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.

WOODSTICKS Wood-fired breadsticks with garlic butter & pazzo cheese dip – $6.95

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

HOUSE-SMOKED CHICKEN WINGS Served big & naked with table sauces. – 6 @ $10.95; 12 @ 18.95 (get a buttermilk blue cheese & celery side for $1.50)

DEEP FRIED PICKLES Beer-battered, served w/ Memphis mayo – $3.95

SHOP TOTS Shredded Idaho potatoes & fresh Romano, side of Memphis mayo – $3.95

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

GRILLED CHICKEN CLUB Marinated grilled chicken breast, house maple bacon, house-smoked cheddar, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and Memphis mayo on a burger bun – $13.95

PULLED PORK Pulled pork tossed in North Carolina sauce with pickled chilies & coleslaw on a Kaiser – $12.50

WOODSHOP BURGER Half-pound Angus beef patty topped with our smoked cheddar, house-made maple bacon, sliced pickles, onion rings & Memphis mayo – $14.95

THE PORKER House-ground pork patty, house made Michigan maple bacon, house-made hot link, pickled chilies, Woodshop cold smoked cheddar, South Carolina mayo – $15.50 (SERVED MEDIUM)

JUICY LUCY Angus beef patties stuffed with American cheese, and pickled red onion – $13.50 (COOKED UNTIL PROPERLY JUICY)

THE PRETENDER House-made vegan patty, coal-fired tomatoes, arugula, goat cheese, shiitake bacon, and roasted garlic balsamic mayo – $14.95

YOU CHOOSE PIZZA Our base pizza includes our house cheese blend & tomato sauce. Add any item below. The Pie – $9.95

SAUCES Crushed tomato basil sauce, Garlic butter, Memphis sauce, Lockhart spicy sauce

VEGETABLES, ETC. (+$1 ea.) Marinated tomatoes, Arugula, Shallots, Onions, Roasted garlic, Pickled chilies, Shiitake bacon (2.00), Pineapple (1.50), Capers (.50), Fresh basil (.50)

CHEESES (+$1.75 ea.) House blend, Romano, Feta, Goat cheese (2.00), Smoked cheddar, Fresh mozzarella

MEATS (+$2 ea.) House-made maple bacon, Pepperoni, Smoked chicken, Pulled pork, Smoked Tasso ham (2.50), Hot link sausage

MARGHERITA Fresh mozzarella, crushed tomato basil sauce, marinated tomatoes, fresh basil – $12.95

ROCKET Prosciutto, cheese blend, crushed tomato basil sauce, arugula – $12.95

WOODSHOP Smoked chicken, pulled pork, brisket, onions, Memphis sauce, cheese blend – $14.95

PINEAPPLE & TASSO House-smoked Tasso ham, grilled fresh pineapple, red onions, crushed tomato basil sauce, cheese blend – $13.95

LOADED POTATO Red skin potatoes, smoked cheddar, cheese blend, shiitake bacon, sour cream, chives, garlic butter sauce – $12.95

WOODSHOP 101 Quarter chicken choice of white or dark meat, choice of pulled pork or brisket or house-made hot link, plus 2 bones of spare ribs or back ribs – $23.95

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

SMOKED RIBEYE 14oz Ribeye hand-cut in-house & lightly smoked out back, chargrilled to temp, served with our hand-cut skin-on fries & Memphis mayo – $28.95

CEDAR PLANKED SALMON Atlantic salmon grilled on Michigan cedar, your choice of two sides – $22.95

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

GLUTEN-FREE UNION MAC & CHEESE Vermont sharp cheddar, Pinconning, ziti rice noodles, gluten-free bechamel, parmesan & crunchy flour-less crust –– Half – 9.95

Collard greens with house-smoked bacon | Sweet potato mash with charred jalapeño & Michigan maple syrup | Green bean casserole | Seasonal vegetable: a rotating local offering | Diane's cheesy potatoes | Hand-cut home fries served with Memphis mayo | Union Mac & Cheese (side order) (4.50) | Hand-dipped onion rings Beer-battered served with Memphis mayo (4.50) | Old school slaw | Shop Tots: shredded Idaho potatoes & fresh Romano, side of Memphis mayo

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE Tomato & vinegar base, middle of the road, not too sweet or too spicy

LOCKHART, TEXAS Tomato based & very spicy with chipotle

HOLLY HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA Mustard & vinegar base, tangy & slightly sweet

DECATUR, ALABAMA "Alabama White Sauce", thin mayonnaise based, peppery & tart with a bit of horseradish

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA Thin, vinegar based sauce, very tangy & spicy

HELL, MICHIGAN Ghost chili plus four others, capsaicin extract, Red Stag by Jim Beam & local maple syrup

KOREATOWN, LA Sweet & slightly spicy with garlic, ginger, scallion, soy sauce & Asian Pear

CHICKEN TENDERS Two chicken tenders served with house-cut fries – $4.95

KIDS' COCO PIZZA Cheese or pepperoni – $4.95

WOODCHIP BURGER 4oz ground beef patty with or without American cheese & sliced pickles, served with a tasty mound of our house-cut fries – $4.95

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

BOTTLES OF SAUCE Memphis - Lockhart - SC - 'Bama - Korean - NC - Hell – $6 per/12oz

SMOKED HOT LINKS House-made smoked, spicy sausage – $3.95 per/6-pack 18

SLICED MICHIGAN MAPLE BACON – $8.50 per half pound

SMOKED KIELBASA – $3.95 / 6pck $18

SMOKED SALMON CAKES Hickory smoked salmon with bell pepper and whole grain mustard, served with remoulade, roasted tomato rice and arugula salad on the side – $14.95

SRIRACHA HOT WINGS House smoked wings, tossed in sriracha-honey buffalo sauce, with crumbled blue cheese and pickled celery – $11.95

LINK OF THE WEEK Jalapeno Cheddar – $3.95/18

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.