Clarkston Woodshop

[magnum3672]

Any of you live near Clarkston, MI?

I went there last night with my girlfriend because there's a pair of restaurants owned by the same company/people and we had already tried one (a bar/pub place with really good food and something like 30 beers on tap with a ton more bottled) so we decided to try the other restaurant in the pair, a bbq joint also known for wood fired pizza.

We show up and parking is the rear so as we walk in we walk right past their smoker.  Can't smell a lick of smoke.  I'm slightly concerned.  We go and sit down and the staff was actually really good I will give them that.  I look over the menu and its typical fare and they said that they had "award winning pulled pork".  I look closer to see what they do to their pork and all I see is that its "smoked over green hardwood".  The woman orders brisket because she's not a huge fan of pork (spent 2 months in europe and its pretty much all she got so I'll forgive her for a bit of time!

) she ordered a hot link on top of the brisket as well.  I order the "Woodshop 101" plate which is a selection of 3 pieces of bbq.  I figured it'd give me a general knowledge of their Q.

Our food comes and my plate looks sparse with 2 bones of back ribs, a few slices of brisket with some goop on it that I still don't know what it is, and my "chicken quarter" which looks like someone butchered the chicken before it was fully grown.  I take a bite of the brisket with no sauce so I could taste just the Q.  It's super greasy and there is NO smoke.  Now I like my Q super smoky but this was just bad.  Only a thin line of a smoke ring, no bark and so greasy it was unappetizing.

Then came the ribs.  I must say that I prefer my ribs not falling off the bone but I'm still not overly picky.  These were falling of the bone (not in a bad way though, the bone just came out clean with minimal tugging). Good bark on em.  No smoke again.  Thats 2 strikes.

Then came the chicken.  The chicken was well cooked, juicy and for the first time I could mildly tell there was smoke.  I couldn't pinpoint what type of wood they used though.  Also as a bonus they grilled the chicken post smoke or threw it under a broiler for a minute to crisp up the skin.

Now for sides.  The mac n cheese is the same recipe the other restaurant uses and its what they're known for.  It was delicious.  But the slaw I got was mediocre at best.  Red cabbage slaw with a creamy sauce that wouldn't stick to it and the onion in it looked like they took the outer skin of the onion and included it.

Overall the Girl and I weren't impressed and probably won't go back again.  I hate to say it but for the price (40 bucks all told and we didn't have any drinks besides my cola) I'd rather go to that "famous" chain restaurant and I'd be a lot happier.  Or just make it my own dang self!

Anyways I hope that any of you living in SE Michigan heed my warning or take a minute and think about it before you go.  To be perfectly fair, we didn't try the pizza or pulled pork, both of which they're supposedly known for.  But after seeing their treatment of their other Q, I don't know how they could be that great.

This little adventure has convinced me to make copious amounts of my own Q to freeze the next time I get a hankering and am feeling lazy.

 

[SmokinAl]

It really amazes me just how good all of us can make BBQ. It's not really rocket science. You have to wonder why none of the BBQ joints can do as good as we can in our own backyard. I haven't found a restaurant around here that I would go back to again. Unless it was just a social thing to be with friends & have a few drinks & a meal. I certainly wouldn't go just for the food. I guess were just spoiled.

 

[magnum3672]

Yeah, I told one of my friends who is into food as much as I am that I didn't like the Woodshop and he was taken aback.  Then I reminded him about the pulled pork I fed him not too long ago and he suddenly understood my "snobbery"

 

[shooterrick]

Let me venture an explanation as I have a good friend that owns a QJoint.  His Q while not as seasoned or cooked as well as mine is decent.  He only uses oak which I will explain in a moment

Most commercial joints must cater their Q to the local tastes and try and keep it generic to some extent.  I love Pecan wood but some don't hence the use of cheap and available oak.  Oak is often used because it is found almost everywhere and local folks are familiar with its taste. 

Secondly most will use a commercial season or rub.  Unless they are famous and their name alone commands a top price per plate a commercial joint can not afford to produce in large quantity their own rubs and such.  Again many wholesale commercial Q seasoning is lower key and not offensive to anyones palate. 

Yes we are all spoiled to an extent that we have taylored our own Q to our specific likes.  It is like taking all the best parts of all the women we have known, (no offense intended to the women) and creating a perfect in our mind, companion.  LOL  Oh yes just in case I married my perfect women.  LOL

Lastly most Q joints have one real pit master the owner.  Other than when he is awake and their unskilled (cooks) are manning the smoker and honestly they are just not paid that well and most just won't care as much thus a product that reflects that is produced.

I am not trying to defend the joint you went to but just saying most of us will never be fully satisfied with most commercial Qs. 

 

[SmokinAl]

Let me venture an explanation as I have a good friend that owns a QJoint.  His Q while not as seasoned or cooked as well as mine is decent.  He only uses oak which I will explain in a moment

Most commercial joints must cater their Q to the local tastes and try and keep it generic to some extent.  I love Pecan wood but some don't hence the use of cheap and available oak.  Oak is often used because it is found almost everywhere and local folks are familiar with its taste. 

Secondly most will use a commercial season or rub.  Unless they are famous and their name alone commands a top price per plate a commercial joint can not afford to produce in large quantity their own rubs and such.  Again many wholesale commercial Q seasoning is lower key and not offensive to anyones palate. 

Yes we are all spoiled to an extent that we have taylored our own Q to our specific likes.  It is like taking all the best parts of all the women we have known, (no offense intended to the women) and creating a perfect in our mind, companion.  LOL  Oh yes just in case I married my perfect women.   LOL

Lastly most Q joints have one real pit master the owner.  Other than when he is awake and their unskilled (cooks) are manning the smoker and honestly they are just not paid that well and most just won't care as much thus a product that reflects that is produced.

I am not trying to defend the joint you went to but just saying most of us will never be fully satisfied with most commercial Qs. 

Good thing you included that line!

 

[meateater]

Thats why I make my own, bbq joints around here suck. 

 

[venture]

I always wondered about the Q joints advertising green wood, particularly green mesquite.  I saw a show the other night where they defined green mesquite as being dried for less than a year.  Not really my definition of green, depending on how close to a year it was. So that might be the answer?  I saw his wood pile and nothing there looked green to me.  Who knows?

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[magnum3672]

I didn't see any wood piles other than for decoration inside the restaurant (We at outside actually).  I dunno, the whole operation as far as bbq goes was suspect.  The ribs were probably steamed in some fashion and I still don't know what that goop on the brisket was.