Brisket sandwich (Photo: Facebook)
Barbecue joints and halal may seem like an odd mix. Halal means no pork, and pork -- pulled pork and pork ribs -- are a barbecue staple.
Still, Mark Kurlyandchik of the Detroit Free Press gives a thumbs up to A.B.’s Amazing Ribs & Sauce at 27310 Ford Rd. in Dearborn Heights, which opened March 22 and serves no pork:
The first thing you’ll notice after pulling into the little strip mall off Ford Road that houses A.B.’s Amazing Ribs & Sauce is the aroma of sweet hickory wood-smoke and caramelizing meat infusing the air — a seductive promise of additional delights for those willing to inspect.
The scent wouldn’t be out of place in a locale like Lockhart, Texas, where A.B.’s draws some of its inspiration from, but this new barbecue joint in the southeast Michigan hamlet of Dearborn Heights is very much a product of its place.
Halal dining options are not new to the area, which has seen a recent influx of halal burgers, tacos and more. But since its debut in late March, A.B.’s has laid claim to the title of what's thought to be Michigan’s only halal barbecue restaurant, serving an area that's home to the largest concentration of Arab people in the country, many of whom are Muslim.
Not everything on the menu -- such as the mac and cheese -- deserves five stars, the reviewer says. But he raves about the brisket and beef ribs.
