We will be giving out Holiday Meals to folks in need. You can donate a meal for someone in need for $25. For every meal donated, Saddleback will donate an additional meal! 

The meals include enough food to feed two people, or one person with leftovers. Saddleback will be doubling all donations. So one donation can feed 4 people this Holiday season! If you’re interested in donating, just use this link.

The Meals include: 

• 1lb of Protein 
• 1lb of Mashed Potatoes 
• 1lb of Stuffing

This Thanksgiving we were able to feed over 680 people thanks to all of your support! The meals were distributed from our Okemos location and with help from local churches. 

For a look at some of our past work in the community, go here!

 

 

We hope you enjoy your meal! Below are our recommended steps for reheating your food. 

Each meal kit comes with:

• 1lb of turkey
• 1lb of Mashed Potatoes
• 1lb of Stuffing

Our recommended reheating instructions are as follows:

 

——

If you do not have access to an oven or all of the appropriate equipment, the microwave will work fine. We recommend using your own dishes in the microwave. Heat each item 30 seconds to a minute at a time or until you reach your desired temperature.

Thank you for purchasing a Thanksgiving Meal from Saddleback BBQ! Here are our comprehensive reheating instructions. 

We recommend setting aside 4-5 hours for this process. This will allow you to complete all of the necessary steps without worrying about having the food ready on time. So if you'd like to eat at 3pm, start this process at 10am. 

Whole Turkey

1. Put whole turkey in deep aluminum pan
2. Add about and inch of water
3. (Optional) Put a small amount of chicken stock in the water
4. Put in oven at 300F
5. Check after one hour, you’re looking for internal temperature of 165F
6. If not done, place back in oven checking every 30 minutes
7. This process can take up to three and a half hours for the turkey to reach 165F
8. If the turkey gets done before you would like to eat, don't stress, just set your oven to it's lowest possible setting and keep it in the oven. 

 

Half Turkey

1. Put half turkey in deep aluminum pan
2. Add about and inch of water
3. (Optional) Put a small amount of chicken stock in the water
4. Put in oven at 300F
5. Check after 50 minutes, you’re looking for internal temperature of 165F
6. If not done, place back in oven checking every 20 minutes
7. This process can take up to two hours for the turkey to reach 165F

 

Mashed Potatoes - Place in a saucepan, bring stove to medium heat. Add butter and milk and stir until you reach your desired consistency. Continue to stir occasionally until you reach your ideal temperature (5-10 minutes).  

 

Mac & Cheese - Place in a saucepan, bring stove to medium heat. Add butter and milk and stir until you reach your desired consistency. Continue to stir occasionally until you reach your ideal temperature (5-10 minutes).  

 

Gravy - Place in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally and pull off heat once you reach you desired temperature (3-6 minutes) 

 

Sweet Potatoes - Place in a saucepan over medium heat. Add milk and butter until you reach your desired consistency. Continue to stir occasionally until you reach your ideal temperature (5-10 minutes).

 

One of Saddleback's long standing traditions is offering Thanksgiving Meals to the public. This year we're offering 4 different options. All meals will come fully cooked and served cold with simple reheating instructions. The meals are available for pickup from 11/21 - 11/23. 

All of our turkeys are smoked using Michigan Hardwoods. All turkeys are sourced locally, free-range, antibiotic & hormone-free. 

 

 

Whole Smoked Turkey Package – $299.99
Includes a whole smoked around 15-18lb fresh Otto’s Turkey, large containers of Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes. A plentiful amount of Gravy and an assortment of Dinner Rolls. Feeds 7-10 people. 

 

Half Smoked Turkey – $159.99
Includes a half smoked fresh Ottos Turkey around 8lbs, containers of Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, and an assortment of Dinner Rolls. Feeds 3-6 People.

You can now order just the turkey or just a half turkey!

Whole Turkey - $259.99 (Expected to feed 7-10 People)

Half Turkey - $139.99 (Expected to feed 3-6 People)

 

4 Locations to Order From

Saddleback BBQ - Okemos (1754 Central Park Dr. Okemos, MI)

Saddleback BBQ - REO Town (1147 S. Washington Ave. Lansing, MI)

Slice by Saddleback - West Lansing (644 Migaldi Ln. Lansing, MI)

Slice by Saddleback - South Lansing (3135 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Lansing, MI)

 Teacher Sarah Schumacher Wills and Saddleback partnered to support the arts in Lansing.

We provided a free $50 gift card to any of the students that wanted to submit a Saddleback Logo.  Thank you to all of the Students that participated! 

Corey O. 

Nishimwe J. 

Antavius 

Sariah D.

Melissa C. 

Colleen P.

Rye. 

Evelyn W.

Esther F. 

MyKenzi 

Yashua R.

Tysean 

Idalia C. 

Sydney W.

Nyomi H.

Jada

Christian S. 

Bidushi R.

TyreeA

"Community arts and arts education are essential for any successful community. Without local community arts we have no beautiful murals covering the buildings downtown, no classical music concerts in our Lansing parks, and no dancers preforming at our numerous Old Town festivals. The easiest way to reach kids and teens is through the school systems. This is why arts education must always be fully funded and assessable to all students no matter their address, gender, or ethnicity.  When Saddleback Barbeque put out a request for local artists to submit a logo redesign, I knew my students would love to leave their own marks on Lansing's culture by helping the restaurant out. My name is Sarah Schumacher Wills (aka SCHU), I am an Everett High School teacher, and I teach AP Studio Art. Thus far, my students have submitted 15 artworks in the hopes that one will be selected for the logo redesign. They were thrilled to go through the logo making steps, they were excited to get their gift certificate rewards for participating, and they are eager to see if Saddleback utilizes one of their designs. We are glad to partner with another part of the Lansing community.

Thank you - Sarah Schumacher Wills (SCHU)

Everett High School.

New Tech Department.

Visual Arts & Preforming Arts Department."

Tyler Blakslee GoFundMe

Tyler Blakslee Obituary - By Jerry and Karan Blakslee

TYLER Mitchell BLAKSLEE, Born July 24, 1977, age 44, was sadly and tragically taken from us on the stormy night of July 23, 2022, in Grand Rapids. For those who wonder what happened, very concisely, he was celebrating his next day birthday at a GR popular outdoor bar. He was standing at an open doored shipping container bar when a huge gust of wind suddenly came up from the passing storm and slammed the heavy steel door of the container, trapping Tyler between the door and the bar which crushed him and broke his ribs. His heart was pierced by a broken rib and he internally bled to his death. Now that the reason why he was suddenly taken from us is out of the way, we can focus on Tyler’s life and the many layers that made him who he was.

Tyler, (TMB) was born in Lansing, 44 years ago to Jerry and Karan Blakslee. His older sister is Stephanie (Sunny) Han who lives in Bethany, Oregon with her 13 year old amazing daughter, Olivia, who is also Tyler’s only niece. He has an uncle, Stephen Blakslee, an aunt, Suzanne Leven and several cousins.

Tyler attended Lansing schools and graduated from Lansing Sexton, received his BA degree from Michigan State University and his Master’s degree from Oakland University in Detroit. He first became a teacher at Lansing Eastern High School after he graduated from MSU and attended Olivet College and Oakland University while teaching at Lansing Eastern.

Tyler, as you know by now, became an amazing teacher at Eastern. He taught English and Literature within the International Baccalaureate program at Eastern and was awarded “Teacher of the Year” during his teaching years.

Tyler was a teacher who became many things to all of his students. To some he was a mentor, to others a counselor, to others a guiding friend and to some he was all of these. He was very unique in his teaching skills and methods and demanded the best from those he taught and he taught them how to become their best. He became an influence in their lives that would carry so many students thru hard times in their lives and gave others the courage to keep in school and even further to attend college. Tyler was a Master Teacher who became such an important figure in many of his student’s lives.

Tyler, throughout his life, had grown a passion for reading and writing and became an expert and scholar in those endeavors which guided him to become the person he was. Books, literature, poetry and writing became a big part of his life and it reflected how he taught and how he lived.

With his God given talent in prose and writing, he became ordained and certified as a marriage Officiant and as word and witness of his amazing and unique ceremonies spread, he became a much sought after Officiant and has married many of his friends, their friends and others.

Tyler had many levels to him and another level which became a huge part of his life was his love for music. It influenced the way he taught and how he lived. He joined his first band when he was 14 years old and was a member of many bands, throughout his life. He sang and wrote many of the band’s songs and recorded a number of CD’s that many of those reading this obituary and who followed his music, currently own.

While teaching at Eastern, Tyler’s love and passion for the classic horror movie scene naturally guided him to start a horror movie club for him and his students as an after school exercise. The “Teenage Werewolves Horror Film Fiend Club” as it was called, became very popular as it went online with members numbering in the thousands. Until his passing, Tyler also held film screening sessions at the Historic Howell Theater, in Howell, Mi. which many attended to watch a selected horror film then dissect and discuss the film after its viewing.

Tyler’s love for the outdoors, led him to many friendships with fellow backpackers and he and his friends visited numerous National Parks throughout his many travels. He would often go off on his own to camp and decompress. He loved to lie in his hammock tied between two trees, listen to the quietness and sounds of nature and read one of many of his favorite novels. He also enjoyed birding while being in the outdoors.

Tyler’s nightlife activities included visiting many bars with his friends and he became a bartender many years ago, well known for his humor and professional gravitas and worked at many drinking establishments in the East Lansing area.

Tyler left the teaching profession just before the Covid outbreak and moved to Grand Rapids to join his many friends that had moved there throughout the years, and to start a new profession at Northpointe Bank as a Senior Instructional Designer. He has been appreciated there as he was tasked with rewriting the companies many training manuals and informational documents. Naturally, Tyler also acquired a bartending job at Stella’s, a very popular nightlife destination in Grand Rapids and again reunited with his old friends and in the process, made many new ones. One of Tyler’s new co-workers at Stella’s became much more than just a co-worker she became his soulmate. Heather Sekarek became the most important person in Tyler’s life, and he in hers’. They had dedicated their lives and souls to each other and were planning a life’s journey together.

Tyler had an amazing but very short life, and while he was with us he made his mark and lasting impression on many, many people. His passing is so sad and tragic on so many levels. He will be missed by all of us and has left a missing piece never to be replaced. He was a son, a brother, an uncle, a soulmate, a friend, a teacher, a mentor, a writer, a scholar, a musician, an outdoorsman, a bartender…He was all of those and more. While we all will miss him so very much, he will be with us forever. Rest In Peace TMB..we love you!!.. and we will see you again, on the other side.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, August 7, 2022, from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at Lansing Brewing Company, 518 E. Shiawassee Street, Lansing, MI 48912, in the Stockhouse event room. Another celebration of life will also be held Sunday, August 14, 2022, from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at St. Adalbert’s 5th Street Hall, 701 5th Street, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Audubon Society.

Michigan Cremation - Website Obituary

Tyler Blakslee - WLNS 11 O'clock News

Tyler Blakslee Lansing State Journal - "Former Lansing teacher Tyler Blakslee, 44, who died Saturday, remembered for his vibrant life" By Rachel Greco of the Lansing State Journal - PDF of LSJ Article

Pictures and Screenshots of Comments about Tyler Blakslee from friends family and students.

 

Reposting of Lansing State Journal Article for the family to read. 

All rights reserved to Lansing State Journal 

Former Lansing teacher Tyler Blakslee, 44, who died Saturday, remembered for his vibrant life

Road construction has resulted in a lot of traffic being rerouted through neighborhoods. We got worried about the kids & pets so we created some free yard signs! If you would like one of these yard signs just fill out this form. Let’s keep everyone safe!

Saddleback BBQ & Slice by Saddleback Yard Signs

• Slow Down Pets At Play - Saddleback BBQ
• Slow Down Kids At Play - Slice by Saddleback
• Slow Down Dads At Play - Saddleback BBQ

Get your own yard sign!

 

Make Pizza Night Even Better by Using These Amazing Deals! 

Make sure to check back on this page frequent as we will continue to update the deals! 

Order For West Lansing (644 Migaldi Ln.)

Order For South Lansing (3135 Pennsylvania Ave)

20% off a Pepperoni Pizza

• Use Code "Roni" at checkout!

10% off a 10 Person Platter

•  2 Specialty Pizzas, One Pepperoni or Cheese Pizza, and Two orders of Breadsticks!
• Use Code "10" at Checkout

15% off a 15 Person Platter

• 3 Specialty Pizzas, Two Pepperoni or Cheese Pizzas, and Three Orders of Breadsticks
• Use Code "15" at Checkout

20% off 8 Smoked Wings

• Use Code "Smoked"

 Menu

You can tell from those mustaches, we support the great men and women of law enforcement. That's why every Monday they get 20% off at all Saddleback & Slice locations.

This is not intended to be political or divisive. We don't believe supporting the people that put their lives in danger to help us should be a contentious issue.

Every Monday, we offer 20% off to anyone who displays their Badge or Uniform while checking out in-store.*

Today we are honoring law enforcement, but this offer goes for ANYONE that wears a badge or uniform. This applies to firefighters, nurses, teachers, EMTs, paramedics, corrections officers, plumbers, BWL workers, state workers - if you proudly wear a badge or a uniform to work - come into any restaurant on Monday and you get 20% off.

Over the past seven years of operating Saddleback, we've had to call these departments far more times than we would like, and they've always come to our aid. Thank you!

*Offer only applies to in-store purchases for take-out or dine-in at any Saddleback BBQ or Slice by Saddleback locations. Must show your badge or uniform to qualify. Does not apply to catering orders.

**We, of course, do NOT support any injustice, undue violence, or discrimination. Those actions are gross and wrong and have no place in our society. We should be able to support those that support us, while also being critical of bad behavior.

 

This Father's Day we're utilizing one of our most popular items, our Burnt Ends. We're using them to make an off the wall burrito. 

• Burnt Ends Smothered in Sweet & Savory Sauce
• Seasoned French Fries
• Mexican Cheese
• Green Onions 

Order Now

Available June 17th - 19th