barrett's smokehouse

pulled pork wrap, baked beans, pea and bacon salad, all really tasty. they also just added an indoor dining area onto the portage location and it looks great.

barrett’s smoke house has always been consistently delicious. they don’t knock you off your feet with bold bbq flavor, but they have mastered the art of tender, juicy, delicious bbq.

barrett’s smokehouse is such a simple bbq place, but it’s the kind of simple places that packs a lot of flavor in to their offerings. kalamazoo is a little lacking when it comes to bbq, but barrett’s fills a void and does a helluva job doing it.

after several recommendations from friends and family i finally decided to try barrett's smokehouse while visiting sw michigan. the first thing i noticed upon arrival was the propane rack outside of the "smokehouse". however, they must not be using any of their gas to heat the restaurant because it was freezing inside. i'm insulted this place can even claim to be a smokehouse. the food was mediocre, decent priced, but not true bbq.

wanted to like barrett's but just didn't.. planned our anniversary lunch here. thought it was going to be delicious based upon other reviews. when we arrived there was lots of great looking smoked meats, fish, fowl in the coolers. it's more of a store than an eatery. menu didn't include a lunch portion of ribs- strike one! husband ordered brisket on texas toast with mashed potatoes and gravy over the top. i ordered pulled pork but requested potatoes on the side and a cup of barbque sauce and a side of their pea salad. pea salad was great! both husband and i thought our meats tasted like they'd been reheated-strike 2. pulled pork was d-r-y. 4 hearty slices of brisket on husbands plate were 45-50% fat-strike 3. you could see the line down the middle of each slice where fat should have been cut away. ugh. mashed potatoes tasted like reconstituted potato flakes and gravy may have been doctored up jar gravy. very disappointing. however- when i brought husbands plate back to the counter with the lovely fat slices laid across the uneaten texas toast, we were offered our money back for that dish. that was appropriate. truly sorry we had a negative experience. guess barrett's would be fine for buying smoked meats to take home or already made barbqued meats for parties or picnics. just not a good place to dine in.

photos need to be updated! this place is newly expanded and remodeled and it is fabulous. finally, the surroundings match the high quality of the food here. worth the drive, especially for the ribs, of course!

good stuff!. picked up to go lunches on several occasions at the portage location and it looks as if they are adding a dinning area...yaaa! great steaks and beef jerky too!

lunch. visited barrett's for the first time for lunch. greeted by a friendly staff and free samples! ordered the "smothered and covered" (bread,brisket,mashed potatoes, chilli, cheese, gravy) great flavor and enough food to feed 2 people. friend ordered the pulled pork sandwich, tender and flavorful at an affordable price. would recommend to others for a fulfilling bbq stop.

too good to be true. i have only tried the smoked pulled pork and beef brisket so far because they are so good i can't get anything else yet. maybe one of these days i will get sick of the incredibly flavorful, moist, wonderful pulled pork and beef brisket... until then i am sticking to the great classics!

jalapeño cheddar cheese spread... need i say more.. amazing taste, some kick.. i plan on bringing this to gatherings.. i also picked up some summer sausage.. italian/pepper jack .. not as awesome as the cheese, but still pretty good!


-----19 jan, 2013-----

i read the reviews, took the advice.. ordered the pulled pork, coleslaw and bought some brats as well as some cheese and a small package of summer sausage. i want to say i got to eat the sandwich immediately, but as a new mom my 3 week old freaked out the second i put her in the car with the sandwiches. the smell of the meats woke her up in the store and she went into a jealous screaming fit. i feel bad for her only because the sandwich (even 45 minutes later) was amazing. if anything i cannot wait to try this again, maybe with my husband so he can feed her while i stuff my face. these sandwiches make me want to be a bad mother, they are that good. ;)

sooo delish! had the beef brisket and fell in love. pulled pork was yummy also. can't wait to pick this up for a picnic this summer.

great for lunch and brats. i got there a few times a month for lunch. their pulled pork is decent. i like the southern style with coleslaw on it. their best sandwich to me is their smoked chicken salad. i like mackenzies chicken salad more, but this is definitely #2 and it's a far better value. their baked beans with sausage is good, especially if you add a little hot sauce.

i can't say enough about their brats though. my two favorites are their mushroom and swiss and the oberon brats. i've tried most every type and haven't had a bad one yet.

i have a new favorite place to by my meat in kalamazoo, well portage actually but close enough. that place is barrett's smokehouse. everything that i have bought from there has been amazing. earlier this summer i bought 4 different varieties of brats for a camping trip. all of our friends were amazed at how good it was. i buy their cheddar bacon burgers that store in the freezer, excellent for the grill. their bacon and breakfast sausage are excellent.i also buy marinated chicken breasts and even our fresh thanksgiving turkey from barrett's as well. one of my favorite items is their cheese. we love their jalapeno cheddar spread. barrett's also is a great place for lunch too. i go there fairly often for take out. i think my favorite items are their brisket or their smoked chicken salad sandwich. click image to enlarge here is a look at their take out menu on the right. today i got the brisket meal. the meat is flavorful and tender. it comes with a horseradish sauce on the side too. on t

love this place. great place for take out lunch or for buying some of the best smoked meats around.

hmmm... it's great food...for the area that isn't known for good bbq.
but geez, a little closer to civilization would be nice. even the menu smelled like it was smoked.