Where to Get the Meat Sweats in Metro Detroit

Succulent smoked meats to lip smackin’ sauces. Burnt ends of brisket to charred chicken. Pleasing plates of pig to scrumptious sides. When it comes to the best barbeque joints around Detroit, everyone has an opinion.

These are some of our favorite places to rip ribs off the bone, plummet pork into our pie holes, and savor the sauce on our fingers.

What’s your favorite place to enjoy barbeque in metro Detroit? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Lazybones Smokehouse (Roseville)

Lazybones Smokehouse Roseville Michigan

While their smoked meats are fantastic, the sauce is the boss at Lazybones Smokehouse in Roseville. For a little bit of everything, order the Texas sampler and be don’t be shy with the Lazybonesuckin’ sauce. Pro tip: Grab a few bottles to take home.

Arkins Sweet BBQ Pit (Southfield)

Arkins BBQ Southfield Michigan

Arkins Sweet BBQ Pit is criminally unknown, but extremely legit. Don’t mind that it’s in a homogenous retail area on Southfield Road; Arkins cranks out seriously good barbeque in a small retail space. While we enjoyed a variety of their meats, their chicken was a juicy home run.

Rogue Estate (Ferndale)

Rogue Estate BBQ Ferndale

The Rogue Estate BBQ trailer at the corner of Woodward Heights and Gainsboro in Ferndale has gained a lot of attention, and rightly so. The ribs fall off the bone, the brisket is tender and juicy, and the unique sides created by mastermind Bob Perye set this Ferndale gem apart from other joints around Detroit.

Lockhart’s BBQ (Royal Oak)

Lockhart's BBQ Lake Orion Michigan

Lockhart’s BBQ has been a Royal Oak mainstay for barbeque and craft brew since 2010. Now with an outpost in Lake Orion, there’s no excuse not to dig into their tender brisket, pulled pork, and double rubbed burnt ends.

J. Bird Smoked Meats (Keego Harbor)

Yardbird Smoked Meats Keego Harbor Michigan

J. Bird does it right by offering full bar service along with their mouthwatering smoked meats. Unlike most barbeque joints, Yardbird offers brunch on Saturday and Sunday, perfect for pairing Mimosas with mounds of meat.

Bad Brad’s BBQ (Multiple Locations)

Bad Brad's BBQ Pig Candy

If you ask us, the holy grail at Bad Brad’s BBQ is the Pig Candy appetizer. They marinate thick-cut bacon with cane sugar and chipotle, then smoke it for a one-of-a-kind bite. In addition, Bad Brad’s serves wood-fired pizzas, stacked sandwiches, big ass burgers, and sinful salads along with your usual barbeque mainstays.

Eddie Smoke’s BBQ (Lathrup Village)

Eddie Smoke's BBQ Southfield Road Lathrup Village Michigan

Eddie Smoke’s BBQ in Lathrup Village is turkey-tastic. Our favorite ‘que of theirs includes smoked turkey and turkey ribs. For a side dish that eats like a meal, their smoked beans mixed with a generous portion of pulled pork can’t be beat.

Woodpile BBQ Shack (Clawson & Madison Heights)

Woodpile BBQ Shack Clawson Michigan

Pile on the meats and sweat your heart out at Clawson’s Woodpile BBQ Shack. We’ve enjoyed their brisket, ribs, burnt ends, and jalapeño cheddar sausage. Outdoor seating will having you sweating it out all summer long.

Victory Smokehouse (Warren)

Victory Smokehouse Warren Michigan

To say we gobbled up the turkey at Victory Smokehouse would be an understatement. Served up out of an old shipping container, Victory Smokehouse slings a winning menu of barbeque favorites.

Shark’s BBQ (Troy)

Sharks BBQ Troy Michigan

Shark’s BBQ in Troy began serving heaping plates of smoked goodness in 2016. Unhinge your jaw and chomp on their sampler featuring five of their meats, plus two sides. Sweat it out with a side order of gumbo, surprisingly good and not commonly found at barbeque joints in the area.

Brass Pointe BBQ (Farmington)

Brass Pointe BBQ Farmington Michigan

Brass Pointe BBQ in Farmington has been serving up legendary ribs for so long, Ferris Bueller hadn’t taken his legendary day off yet. They’re worth playing hooky for and will have you licking your fingertips in utter satisfaction. Ohhhh yeahhhh.

Slows Bar-BQ (Multiple Locations)

Slows BBQ Detroit

Who goes to Slows Bar-BQ and orders a chicken sandwich? We do. While everything we’ve had at Slows is tasty, the Chicken Hawk Sandwich flies (or struts) under the radar of stupendous sandwiches in the area. Since you practically need a forklift to pick it up, the Chicken Hawk may very well give you the meat sweats.

2 thoughts on “Where to Get the Meat Sweats in Metro Detroit

  1. Great list a few great places below 8 mile we love,,, Sterling Old Style in Detroit absolutely favorite, Roundhouse in Trenton, Alvi’s in Wyandotte and Red Smoke in Greektown

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