Johnson lived in Tennessee during his 20s and grew to love barbecue. After moving to Michigan, he said he found the state to be lacking in such eateries.

“I’ve never been able to find any place up north, especially the area that I live in, that did a good southern style,” Johnson said.

Johnson slow-cooks all of his meat. The process delivers moist, tender meat; but it’s a lengthy process. Larger cuts of meat can take more than 16 hours to cook. Due to the lengthy turnaround, the restaurant typically closes early on busy days. As a result, Johnson said it’s a good idea to get to the restaurant as early as possible.

“A lot of times, we don’t make it until 8 or 9,” said Dawn Drolshagen, the front house manager of Meat. “Once the meat is gone, it’s gone.”

East Lansing resident Jerome Thomas, who has been to Meat several times, is a fan of the process.

“(I like) the way they do the meat, the slow-cooking,” he said. “I do a little barbecuing myself, and I think they do a pretty good job slow-cooking the meat.”

Meat also has become known for its laid-back, cozy atmosphere. Johnson’s influence is evident around the dining area; personal — photos and old albums line the walls.

“All of these photos are photos of friends of mine — pictures of myself and my wife, one of my nieces,” he said. “We’re having our regulars come in and give us photos. We’re going to start building collages on the walls. — give that Old Town environment, making people feel like they belong here.”

Drolshagen, who worked in a bar for 15 years, found that managing Meat is a different grind.

“It’s a different clientele here; it’s very laid-back,” she said. “It’s less stressful actually, compared to what I used to do.”
Johnson said barbecue brings people together.

“There’s something about the southern-stye barbecuing in the way that families get together, friends get together, people get together,” he said. “It’s an all-day process; it’s one of those things where you can sit down and enjoy yourself and have a good time.”