Mid-Michigan Dining

• 2329 Jolly Road
• Okemos, MI 48864
• (517) 381-8290
• No Known Website
• Menu

Backyard Bar-B-Q on Jolly Road in Okemos

I’ve been pretty vocal on this blog about the lack of real BBQ joints in Lansing.  Sure, there’s a chain out near Eastwood and a guy who sells BBQ out of the back of his van, but there’s no real place that I can turn to when the BBQ craving hits. 

A few months ago, it was suggested that I try Backyard Bar-B-Q which has three stores in the Lansing Metro.  J and I tried to go for dinner one night, but they close at 7:00, so we missed it. 

This afternoon, J and I had to run some errands in Meridian Township including picking up our “passports” for the Be A Tourist In Your Own Town from a very rude Customer Service person at the Meridian Mall.  After that mess, we headed to Kohls to do some things then it was time for lunch.  J was running short on time and suggested we find a deli.  We were just talking about BBQ and it triggered Backyard Bar-B-Q.   Since we had to go back that way, it sounded good to both of us.

The Backyard Bar-B-Q in Okemos is in a strip mall on Jolly Road near the Okemos Road intersection.  We popped in jut before 1:00 on a Friday afternoon and the place was packed.  There were a few tables set up outside that were all full and most of the tables inside were occupied as well.  The store is not very big, but they do make good use of the public space.  The order counter is in the back near the kitchen.  There is a menu board nailed to the wall above the counter. 

They actually had quite a few sandwiches that sounded good, but we both wanted BBQ.  Since neither of us really like brisket, we both ordered the pulled pork which is served Carolina style with slaw.  The menu is a la carte so we both tacked on sides.  I just got a bag of chips.  J ordered the baked beans.  With two drinks, the total was just over fifteen bucks. 

We took a seat at a table near the counter and waited.  By the time we got our drinks, the food was being brought out.  The sandwiches were wrapped in aluminum foil and we knew by the shape that this wasn’t going to be a typical pulled pork sandwich. 

Backyard Bar-B-Q in Okemos.

Instead of using bread or buns, the pork is actually served on a grilled flat bread.  This was, by far, one of the most unique pulled pork sandwiches I have ever had.  I left the slaw off mine, but J kept it on hers.  Both sandwiches had a lot of meat which was soaked in BBQ sauce.  I prefer the sandwich be served dry, but they choose to soak the meat in sauce before putting it on the bread.  Still, it was a really good meat.  The sauce was good, but kind of flat.  J actually said it best when she said there were no layers to the sauce.  The sauce was slightly sweet, but had no kick.  The flat bread sandwich was just the right size for both of us.  J peeled off a little bit of her meat for me, but not as much as she usually does.

The chips I got were Lays.  They had three choices, but I just grabbed  a bag of plain.  J’s baked beans were served in a little Styrofoam cup.  She said they were good, but her most recent beans to compare them to were “the best baked beans she’s ever had.”  Like the sauce, they were good, but didn’t have a complexity of flavors.

Overall, Backyard Bar-B-Q was really good food, but there was nothing flavor-wise that makes it stand out.  The flavors are all pretty safe.  What makes Backyard Bar-B-Q unique was the flat bread they serve the sandwiches on.  We were both kind of on the fence as to whether we liked it or not.  When it comes to BBQ, I’m definitely a snob and J’s getting there, so we have pretty high standards.  Backyard Bar-B-Q is definitely a place I will eat at again, but it’s still not that amazing BBQ place that I’ve been hoping to find in Lansing.