I stayed in Lansing for five days and used it as my home base in Michigan during my book signing tour. *My friend Rev tells me I need to hit up his friend Logg’s restaurant, Meat BBQ (1224 Turner Road).
If Rev says it’s a must, it’s not a matter of if but when I can squeeze it into my schedule. We’ve been friends forever, and he knows his shit about food.
It was rainy, but we found parking just down the street. I love the entryway and its seating, but that’s not even considered today. So instead, we take a table near the entrance where I can enjoy all the wall decorations.
If you love metal (music, that is), Star Wars, and BBQ, you have found your nirvana (not the alternative band, but they would probably fit here too).
Heavy Metal & Star Wars Decor at Meat BBQ
I’m looking over the menu, and my wife, Marcela, gives me the look. The look means don’t go crazy ordering so much food that we can’t possibly eat it all. So, of course, I order way too much food for us to eat in one sitting.
I usually try to butter her up by ordering nachos, her favorite starter. It gives me the leeway to sneak in a bunch of tasty treats.
The nachos are hand-cut tortilla chips topped with bacon, brisket, pulled pork, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, avocados, and finished with sour cream and their sweet & tangy BBQ sauce, Jazzy Q.
Eddie’s Eggrolls, the Texas Chili, and Smoked Chicken Wings arrive in quick succession and take up most of the free space on our table. So I put my head down and went to work.
Excellent Egg Rolls
I have an almost unnatural obsession with pimento cheese. Hence, the eggrolls filled with housemade Andouille sauce, poblano peppers, and the homewrecker pimento cheese check the right boxes in my perfect snack item list.
The housemade BBQ ranch sauce accompanying them is a worthy partner to these little devils. I’m sure there are veggies in this beanless chili (I don’t spot any) that also have a nice kick and chunks of brisket.
I’ve never been to Texas formally, but I’ll start planning my trip to the Lone Star State today if the chili is like this.
If you can find a spot that smokes, then flash-fries its wings in your neighborhood, you’re a lucky duck. I don’t think there is any better way to enjoy a chicken wing.
I tried the sides with a few of their sauces, but I preferred them solo, and yes, that was a Star Wars reference.
We’re at a BBQ place, so I must go with one of their Meat Plates. Pork ribs with beef brisket, spicy cream corn, sweet & tangle slaw, and a slice of cornbread round out my tray.
Everything was as excellent as it looks in the picture below.
A Burger Available at Meat BBQ, You Say?
One thing that is hard to find is a BBQ spot with a great burger. But, in Miami, Hate Mondays Tavern fills that bill, and it looks like Meat BBQ is the chosen one for Lansing.
I use the Build a Burger option, so I request that my 7 oz burger come topped with chopped brisket & cheddar cheese with a side of fries. Damn, it’s good, but double damn, I am beyond stuffed.
I enjoy two bites before I come to terms with the reality that I can not fit one more piece of deliciousness in my substantial stomach. We are at max capacity, folks, and that’s the happy ending to this story.
*I went to MEAT BBQ on Rev’s recommendation. He mentioned it to Logg, who not only came out to our table to shoot the shit about food and heavy metal but treated us to our meal. It was a kind and unexpected gesture on his part, which did not affect what I wrote about Meat BBQ. You do need to visit.
