Bone Daddy's BBQ in Midland, Michigan - Great Authentic Barbecue

I've watched enough of Guy Fieri's diner shows and those Travel Channel countdowns to know that the best barbecue is served up in sweltering Southern towns where the locals speak with a charming drawl and a veteran pit-master mops his meats out back. I think of Michigan, and I think of whitefish, Faygo, and great Middle Eastern food. Barbecue? Not so much. Until recently.

Bone Daddy's BBQ in Midland, Michigan proves that great barbecue can be had in the Great Lakes region. Located at 2316 Bay City Road, the restaurant is a destination eatery for most, as the quiet Midland area is dominated by all things Dow Chemical.

Sure enough, my dining companion and I happened to be in town and knew this was the place to try. We entered during the busy lunch hour, when both blue collar workers and clean-cut young men in Dow lanyards filled the intimate interior. The system is simple: order your meal from a simple menu of meaty delights, pay, and sift through the mess of tables to find a seat. Despite the crowds, the folks manning the cash register were more than eager to answer questions and promote their best cuts.

We took our seats at a snug table in the back corner. The décor was a mix of vintage WWII propaganda posters and newspaper clippings praising Bone Daddy's BBQ excellence. Before I had even returned from the restroom, our orders were at the table. My companion opted for the thirteen dollar sampler platter. Ribs, pulled pork, sausage, potato salad, beans, and a (cheesy) corn muffin. As testament to both his voracious appetite and the food's rich flavors, he cleaned the plate. For just under eight dollars, I ordered the Little Boy, a pulled pork sandwich topped with blue cheese slaw and buried beneath a heap of French fries. The barbecue sauce was excellent - not too sweet, not too heavy. And a wonderfully smoky flavor permeated the meat. I've never been much of a coleslaw fan, but the blue cheese had me intrigued. My intuition came through, as the creamy slaw, with its generous hunks of blue cheese, was a perfect complement to the meat. I was most eager to eat the pork, but the fries diverted my attention many times throughout the meal. They were thick cut wedges with just enough zesty seasoning. Had my appetite been in high gear, there would not have been any fries left.

Bone Daddy's offers other sandwiches, including a traditional and super-sized pulled pork, chopped chicken, smoked turkey, and sausage, among others. You'll pay five to eight dollars for a well-stuffed sandwich, ten to fifteen for an entree. While the St. Louis Style Ribs are the award-winner here, most any option on the menu is bound to please a northerner with a barbecue craving.