Blog
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Saddleback Staples - Chips and French Onion Dip
People who have lived in the Lansing area know about QDs french onion dip, and our owners grew up with the dish and loved it. When Saddleback opened it’s Okemos location, the owners decided they wanted to bring a QD-style french onion dip to saddleback, and we strived to make a recipe that compared and succeeded. In fact, this is another one of those Okemos sides that we tried to implement with the grand opening, and it has survived since due to its popularity. The freshness, coolness and creaminess of the dip pairs perfectly with the spiciness of our housemade chips. With a great onion and garlic flavor, our french onion dip and chips make the perfect starter or side to any of our main courses.
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Saddleback Staples - Pulled Pork
Similar to brisket, traditional pulled pork is generally categorized as either a more spicy, Texas style or a sweet, Carolina style. Here at Saddleback, we try to give you pulled pork that falls somewhere in between the two. Saddleback Matt created our pork rub recipe which brings out the best of both Texas and Carolina flavors which we continue to use today. We use whole pork shoulders which are rubbed fully, smoked for 12-16 hours with locally sourced hardwoods, and then set to rest before we wrap them. We don’t trim any of our pork, and take it straight from the source and pull it for the customer in store.
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Saddleback Staples - Baked Beans
Our baked beans are a favorite amongst Saddleback sides, and we believe we offer an awesome combination of flavor to the customers. Taking about an hour to make, we start with a base of vegetable oil and onions, and cook those onions until they are translucent. Next we add in our wet ingredients, which include dijon and regular mustard, ketchup, and molasses. After the base and wet ingredients, we add in three different kinds of beans: Chili, Kidney, and White Northern. The Chili beans give the dish a nice kick that goes well with chipotle peppers that we also add in. Finally, we finish the dish with salt and pepper, along with our meat scraps, which go incredibly well with our wet ingredients and really bring out the smoky flavor customers will taste in the baked beans. -
Saddleback Staples - Pickles
Our pickles are made entirely in-house with a recipe that takes an interesting new look at classic food. Rather than a condiment, Saddleback pickles are seen more as a palate cleanser, and like our cornbread is served with almost all of our dishes. Our recipe is based in vinegar with lots of sugar and salt. We also uniquely add in caraway seeds, along with cinnamon sticks, red onions and red pepper flakes, along with a few secret ingredients we can’t share. The cinnamon and red pepper flakes really get the pickles to pop, and altogether we give the customers a truly unique flavor and high-quality pickle, which is why we view them more as a treat than a side. While the perfect addition to any of our sandwiches, they taste just as good by themselves! -
Saddleback Staples - Corncake
Saddleback’s corncake is not something you’ll generally find at home or at other barbeque restaurants. Rather than a traditional cornbread, our corncake is more like a corn pudding, incredibly moist and working as a palate cleanser or dessert rather than a side. Our recipe has come a long way since we first opened our doors. At the beginning we would use jalapenos in each batch to bring some heat and kick to the cornbread, but due to labor shortages during the pandemic, we had to switch up the recipe. We now use chilis to bring out the heat the jalapenos used to, and the flavor still maintains its original integrity even with a slightly different taste. Served as a compliment with almost all of our dishes, our unique take on what most consider a very traditional barbeque side has been met with amazing customer feedback. -
Saddleback Staples - Brisket
Traditionally, barbeque brisket falls into two camps: Texas or Carolina style. A Texas style brisket will have a good amount of spice, where a Carolina brisket will bring out much more sweetness in the flavor. When Saddleback Matt was first putting together our brisket recipe, he wanted to bring together the two flavors to give customers the best of both worlds. His housemade beef rub continues to be used today, and combines a number of ingredients to bring out a unique flavor that lands somewhere in between a Texas and Carolina brisket. Smoked for 12-16 hours with locally sourced hardwoods, we trim 16-18 per day, all in house on an old-school smoker to bring customers an aged smokey flavor and a brisket taste like no other.
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Saddleback Staples - Mac & Cheese
Saddleback Staples - Mac & Cheese
Mac & Cheese is our most popular side. Saddleback Matt created the recipe when he opened our first location in REO Town, Lansing, it was immediately popular, and we have never changed the recipe and we have no plans on changing the recipe.
Each batch is house made and takes up to two hours to make. We start with a roux, then add heavy cream and milk to create our base. Eventually, we toss in a blend of Mexican cheeses including monterey and cheddar, and a Velveeta style cheese, along with a little salt and pepper to create creamy mac sauce. We use a gemelli style pasta, and incorporate the noodles once the cheese sauce is completely finished.
We have no plans on changing the recipe, and our version of this barbecue staple is something customers can always rely on when they come to Saddleback.
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Saddleback Staples - Pork Rinds
Still cracklin' because they're so fresh, with a nice zip of heat.
Pork Rinds are made from pork skin sliced and boiled before getting deep fried. A 1989 New York Times article, sites the invention of the pork rind to over two centuries ago when the Spanish arrived in Mexico, introducing pork.
The Mexican roots is where we get the idea for the sriracha seasoning on our pork rinds, which is atypical for most barbecue recipes. Our customers were initially suspicious of the pairing, but grew to love the pork rinds, and it’s something that is here to stay. What’s more, Saddleback is rare in the sense that we sell fresh pork rinds, which is not how most customers consume this classic food, and is not routine at most barbecue joints.
*** Pro Tip: Use the Pork Rind as a chip while eating baked beans, mac & cheese, or french onion dip. It sounds crazy until you try it.
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Saddleback Staples - Collard Greens
Collared Greens are a traditional and timeless barbeque side that have grown to be a staple at Saddleback. We create ours with a chicken base that provides a little heat that customers have grown to love. We also add in pork belly that we personally cure and smoke ourselves for 7-10 hours. This is not a side that Saddleback has always offered, and we started selling Collard Greens when we opened our Okemos location. Along with Deviled Eggs, this is one of the only new sides to survive through the present!
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Saddleback Staples - Deviled Eggs
Our Deviled Eggs are a customer favorite, and we try to put our own spin on a classic recipe. The filling is stacked with Saddleback staples, including a blend of our Michigan Mustard Sauce, Spicy Vinegar Sauce, and Pork Rub. We also top each egg with a piece of candied bacon, which is pork belly that we cure and smoke ourselves for 7-10 hours. Each egg is finished with a little bit of paprika. This heat combines with the tanginess of the mustard sauce, bite of the vinegar, and smokiness of the pork rub to present a delicious pallet that the customer experiences on each and every bite.
The Deviled Eggs Saddleback sells today originated from a number of new sides we tried to implement with the opening of the Okemos location. After the grand opening, these new sides were met with mixed reviews, but the Deviled Eggs were instantly loved and continue to be. We have maintained a consistent recipe over the years, and want this to continue to be a hit at Saddleback for as long our doors are open!
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How to Reheat Beef Short Ribs
Cooking the perfect short of rib is hard enough. Now try to cook them, then reheat them and still have them be good. It’s difficult, but we believe we have a workable solution. Saddleback takes a contrarian point of view with ribs, we don’t believe they should “fall off the bone”. This helps when it comes to reheating because the ribs will have more room to be cooked before becoming overdone.
Our Process:
- Wrap the ribs in aluminum foil.
- Place them in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Take rib(s) out of oven, check for 165F.
- If not done, put back in and check every 5 minutes.
We’ve tried multiple blind taste test with this process and have been unable to distinguish between the fresh ribs and the reheated. We hope you enjoy as much as we do!
Click Here for More Interesting Information on BBQ
To order our BBQ Sauce, check out this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082P7WZ99?ref=myi_title_dp
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How to Reheat Spare Ribs
Cooking the perfect rack of ribs is hard enough. Now try to cook them, then reheat them and still have them be good. It’s difficult, but we believe we have a workable solution. Saddleback takes a contrarian point of view with ribs, we don’t believe they should “fall off the bone”. This helps when it comes to reheating because the ribs will have more room to be cooked before becoming overdone.
Our Process:
- Wrap the rack of ribs in aluminum foil.
- Place them in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Take ribs out of oven, check for 165F.
- If not done, put back in and check every 5 minutes.
We’ve tried multiple blind taste test with this process and have been unable to distinguish between the fresh ribs and the reheated. We hope you enjoy as much as we do!
Click Here for More Interesting Information on BBQ
To order our BBQ Sauce, check out this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082P7WZ99?ref=myi_title_dp
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