Michigan
Lansing ranks as one of the top bbq cities in Michigan. Here are 5 places to try some BBQ
SmokeSlam in Memphis: A look inside the barbecue festival
Photojournalist Stu Boyd II takes you inside SmokeSlam in Memphis, offering a look at everything from the food to the family-friendly fun.
Lansing recently ranked as one of the top 14 cities in Michigan serving up barbecue in a survey by a nationwide lawncare services company.
Michigan has a strong BBQ game, according to a recent survey from Lawnstarter, which ranked nearly 476 major U.S. cities and found 14 in Michigan, including Lansing, served up tasty barbecue.
Several restaurants in Lansing have received awards for their reliable BBQ menus, including Meat Southern BBQ and Carnivore Cuisine, and the Smoke ‘N Pig BBQ.
Here are five barbecue restaurants to explore in Lansing.
What Michigan cities were ranked for best barbecue?
In Michigan, 14 cities were featured in the list of 476 locations:
- Grand Rapids: ranked No. 80
- Lansing: ranked No. 92
- Detroit: ranked No. 100
- Ann Arbor: ranked No. 106
- Westland: ranked No. 140
- Southfield: ranked No. 177
- Livonia: ranked No. 184
- Flint: ranked No. 268
- Sterling Heights: ranked No. 301
- Dearborn: ranked No. 308
- Rochester Hills: ranked No. 310
- Warren: ranked No. 313
- Troy: ranked No. 378
- Farmington Hills: ranked No. 429
Lansing’s Meat Southern BBQ and Carnivore Cuisine
What began as a backyard barbeque turned into an award-winning BBQ restaurant recognized at a local and national scale.
“Our delectable eats have been featured on both ‘Triple D’ and ‘Campus Eats’ on the Big10 Network. We had a great time sharing our passion for BBQ and showing the world what Makes Meat BBQ tick,” Meat said.
For appetizers, customers can choose between the nachos, meat fries or smoked wings. Avoid filling up because their entrees include the “meat mountain,” which is a heap of potatoes, gravy, brisket, bacon and more. Meat plates are also included, such as, a half pound of pulled pork or chicken, smoked turkey and brisket.
Located at 1224 Turner Road in Old Town, the restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Tuesday-Saturday, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Smoke ‘N Pig BBQ has another loaded BBQ menu in Lansing
Another Lansing BBQ spot, Smoke ‘N Pig BBQ, evolved from a food truck to an award-winning restaurant. They previously competed in the Smokin’ Jazz and BBQ Blues Festival: This is a place that knows it’s a hometown favorite.
“Our smoked BBQ menu is packed full of all the smokey classics, from pulled pork to ribs to spicy rib tips. We also smoke Lansing BBQ favorites such as beef brisket and chicken wings,” Smoke ‘N Pig says.
Located at 908 Elmwood Road, the restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday. From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday-Saturday. Then, from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Some of their popular items are the loaded mac n’ cheese, pulled pork tacos, pulled pork nachos and more.
Their menu, decorated in flames, includes pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, spicy rib tips, jumbo chicken, turkey ribs and loaded pork or brisket fries.
Saddleback BBQ in REO Town Lansing and Okemos
“Saddleback BBQ is Lansing, Michigan’s premier craft BBQ joint. We feature authentic southern BBQ with a unique Midwestern flair. We smoke all of our meats on site in our multiple reverse-flow, wood-fed smokers,” Saddleback says. “We use a mixture of hardwoods sourced from the mid-Michigan area, which includes, apple, cherry, and hickory.
The menu offers combo plates, so customers can order a variety of meats and sides. Their menu also includes gluten free and dairy free brisket, pulled pork, ribs and chicken.
There are two restaurant locations: REO town at 1147 S. Washington Ave., open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Sunday; and Okemos at 1754 Central Park Dr., open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Sunday.
Customers may order online as a delivery or “Pork & Go,” for a curbside pick-up. The kitchen also caters for events like weddings.
Gravity Smokehouse Brew & Que
At the Gravity Smokehouse, customers can browse the dinner menu, choosing between the BBQ flatbread or BBQ sandwiches while participating in one of their weekly events: music Bingo at 7 p.m. every Wednesday or trivia night at 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday.
According to the menu, specials include brisket philly, turkey bacon melt, BBQ nachos, gravity burger, brisket, sliced turkey, chili, BBQ cobb salad and their side of mac n’ cheese.
The smokehouse is located in Holt at 2440 Cedar St. and open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; from 7 a.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday; and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
The kitchen also caters for events like weddings or business functions in Holt and Lansing.
Capital City BBQ
Capital City BBQ offers a unique menu, including Vietnamese entrees like egg rolls, noodle salad and the banh mi sandwich to classic barbecue meals like brisket, baby back ribs, smoked pulled chicken and pulled pork cheese fries.
On June 1, the restaurant celebrated it 10th anniversary in Lansing.
The kitchen also serves breakfast on the weekends, including breakfast eggrolls, bowls, homed biscuits and gravy, and the “piggyback ride,” an omelet stuffed with smoked ham with melted cheese.
According to Yelp, CCBBQ placed in the top 10 best BBQ restaurants in Lansing for 2025 — among Meat BBQ, Smoke ‘N Pig BBQ, Saddleback BBQ and the Gravity Smokehouse.
The restaurant is located at 1026 Saginaw St., and open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Contact Sarah Moore smoore@lsj.com
Michigan
Urban Meyer reacts to Sherrone Moore scandal after coach’s shock Michigan firing
One of the best college football coaches of all time, Urban Meyer, lent some sympathy to Sherrone Moore — or at least his family — in the wake of the former Michigan head coach’s shocking firing last week.
“Last night, I said a prayer for that family,’’ Meyer said on “The Triple Option Podcast,” speaking of Moore’s wife and daughters.
“I mean, you’ve got three little girls,’’ said Meyer, who won a national title at Ohio State a little over a decade ago. “You’ve got a guy that was on top of the road a week ago.”
That changed in stunning fashion, as Moore, a married father of three, went from leading the Wolverines to out of a job, fired in Ann Arbor for cause after the university confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
The situation only worsened when Moore was later arrested after he allegedly broke into the home of the staff member, and during an argument, grabbed butter knives and threatened to kill himself.
On Friday, he was charged with third-degree home invasion, a felony, as well as a pair of misdemeanors — stalking and breaking and entering.
Here’s the latest on former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore
Even Meyer, who created some controversy of his own during a brief, ill-fated tenure as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars — when he was seen on video in 2021 that showed him dancing suggestively with a woman who was not his wife and was later fired before finishing his lone season in Jacksonville — was stunned by Moore’s downfall.
“They’re up 6-0 on the Buckeyes at home,” Meyer said of Michigan’s early lead against rival Ohio State on Nov. 29. “And then, also, you wake up, and they’re in this situation. Rivalries aside, this is all human element. Now, this is something that, from what you read, that’s some serious stuff that went on. And just, all of a sudden, you start seeing the impact. Forget football. Who cares about football?’’
Michigan
Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 29 points, a career-best nine assists and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Michigan rallied from a nine-point deficit Saturday night to defeat Maryland 101-83.
Aday Mara scored 18 points for the Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame a halftime deficit for the second time this season and the first since they beat TCU on Nov. 14.
Michigan scored 100 points for the fourth time in five games.
Diggy Coit made eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Terrapins (6-5, 0-2), who lost center Pharrel Payne to a right leg injury late in the first half and forward Solomon Washington to ejection after he picked up his second technical foul early in the second half.
Coit scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points and 22 before the break, helping to prevent Michigan from opening a lead larger than six in the first half.
The Terps lost Payne, their leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, with 4:36 remaining before halftime. Yet Maryland stretched its lead from one to 50-45 at the midpoint, then expanded it to 56-47 on Elijah Saunders’ 3.
Washington, who had a first-half technical for celebrating a 3 in front of the Michigan bench, was called for a delay-of-game technical just after Saunders’ basket. His departure left the Terps without their two most experienced and imposing interior players.
Lendeborg took advantage, scoring the next eight points. Mara’s dunk with 14 minutes left made it 64-63 and gave the Wolverines the lead for good.
Elliot Cadeau’s layup with 21.2 seconds remaining got the Wolverines to 100 points for the fifth time this season.
Up next
Michigan hosts La Salle on Dec. 21.
Maryland visits No. 24 Virginia on Dec. 20.
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Michigan
Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – After beginning a direct admittance program at one West Michigan high school in November, Aquinas College has now expanded the program to cover more classrooms.
The guaranteed admission program, first implemented for graduates of West Catholic High School with a 2.0 GPA or above, has now been expanded to Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids and Muskegon Catholic Central High School.
The partnership will apply to students from all three schools entering college in the fall of 2026.
The direct admission program was described by Aquinas College leaders as offering high school students a “clear path to college success” while also continuing to develop partnerships.
Aquinas College, a private Catholic liberal arts institution located at 1700 Fulton St. E, was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids in 1886.
The college has enrolled 1,262 students during the 2025-26 academic year, and its new student numbers are up, with 419 new students on campus this fall, up from 311 in 2024-25.
The college’s overall enrollment total is just slightly under the approximately 1,300 students Aquinas recorded across its campus in 2023-24, according to a press release sent out in January 2025.
This year’s partnership announcements do not mark Aquinas’ first direct admittance deal.
The college also has a direct admit bachelor’s in nursing partnership with the University of Detroit Mercy, which allows students to take core curriculum courses at Aquinas and nursing classes from Detroit Mercy faculty.
On Nov. 14, Aquinas announced its direct admittance deal with West Catholic High School.
The school, located at 1801 Bristol Ave. NW, enrolled just over 500 students as of the 2024-25 school year, according to an online school profile.
West Catholic President and CEO Jill Wierzbicki said the initiative simplifies the college application process and offers students a straightforward path to higher education.
On Nov. 20, Aquinas then announced it had also partnered with Grand Rapids’ Catholic Central High School, 319 Sheldon Blvd SE, which enrolls 567 students and is the oldest co-educational diocesan Catholic high school in the nation.
Brian Matzke, vice president for enrollment management, said there’s “no doubt that Aquinas here has had more graduates from Catholic Central than any other school in our history.”
On Dec. 10, the college announced another partnership deal with Muskegon Catholic Central High School, 1145 W Laketon Ave., which enrolled just under 300 students in 2023-24, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Jerry McDowell, Muskegon Catholic Central president, said both the high school and Aquinas share a “deep commitment to developing the whole student — academically, spiritually, and individually.
“This direct-admit program provides our graduates with an exceptional opportunity to transition confidently into higher education while maintaining the Catholic values that guide their formation,” McDowell said.
Aquinas’ listed price for traditional undergraduate tuition is $41,192, according to senior director of strategic communications Dave DeJonge.
Students are eligible for annual merit scholarships between $15,000-$25,000, depending on their GPA and housing status. Additional scholarships may be available. This applies to all students who are admitted to Aquinas.
Matzke highlighted the direct admittance program’s easy transition from one West Michigan school to another, with those accepted to Aquinas able to live on campus or commute from home depending on what best fits their needs.
He also said a growing Grand Rapids job market, combined with support from the college’s career center, contributes to a 97% placement rate for graduates.
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