THIS IS THE UNION WOODSHOP. THIS IS BIG-TIME SMALLTOWN BBQ.

It begins and ends in the backlot, with a green hickory smoker that's on a constant low-temp tear with an assortment of meats. It's a ritual that starts with a careful rub and ends only when we think its time to pull the meat from the bath of smoke we surround it with. Pork butt. Brisket. Spare ribs. Back ribs. Whole birds and chicken wings alike. And bacon. Lots of bacon. Slow cooked bacon ready to be cut in from thick slabs into magical planks. Thank you pig, for all you do for us.

It is a menu that's rustic in its delivery and refined in its care. And it's crafted with hickory on the smoke side and apple and cherry wood on the pizza side. These aren't conveyor belt byproducts these bear little resemblance to the frozen disks of surplus cheese that have come to pass for pizza today. No, Pizza Coco pies are fired in a 800 degree inferno until the cheese caramelizes and the ingredients bake into somethin incredible. No two pies are the same. It's the kind of oven, the kind of crafted pie, that can take two or three of your favorite toppings and deliver them a thousand different ways.

BURNT ENDS Charred brisket ends tossed in Memphis sauce & served on a slice of Texas toast – $9.95

CAESAR Romaine, rye croutons, pecorino cheese, Caesar dressing –– Small $6.50 –– Large – $10.95 Add smoked chicken or pulled pork for – $4.95

CHERRY PORK SALAD House-smoked pulled pork, romaine, dried Michigan cherries & crispy fried onions with our honey mustard dressing –– Small – $9.25 –– Large – $15.95

COCO HOUSE SALAD Mixed greens, marinated tomatoes, garbanzo beans, feta, and red wine vinaigrette –– Small – $5.25 –– Large – $9.95

HALF CHICKEN Lightly rubbed & hardwood smoked right out back – $17.95

PULLED PORK Pulled pork butt, smoked overnight in the backlot with green hardwood – $17.95

BEEF BRISKET Heavily rubbed & smoked for 14 hours slow & low in green hardwood – $18.50

SPARE RIBS Kansas City cut, rubbed & smoked, these are a larger, more serious rib finished when we see the smoke ring... served with your choice of two different sides & a corn muffin with whipped sweet butter –– 1/2 slab – $19.95 –– full slab – $27.95

BACK RIBS There's nothing baby about our back ribs... unpeeled & smoked until they pull clean from the bone... served with your choice of two different sides & a corn muffin with whipped sweet butter –– 1/2 slab – $19.95 –– full slab – $27.95

UNION MAC & CHEESE Vermont sharp cheddar, Pinconning, penne rigate, bechamel, parmesan & crunchy crust – $14.50 (add house-cut ham for $2.25)

Potato salad | Collard greens with house-smoked bacon | Sweet potato mash with charred jalapeño & Michigan maple syrup | Green bean casserole | Diane's cheesy potatoes | Union Mac & Cheese (side order) (4.50) | Old school slaw

Side of UNION MAC & CHEESE It's the stuff of legend! – $4.95

THIS ISN'T MAIN STREET AS A CONCEPT. THIS IS MAIN STREET AS AN ADDRESS.

This is downtown Clarkston. This is a few throwback blocks on Main Street dead-nuts between Exit 91 on I-75 and Dixie Highway. There, past well-preserved houses that were built close enough to M15 to hear the horses trotting through the trees, you'll find a downtown that dares to standout among the chains and franchises of every other exit. Rudy's Market. Essense On Main. KH Homes. Frank & Me. The Parsonage. Morgan's Service.

And, of course, the fabled spire of the Clarkston Union and the cozy draw of Union General (you can tell we're proud of our siblings). The Most-Macked Mac & Cheese. Some 35 beers on 45 taps. And gifts, bath, body, toys, cards, coffee, Will Cole Chocolates, and the most cared-about cupcakes you can find – all in the Union's Store next door.

But today, all you need to do to find some legendary grub in downtown Clarkston is roll your window down. Rely on some dormant senses. Let the smoky waft of the backlot smoker pull you in like Yogi to a lost picnic basket.

This place is different. This place is not something built on a padlot. This is a legitimate joint in a legitimate smalltown. And you've just found it.