Artman's BBQ

By Rick Allen • Photos By John Jernigan

Clark Artman’s “retirement” is a little different than most of the folks he serves from his namesake restaurant on the northern edge of The Villages. The aromas from the cookers out back are a slight hint as to how he spends most days.

Some might say our national dish is the hamburger or apple pie. But I suspect if you asked all Americans, odds are most would say barbecue. No matter where you go you can find the savory smoked flavors of beef, chicken and pork. Different regions might have their traditional sauces for local tastes, but the slowly saturated meats fresh from the smoker typically taste the same wherever you are.

My first real encounter with barbecue was in the early 1980s working in Winter Haven. The staff would occasionally do lunch at a small rustic spot near Auburndale that served only during the summer in a screened-in, open-air shelter surrounding its massive smoke pit. I don’t remember the name of the place, but I still recall the food. It wasn’t fancy—it didn’t need to be—but the taste was sufficient.

I found the same vibe when I visited Artman Country Smokehouse, on the northern edge of The Villages. It’s a complete building, but the meats coming out of owner Clark Artman’s cookers out back are about as tasty as protein gets. He wasn’t always a pit master, says his wife and co-owner Gayla.

“About 10 years ago Clark started cooking out in the backyard,” she says. “He started with ribs, then pork butts.” Then came participation in public barbecues in The Villages, where he was encouraged to go pro. “Clark says this is what he was going to do to retire,” Gayla says. “And it gives me something to do every day.” She personally prepares the day’s supply of sides, desserts, and moinks (we’ll get to them later).

They built and opened the place nearly four years ago, and it’s been steadily growing in popularity. “We jumped into this wide open,” she adds. Everything is made fresh from scratch every day. “It’s a guessing game sometimes, how much meat to cook and sides to prepare,” says Valerie Crenshaw, a daughter-in-law and operations manager. Sometimes they run out of things. It’s the nature of a place where the cooking is done over hours only once a day.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

WHERE: Artman’s is at 6900 Southeast County Road 42, a deep sniff from US Hwy. 301 right next to the railroad tracks, close enough to 301 to lure in hungry motorcyclists.

“Some of our best regulars are bikers,” Gayla says. “They were once stopped at a red light at 42. They could smell the smoked meat so they decided to come find it.” And now some 20 of them make this a regular stop on their monthly poker run, Valerie adds.

WHY GO: This is where knowledgeable locals go. At least it used to be; an article in The Villages recently stripped Artman’s of its “hidden treasure” mystique. It’s better-known now, so lines are common. And they run out of favorites more often.

YOU’LL BE IMPRESSED BY: The down-home atmosphere. There’s nothing particularly special about the building. Rather, it’s the personality crafted by the staff, who strive to ensure each customer’s needs are met quickly and efficiently.

YOU MUST TRY: The brisket, one of their top-sellers. I’ll admit, I’m a brisket man. Here it’s succulent, yummy, and fork-tender, even when warmed in my microwave the following day, which is a good thing because you’ll likely take some home with you. It’s some of the best brisket I’ve had hereabouts.

Add to the list the cobblers—my wife reluctantly shared her pecan cobbler—and the moinks. Again, moinks? So what the heck is a moink? Seriously, it’s a thing. Essentially, these are meatballs made from a 50/50 blend of beef and pork wrapped in bacon with a cheesy surprise center.

But “moink?” The word is a portmanteau of “moo” (for beef) and “oink” (for pork), Valerie says. Gayla says she first encountered them in New York, and decided they’d be perfect here. “I had to decide just how I wanted to make them,” she adds.

They are handmade fresh every day, unlike one competition barbecue pit master who admits online he begins with a “good, quality bag of frozen meatballs.” Artman’s averages about 10 dozen a day, so it’s not surprising they routinely sell out. Gayla encourages anyone wanting a bulk order of moinks to call at least a day ahead.

NOT A FAN OF BARBECUE: Hey, it happens. Options are limited, but Artman’s does offer a scrumptious Angus hamburger and a battered fried cod sandwich. Valerie says one regular comes in weekly just for the cod.

FRIENDLY STAFF: Yup! If you’re not already family when you walk in the door, you’ll feel like you are by the time you walk out. Nearly everyone working here is family or a close family friend like our attentive server Chris.

BEST TIME TO GO: Is between 2 and 4pm, Valerie says. It’s between the lunch rush and before the supper crowd. “You can pretty much be sure we’ll have everything available.” But not always. Which leads us to our first tip...

Clark Artman

INSIDE TIP: Because the meats are slow-smoked, it’s a guessing game each day how much of each meat to cook, of each side to prepare.

Favorites do sell out as the day progresses, often by 5pm. And it’s not just the brisket and moinks. The day my wife and I visited, they were out, of all things, of the collards side and the blackberry cobbler.

If you really want to ensure your menu favorite is available, go early. Nevertheless, if they do sell out of something, they have some kind of stash back in the kitchen, so you won’t leave hungry.

FINAL WORD: Gayla and Valerie promise that everything served here has been prepared right there that day. “We don’t do leftovers,” Valerie says. “We cook only what’ll be needed each day.”

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Artman Country Smokehouse 6900 SE County Road 42, Summerfield 307-6240 Open 11am-7pm Wednesday-Saturday and 11am-6pm Sunday.