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Detroit Area BBQ: The Union Woodshop
13 years ago
Well, anyone who hangs out with me has heard me rave about this place. So, spoiler alert, it's getting a good review ;3
The Woodshop is up in Clarkston Michigan, about 40 minutes north of Detroit. I first tried their food last year at a BBQ festival in Ferndale called "Whiskey and Pig" and I was amazed by the stuff, so naturally I had to hit up their brick and mortar place.
The atmosphere is great, there's often a wait, like Slow's downtown, and they have an entire upstairs waiting area with a full service bar. Nice touch.
The place gets whole pigs delivered and does their own butcher work. Everything is from scratch, even down to the hot dogs on their kids menu. So far I have had no bad meals, and no bad service from the Woodshop. Their drink prices are a bit steep, but their food prices are lower than one would expect given the quality.
The food I've had:
Fried Pickles: Good stuff, the breading is fluffy and not greasy, but not overly thick either. Pickles explode in juice and flavor inside. Best I've had. 10/10
Chicken Wings: The skins are slighly crispy, but the meat inside is juicy and you can suck it clean off the bones. They're an appetizer but you could make yourself a meal out of these bad boys. Goes great with their ghost pepper hot bbq sauce! 9/10
Brisket: I'm going to say this is the worst meat I've had from the Woodshop. That being said, it's good. Cooked perfectly, moist, just a bit on the bland side. It's still better than most I've had so it gets a 8/10
BBQ Chicken: On first look I was worried it might be overcooked, but thankfully I've been dead wrong. The skin has a nice pop to it and the meat inside is absurdly juicy and flavorful. Really worked on getting every last scrap of meat off of that bird. 9/10
Pulled Pork: I haven't ordered it, but have snagged some from a friend. No complaints, very melt in the mouthy stuff, cooked perfectly, great flavor you can tell came straight off a pig in back. 9/10!
Spare Ribs: I don't order back ribs at BBQ places. Back ribs are what chain restaurants and places that don't know how to do BBQ make. They can be good, but a well done Spare rib will kick their booty everytime. Woodshop is a good example. They're a little on the small side for spares, but these are done masterfully. The rub is out of this world, and, like the pulled pork, you know that just came off a pig. 9/10
Mac and Cheese: Oh, my god. When I saw this as an entree option I giggled, but that was before I tasted teh stuff. They use penne pasta, white cheddar among other cheese, layer the top with pinconning and top it with panco and bake. This stuff...is probably the best side dish of any restaurant I've ever eaten at in my life. The layers of flavor that hit your tongue are amazing and you get that happy tingly mouthgasm feeling each bite. 10 out of fuckin 10, I'd give it a 11 if I could.
Greens: Their greens are...different. Something about them taste a bit off from others. that being said, they were tastey, just certainly not traditional. 7/10
Onion Rings: Use that same awesome batter that the pickles have, and to good effect! They're not too skimpy on the onion but I wouldn't mind a thicker cut. 7.5/10
Cornbread: Well, nobody is perfect, and this is where the Wooshop falled short. Dry, flakey, not a lot of flavor. Oh well, I wouldn't be surprised if just...nobody ever told them it sucks because everything else makes you cream your pants. 3/10
Overall 9.5/10.
This is my favorite restaurant in Michigan, and POSSIBLY anywhere. The only complaints are the wait times, you can expect 2 hours on a weekend after 4pm. GO EARLY.
The Woodshop is up in Clarkston Michigan, about 40 minutes north of Detroit. I first tried their food last year at a BBQ festival in Ferndale called "Whiskey and Pig" and I was amazed by the stuff, so naturally I had to hit up their brick and mortar place.
The atmosphere is great, there's often a wait, like Slow's downtown, and they have an entire upstairs waiting area with a full service bar. Nice touch.
The place gets whole pigs delivered and does their own butcher work. Everything is from scratch, even down to the hot dogs on their kids menu. So far I have had no bad meals, and no bad service from the Woodshop. Their drink prices are a bit steep, but their food prices are lower than one would expect given the quality.
The food I've had:
Fried Pickles: Good stuff, the breading is fluffy and not greasy, but not overly thick either. Pickles explode in juice and flavor inside. Best I've had. 10/10
Chicken Wings: The skins are slighly crispy, but the meat inside is juicy and you can suck it clean off the bones. They're an appetizer but you could make yourself a meal out of these bad boys. Goes great with their ghost pepper hot bbq sauce! 9/10
Brisket: I'm going to say this is the worst meat I've had from the Woodshop. That being said, it's good. Cooked perfectly, moist, just a bit on the bland side. It's still better than most I've had so it gets a 8/10
BBQ Chicken: On first look I was worried it might be overcooked, but thankfully I've been dead wrong. The skin has a nice pop to it and the meat inside is absurdly juicy and flavorful. Really worked on getting every last scrap of meat off of that bird. 9/10
Pulled Pork: I haven't ordered it, but have snagged some from a friend. No complaints, very melt in the mouthy stuff, cooked perfectly, great flavor you can tell came straight off a pig in back. 9/10!
Spare Ribs: I don't order back ribs at BBQ places. Back ribs are what chain restaurants and places that don't know how to do BBQ make. They can be good, but a well done Spare rib will kick their booty everytime. Woodshop is a good example. They're a little on the small side for spares, but these are done masterfully. The rub is out of this world, and, like the pulled pork, you know that just came off a pig. 9/10
Mac and Cheese: Oh, my god. When I saw this as an entree option I giggled, but that was before I tasted teh stuff. They use penne pasta, white cheddar among other cheese, layer the top with pinconning and top it with panco and bake. This stuff...is probably the best side dish of any restaurant I've ever eaten at in my life. The layers of flavor that hit your tongue are amazing and you get that happy tingly mouthgasm feeling each bite. 10 out of fuckin 10, I'd give it a 11 if I could.
Greens: Their greens are...different. Something about them taste a bit off from others. that being said, they were tastey, just certainly not traditional. 7/10
Onion Rings: Use that same awesome batter that the pickles have, and to good effect! They're not too skimpy on the onion but I wouldn't mind a thicker cut. 7.5/10
Cornbread: Well, nobody is perfect, and this is where the Wooshop falled short. Dry, flakey, not a lot of flavor. Oh well, I wouldn't be surprised if just...nobody ever told them it sucks because everything else makes you cream your pants. 3/10
Overall 9.5/10.
This is my favorite restaurant in Michigan, and POSSIBLY anywhere. The only complaints are the wait times, you can expect 2 hours on a weekend after 4pm. GO EARLY.
Hazel-roo
~hazel-roo
I'll have to check it out next time I'm in Clarkston.
