particular barbecue thing. I have just kind of developed my own way of making each thing that I like, and that customers seem to like.”

Just call it Dubois Delicious — the newest style of barbecue to hit the planet. And another great thing that came from Wyoming.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.