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Pictured is Smokin Charlie's Famous BBQ's medium meat plate, including ribs, brisket, baked beans and coleslaw.

Smokin Charlie's Famous BBQ features several barbecue dishes, including a half chicken.

Smokin Charlie's Famous BBQ was among the food vendors at the 2022 Midland County Fair.

In the heat of summer, backyard grills are laden with burgers, hot dogs, steaks and more. The smell of smoked meat tends to beckon to half of the neighborhood. As I walked through the Midland County Fair late last week, I caught just such a scent, causing my head to turn. Sure enough, one of my favorite traveling barbecue trucks was among the food vendors: Smokin Charlie’s Famous BBQ.

My friends and family have probably heard me expound ad nauseam the wonders of Smokin Charlie’s. I first discovered them a couple years ago when my parents invited me over to their place for a weekend meal with ribs a la Charlie. These purveyors of barbecue typically set up at LaLonde’s Market, barely a mile away from my parents' house, making it an easy location to stop by for dinner or lunch. They are so popular that if you don’t get there before mid-afternoon, they might be sold out of your favorite meat.

Now, I’m not much of a rib fan as I hate to fight, literally, tooth and nail to pull a measly amount of meat from a bone. After one bite of Smokin Charlie’s ribs, however, I was converted. When I saw that they had made an appearance at the fair, I was determined to have one of their rib dishes. As it happened, both of my parents were at the fair at the same time, so we decided to all go for a barbecue meal.

In addition to ribs, Smokin Charlie’s provides brisket, pulled pork, and chicken along with sides like mac and cheese and corn muffins. My mind was nearly set until my dad mentioned that their brisket was also very nice and lean. I decided to order the medium meat plate – which included two meats, baked beans and coleslaw – with ribs and brisket. My dad ordered a half chicken while my mom got a smoke bowl – mac and cheese topped with pulled pork.

I opened my to-go container with glee to find two ribs and a generous portion of brisket.

The thing about Smokin Charlie’s ribs is that they contain a suitable amount of meat that makes it worth the fight to pull it from the bone. However, one doesn’t need to fight too hard, as the meat pulls apart from the rib with just as much ease as with a drumstick; sometimes it falls off with the lightest tug. The meat itself was tender, balancing a small amount of fat with lean cuts.

The brisket was also tender and nicely seasoned, prepared in strands like pulled pork. It reminded me of a Sunday roast, just cut up into bite-size bits. The brisket had enough flavor on its own, but I had squirted a dollop of barbecue sauce on top just to be sure. The sauce was unique, giving me a small kick of spice right off the bat before mellowing down into sweetness – not unlike the friendly verbal jabs that my sister gives me.

My dad’s half chicken was split right down the middle so a diner could enjoy a wing, leg, breast and thigh. He was kind enough to pull off some meat for me to try. Although the bird was grilled, the meat remained perfectly moist and contained just a hint of smokiness. Just like with the ribs, the meat was easy to pull from the bone.

My mom’s meal was the smallest of the lot, and thus the most manageable. She allowed me to have a bite of the smoke bowl. Just like the brisket, the pulled pork was tender, had a good flavor and paired well with the pasta. One of these days, I’d like to figure out what makes the combination of warm cheese, meat and starch such an appetizing concept – from loaded nachos to cheeseburgers and barbecue bowls. But that’s a journey for another time.

For me, Smokin Charlie’s delivers a meal that’s good to the last bite. Although barbecue has a reputation for making diners untidy, I remained relatively clean with one exception. Every meat that I tried was so good that I was licking barbecue sauce from my fingers by the end. Sometimes you need to abandon decorum and give in to the simple pleasures of a tasty, albeit somewhat messy, meal. Cheers!

Editor's note: Out to Lunch with Tori will appear each Thursday in the Midland Daily News. Victoria (Tori) Ritter can be reached at vritter@mdn.net

Victoria Ritter grew up in Midland and after earning a degree in English at Grand Valley State University, returned. She joined the Daily News as its newsroom clerk, and eventually began editing obituaries, and in 2016 wrote her first article. She loves the arts, from reading and creative writing to catching a movie or singing in her church choir.