Michigan

Lansing ranks as one of the top bbq cities in Michigan. Here are 5 places to try some BBQ

Published

9 months ago

July 13, 2025

Press Room

Lansing ranks as one of the top bbq cities in Michigan. Here are 5 places to try some BBQ

Lansing offers a variety of award-winning barbecue restaurants.
Meat Southern BBQ and Carnivore Cuisine, Smoke ‘N Pig BBQ, and Saddleback BBQ are popular choices, each with unique menus and specialties.
Gravity Smokehouse Brew & Que combines barbecue with entertainment, while Capital City BBQ offers both traditional BBQ and Vietnamese cuisine.

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

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Michigan

Woman struck, fatally injured, while walking on the Lodge Freeway, state police say

Published

6 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Woman struck, fatally injured, while walking on the Lodge Freeway, state police say

March 27, 2026 / 7:44 AM EDT
/ CBS Detroit

A pedestrian was struck and died of her injuries early Friday on the Lodge Freeway in Detroit.

Emergency dispatchers started to get calls about 2:30 a.m. about someone who was walking along the Lodge, and then were notified that the person had been struck by a vehicle, the Michigan State Police reported.

When troopers arrived, they found multiple cars stopped along the freeway, and people standing around a woman who was severely injured.

Detroit EMS pronounced the woman dead at the scene, state police said. She has not yet been identified.

The driver who struck the woman did not stay at the scene.

“Troopers are currently using technology that is available in the area to identify the vehicle involved,” MSP F/Lt. Mike Shaw said.

The Lodge Freeway, also known as M-10, was closed at about 2:46 a.m. Friday between Chicago Boulevard / Hamilton Avenue and Clairmount Street for the investigation and emergency assistance, according to Michigan Department of Transportation reports. The Lodge was reported back open at 6:05 a.m.

Michigan Department of Transportation traffic reports are at the MI Drive site.

State police said their investigation is continuing. Those who witnessed the crash or have other information are asked to call the MSP Metro South Post at 734-287-5000 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 800-SPEAK-UP.

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Michigan

List of active weather alerts as severe weather moves through Southeast Michigan

Published

18 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

List of active weather alerts as severe weather moves through Southeast Michigan

Severe storms bring risk of tornadoes, hail, flooding

4Warn Weather – The severe thunderstorm warnings in Monroe and Lenawee counties have expired.

A ground stoppage has also been deployed.

Click here for the latest forecast from our 4Warn Weather team.

Here’s a list of the alerts by county.

Wayne County

No active weather alerts.

Oakland County

No active weather alerts.

Macomb County

No active weather alerts.

Washtenaw County

No active weather alerts.

Monroe County

Severe thunderstorm warning expired at 8 p.m.

Livingston County

No active weather alerts.

Lenawee County

Severe thunderstorm warning expired at 7:45 p.m.

Lapeer County

No active weather alerts.

Genesee County

No active weather alerts.

St. Clair County

No active weather alerts.

Sanilac County

No active weather alerts.

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Michigan

Michigan football emphasizes return of discipline under new regime

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Michigan football emphasizes return of discipline under new regime

The buzzword continued to come up in Schembechler Hall, from each one of the captains.

From Bryce Underwood to Jordan Marshall, Rod Moore to Trey Pierce − Michigan football players around for the previous regime and in the case of the latter two, the one before that too − each said Wednesday, March 25, that there’s a noticeable difference within the program under new coach Kyle Whittingham.

For Moore, a sixth-year player who will likely become a third-time captain when the official leaders are voted on later this summer, he recognized the vibe.

“I would say it’s kind of a similarity to coach Harbaugh’s regimen,” he said. “It’s a lot more strict than the past two years, and the weight room has kind of been a night-and-day difference than the past two years. We feel a lot stronger, a lot more progress.”

The Wolverines finished winter conditioning and Whittingham graded it with an “A+.” Hope is often the dominant mode at this time of year and adding a new coaching staff to what’s generally a positive time creates little surprise that the Wolverines are raving about the new system.

But beyond the platitudes and clichés, there are tangible examples. Take Pierce: The projected starting defensive tackle has trimmed his weight to 300 pounds while adding muscle mass to his overall frame.

“Something new that we have now is that whenever we start meetings, there’s like a loud air horn that goes off throughout the whole building,” Moore said. “The past two years, we would start the meeting at 2:30, but now we start the meeting at 2:25, even though it’s a 2:30 meeting. Just everyone being five minutes early. The coaches are holding everyone accountable in the meetings, going to class.

“Just the little things that makes a team great, not just the big, broad things that everyone sees.”

There was an implication from everyone, though nothing said explicitly, that the past two seasons featured little enforcement. Most players would show up on time for lifts, but there were those who didn’t, with few repercussions.

“It’s the little things,” Pierce said. “Guys being late for lifts, guys not being where they’re supposed to be, whether it’s [missing] class. Just enforcing that a little bit heavier, that type of thing. … A lot of coaches say that when you’re being recruited in front of your parents. But for [Whittingham] to say that in front of the huddle after practice and say, ‘That’s why I’m here,’ I would say, ‘OK, he cares. He gets it.’”

Throughout the offseason, some who’ve spent time inside the facility said the weightlifting sessions had notably more juice. The past two years felt like a carryover of the previous years in terms of style, but accountability and discipline wavered.

Now, with Doug Elisaia leading the strength and conditioning room, there are different philosophies.

Practices are a bit shorter these days – two hours – but as Marshall said, “I don’t stop moving at practice, like, we’re always doing something that’s not only going to help with us competing with teams, but our conditioning.”

Marshall believes it can take the Wolverines to the next level, he said.

Just more than a week into spring ball, players are oozing confidence. Not just in their skills − the running back room is deep, the wide receiver room has as much raw talent as at any point the past decade, the offensive line returned multiple key pieces, the secondary added depth and the defensive tackles feel underrated − but in mindset.

U-M had early, demanding lifting sessions during winter conditioning, with a clear organization.

“It introduces that factor of toughness, like we’ve been through this at 6:30 a.m., 6:15 a.m., all these days in the grind together,” Pierce said. “It improves team bonding, and puts you in the headspace of, we’ve done harder stuff than this, and nothing can break us.”

The difference between winning and losing can often be razor-thin. Will this pay off when it counts during the season?

“If I can trust you to do things maybe you don’t want to do,” Marshall said, “then I can trust you on the field when it’s the fourth quarter and we have one minute left.”

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

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