Carol Smith has perfected her artistry for years. Now she's ready to share her barbecue and smoking finesse with Greater Lansing through
Red's Smokehouse in the
Lansing City Market.
Located directly across from the Waterfront Bar & Grille, Red's Smokehouse will offer briskets, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and portabella mushrooms and vegetables come early- to mid-April. The idea, Smith says, is to provide easy take-out food that can be enjoyed at home or outside on a warm day. She even has plans to serve chili and soup with a smoky flavor once she gets up and running in her 425-square foot booth.
"We're a barbecue restaurant that does things a little bit different," says Smith. "I do more dry rubs than wet, and use more spice than others. One of my rubs has 20 spices, so it's a little more complex."
Smith earned her chef hat after attending culinary school and worked for a variety of restaurants in Michigan and other states. She's been a server, chef, butcher and manager, and has prepared meals for weddings, graduations and other special events through her catering services.
Smith and her assistant, Jacke Randall, say they will focus on bringing a Michigan flavor to Red's Smokehouse as much as possible.
"Right now I have a friend who does tree trimming and we're on the hunt for hickory, cherry and apple so we can use local woods to smoke," says Smith.
Smith and Randall say Red's Smokehouse signature items will be the pulled pork sandwich, followed by pulled pork nachos with black beans and cheese. The versatile features of a Chinese-made smoker will also allow Red's to diversify the menu and to cold smoke vegetables, cheese and seafood.
"This is a really great opportunity for us," says Randall. "The City Market is a great place to start out small and grow big."
Source: Carol Smith and Jacke Randall, Owners, Red's Smokehouse
Writer: Ann Kammerer, Development News Editor
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