It all started in 1995, when Curt Catallo and his wife Ann Stevenson opened up the Clarkston Union.  Curt’s parents had bought the old church, to save it from disrepair, and were not sure what to do with the place. Curt and Ann had an idea, and together with their opening chef Bill Fortin, they opened the Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen. 

We love good BBQ, I mean who doesn’t?  This weeks destination is definitely one worth talking about.  They opened their Livonia location back in the Spring of this year, over 2 years after announcing they were coming . . . Thanks Covid!  While it took a while to get open it was worth the wait.  Who are we talking about?  Well of course it’s Bad Brads BBQ.  Since we are avid BBQ fans, we are not new to Bad Brads. They now have  4 other locations: Clinton Township, New Baltimore, Shelby Township, Orion Township.

Baby back ribs are one of my absolute favorite things to make when cooking outdoors. Of course I love to smoke mine, but you don’t have to in order to make some delicious ribs for you and your friends. However, this preparation will be smoked ribs cooked on my barrel smoker.

I start with a pack of baby back ribs, which usually come 3 slabs to a package. The reason I like to use baby backs is because they cook in about 3 hours on my smoker, which is also the amount of time it takes the coals to burn on my smoker. You can use St Louis style, or full spare ribs. They just take longer to cook.

With all the new chicken and rib places popping up all over the metro Detroit area, let’s not forget about the places that have been around “forever” and are still doing it right. Looking for some "Fun Food" for this weekend, give Mr. Chicken in Redford a try for some delicious broasted chicken and fall off the bone ribs.