Redline BBQ Smokehouse and Catering

• 5275 Beckley Road
• Battle Creek, MI 49015
• (269) 979-2799
• Website
• Menu

Unless you just started reading this blog yesterday, you know my affinity for BBQ.  I love the stuff.  Can’t get enough of it.

I’ve been pretty lucky find some good BBQ in the past in Battle Creek.  Both J and I have enjoyed OT’s Up in Smoke (both the Beadle Lake Road cart and the Capital Avenue store) and I really like what is now Hogzilla (it was Sonny’s BBQ Pit when I ate there).

Earlier this year, another BBQ joint opened up on Beckley Road just off I-94 on Battle Creek’s south side.  Redline BBQ Smokehouse and Catering takes up space in a small strip mall just off the Interstate 94 near the Lakeview Square Mall.

I made a special point to set my alarm so I would get up early enough for J, L, and I to make a trip to Battle Creek before I had to go to work.  The restaurant isn’t open on Sunday (my weekend day off) and I’ve been wanting to check this place out since it opened….and for whatever reason, I had a hankering for some BBQ when I went to bed Friday night. 

We pulled in to an empty parking lot a little before 11:30.  While things were slow when we got there, they picked up quite a bit the closer it got to noon.

The dining room only has about a dozen tables and when we walked in, we weren’t really sure if we were supposed to sit down or order at the cash register.  There were two employees standing behind the counter.  We didn’t know if they were waitresses or what.  We noticed one pick up an order pad and set it on the counter like she was waiting for us.

The menu is on a board on the wall next to the small deli of fresh and smoked meats.  J and I don’t really stray much the first time we go to any BBQ place.  We’re pretty committed to pulled pork.

We both chose the pulled pork sandwich combo which comes with a side and a drink.  I stuck with the french fries while J ordered the potato salad.  They have Coke products on the fountain so I had to settle for a Coke while J got a Sprite.

While J was taking care of the $15 bill, I grabbed a high chair for L and took a seat at one of the tables.  After settling up, J joined me and we entertained L with some Baby Mum-Mum’s while we waited for our delicious pork products.

After a few minutes of waiting, one of the ladies behind the counter brought out two plastic trays with our meals.  The pulled pork is served the way I like it.  Naked.  No sauce.  The sauce is on the table.  You have the choice of their Redline sauce with is a little sweet, the Texas sauce which was a little less sweet, or the Alabama White Sauce which I’m not a fan of.  It’s not just Redline’s white sauce.  I just don’t like White Sauces.  It feels a little blasphemous.

J and I both grabbed the Redline BBQ and loaded up the meat.  The sandwiches were pretty hot when they came out, so we both started on the sides.  My fries were delicious and I think J was second guessing herself after seeing the golden brown, fresh cut fries.  They were good enough to eat on their own, but I added a little bit of the sweet BBQ sauce just to make them a little extra special.

I was so busy with my fries I didn’t even ask J about the potato salad.  It looked to me like a southern style, mustard based creation.  Last I looked, she had only eaten about half of it, but that could have been due to the large pork sandwich.

After giving them a few minutes to cool down, we both tore in to the pulled pork.  What I found was a juicy, tender pork with a slightly smokey taste.  I loved it.  J was a fan of the flavor but the chunks of meat were a little too big for her.  She disassembled the sandwich somewhat and did the knife and fork thing.  Eating it that way, she really seemed to enjoy it and had nothing but good things to say.

Redline BBQ Smokehouse and Catering is another great BBQ joint in the Battle Creek area.  They have a great location near the mall and right off the Interstate which makes it easy for out-of-towners to find.

Pulled Pork Sandwich w/French Fries

Pulled Pork w/Redline BBQ Sauce and Potato Salad