Curtis Original Barbecue
Saginaw & Cawood, Lansing MI
(in the parking lot of American Print & Copy – west of St. Lawrence Campus of Sparrow Hospital)
517-333-9287
Thursday, Friday & Saturday: lunch and dinner hours
“You don’t know what you got until it’s gone” applies to me and barbecue. I lived in Kansas City for 8-1/2 years before moving to Lansing. Kansas City is one of the capital cities of barbecue along with Memphis and Austin. Every so often, I have a craving for some good BBQ and usually have to settle with Smokey Bones at Eastwood Towne Center in Lansing (a chain operation that is underwhelming and overpriced … not a great combination).
Enough backstory – let’s talk about Curtis Original Barbecue! At the Old Town BlueFest, after a few bites of a horrible gyro purchased in the vendor area (wow, I’m full of reminiscing tonight!) I moved on to Curtis’s white catering truck with a reasonably priced menu of barbecue. I settled on the rib tips and I was suddenly transported to Kansas City in a single bite! It was an amazing meal that could have easily fed 2 adults and it only set me back $5.
I was looking for something out of the ordinary for dinner tonight (i.e. I didn’t feel like cooking) and thought of Curtis Original Barbecue! I drove up to his catering truck parked at Saginaw & Cawood and looked over the menu. So much to choose from: ribs, chicken, rib tips, beans, potato salad and green beans. While I was trying to decide, Curtis was so kind as to give me a sample pork rib and rib tip – both were heavenly and made my decision all the more difficult. I eventually settled on the Rib Dinner: a massive serving of smoked pork ribs, green beans and potato salad for $11. Everything is served from the catering truck with the grill/smoker right beside the truck. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.
The drive home to enjoy my barbecue dinner seemed like an eternity but it was worth it. I uncorked a bottle of Provenance 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – a fine pairing to go along with my rib dinner from Curtis Original Barbecue!
