barrett's smokehouse

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 orderedpulledpork 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.pulledpork 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.

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 thepulledpork 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 smokedpulledpork 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, wonderfulpulledpork 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 thepulledpork, 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.pulledpork 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. theirpulledpork 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.

can't go wrong. we've been to barrett's a couple times over the last year or so, and what's striking about it is that it is, indeed, an actual smokehouse, preparing a fairly wide range of smoked (and cured, as appropriate) meats and cheeses (in fact, i bet if you have your own, they'll smoke it for you), vacuum-sealed in their refrigerator case. they also run a (mostly take-out) restaurant business serving up the usual bbq suspects. love the ribs (moist, tender, smoky, etc.) and thepulledpork (which is a minor miracle for me since i'm not usually a fan). the brisket was also pretty good, although not on the same level as the others. the sauce (served separately, which was a nice touch) was also very good.

if you like bbq or smoked anything, i recommend checking it out.

really great smoked meat!!. this restaurant is only been opened for a year and is adjusting its take away menu. excellent value for the quality of the food. signature dish is the 16 hour apple wood cured smokedpulledpork. i'm from texas and i know and i also now a great beef brisket and they make it on site. it is lean and so tender. two great house made sauces are available. unique place in that they process, cure and package all their meats! tim is following in his dad's footsteps in that his father owned a butcher shop in comstock, mi. tim, his wife luria and daughter larraine have made a great start of it. many interesting beef jerky's and specialty brats are also available here. i do not believe you can find smoked meats of the quality that they are providing at any price in southwestern michigan!!