Eugene S.
Yelp
BBQ is hard to do. Especially if you think you know how to do it. That being said, you would think a restaurant that's invested in building a brand and even advertising for a billboard off a busy freeway, one would think that you would do BBQ well... This is a restaurant that's tucked away in a place just shy of being country. There is no network connection or Wi-Fi so it means you have the sheer chance of just enjoying your food, but suffice to say, the food is what kills it.
The place itself is amazing. Cozy, country, and almost a community vibe to it. The inside is just something that your grandmother decorated but decided it'd be better to have a bar as well.
But again, it's the food that kills the whole vibe...
I have to critique the brisket because that's what I ate. It's my default. What I go to for anything that calls itself BBQ. The grade and quality of the brisket determines the authenticity of the BBQ place. If the BBQ place has good brisket, then it's a legit place. If the BBQ place has mediocre brisket, then you will get a mediocre rating from me. And brisket has to be the easiest thing to cook. 1 and a half hour per pound of meat smoked over hickory and oak. Fat side up on the flat, rubbed down with a savory dry rub and allowed to cook in a 250 degree heat. The fat renders down and seeps into the meat while the smoke flavor seeps into the meat injecting the oak/hickory flavors creating a char and a smoke ring that leaves the meat tender and moist with no need for BBQ sauce. If brisket is done right, depending on how big your flat and point are, anywhere from 7 to 14 hours of smoking will give you the final product.
Unfortunately with Bonehead's, the meat was... dry as can be. No amount of water and BBQ sauce could've saved it. The brisket was dead before it even reached my table. The pitmaster did something horrid to the meat because literally, the tiny chunks of brisket looked drier than the Sahara. SERIOUSLY, each bite of meat sucked the spit from my mouth and the BBQ sauce nor the water could quench the arid condition the brisket left my mouth in. Brisket is supposed to resist a little bit before snapping but it's supposed to glisten with the rendered fat from the flat if cooked properly. I do not recommend this place for the brisket. But that's where the conundrum is. It's a BBQ place. You're supposed to GET brisket at a BBQ place. Anything else is just unConstitutional!!!! Pulled pork, maybe. You could do smoked chicken but, you BBQ for brisket. Low and Slow is the general BBQ motto. And the final product is supposed to be tender, juicy, savory, with a hint of sweetness from the sauce but I never got that.
The only saving grace to the whole experience was the garlic loaded mashed potatoes. Topped with bacon, melted cheese, and scallions definitely was the defining moment of the whole plate. At 14.99 for really bad brisket. I wasn't impressed at all.
The only other saving grace to my time at Bonehead's was the waitress, Shantel. She was sweet, kind, fun, and just redeemed my time there. I may just go back because she's there because it sure wasn't the food.
If you're going east on 94 past the Rawsonville exit and you're looking for BBQ. I recommend you keep going or turn back towards Ann Arbor as you'll find better food there. I don't recommend taking the back roads to get to this place because, well... you'll walk away $18.00 less than what you had because, Bonehead's brisket took that from you and left you high and dry... literally.