Noble Pig Café 19222 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-640-4115; noblepigcafe.com; Brandon and Parinda Kahlich’s well-named new barbecue joint has a lot going for it already, and chef Brandon concocts sauces that do the meat proud. The pork options are ribs, pulled pork, andouille and a Triple Q sandwich made of ham, pulled pork and bacon or sausage, not overpriced at $9.25. Chicken comes as a half or whole bird, or wings. Beef short ribs, Scottish salmon, crab cakes, tuna salad and turkey BLT sandwiches, and a brisket-and-sirloin burger round out the meat offerings. The baby-back ribs were my favorites among this porcine largesse, improbably tender and imbued with such a myriad of rich flavors they hardly need saucing. Kahlich serves his sauces the right way, on the table, but will mop the meat with sauce in the oven if customers insist. All the meats are smoked over apple and hickory, the pulled pork for 16 hours, the ribs for eight. Noble Pig also serves nine ambitious pizzas plus build-your-own. Mainly carryout, no alcohol.

Nunn’s Barbecue Restaurant 19196 Conant St., Detroit; 313-893-7210; Another one of Detroit’s old-line barbecue joints, Nunn’s (or, Nunn’s II as it’s called; the first Nunn’s burned down) churns out a steady diet of pit-style ribs cooked to perfection, all ready for your carry-out order. No sit-down here, but the ribs are supreme — one rib aficionado we know says they’re the best ribs on the east side. We also recommend the Kenta Cake, a unique specialty at Nunn’s.

Special thanks to our editorial interns Paul Stanczak and Sydnee Thompson for their assistance fact-checking and compiling this column

See any errors or omissions? Let us know! Call 313-202-8043 or e-mail mjackman@metrotimes.com.

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