The West’s new live-fire hot spot: Shed ®

For Becker, “The casual refinement of Paws Up stands out from more formal resorts. Laurence wanted to be sure guests would be comfortable coming in with muddy boots after a wilderness activity.”

What made Becker particularly excited was master-planning the area. “It’s a presentation where the old meets the new. It harkens back to the past,” she says, noting “contextual slatted walls that borrow shape-nostalgic design forms such as older barns.”

The Mutuus team designed this space as two spaces, partly to accommodate 100+ diners but also, “having a separate bar area just felt right for this space,” as Becker explains. One area features stunning cook spaces and plenty of seating. The adjacent space focuses on drinks and conversation. Both lend themselves well to live-fire demos and various tastings. “We wanted to combine a sense of comfort with the performance of the chefs and mixologists,” Becker says. “They live well together at Shed.”

A SIMPLE NAME: SHED.

But one that already stands for grilled and smoked culinary excellence in a space like no other. So how did The Resort at Paws Up ® turn what was once a small smokehouse pop-up eatery into a permanent dining pavilion par excellence?

shed 1 |SHed| noun

A simple roofed structure, typically made of wood or metal, used as a storage space, a shelter for animals or a workshop.

Home to a live-fire grilling paradise.

According to Paws Up Managing Director and Co-Owner Laurence Lipson, “We turned to Mutuus Studios, a design team headed by architect and designer Kristen Becker. They’ve been involved in so much of the Paws Up and green o design aesthetic—everything from creating the Social Haus dining experience to reimagining the Paws Up luxury camping tents. Their creative work made them the right choice for transforming Shed.”

The Shed’s cooking area was designed by Paws Up Senior Executive Chef Sunny Jin, a true visionary. It features a mesmerizing six-foot grilling area, with an ascending racks system for optimal flexibility with indirect heat.

On the smoking side of the kitchen, a massive 250-gallon, twin-chambered smoker puts Shed on the map. Shed Executive Chef Ben Scott points out that it “lets us smoke all day, or for an hour, by creating temperature zones—we can have it 50 degrees cooler on one end.”

The hardware’s impressive. But it’s the cuisine itself that separates Shed and continues to elevate the Ranch’s live-fire cooking and barbecue story.

When Shed opened last summer, excellence was on the menu right out of the gate. Sausages featuring game meats, from elk and wild boar to bison, seemed destined to become a staple. For the beef brisket, Scott borrowed from mentor and pit master Wayne Mueller’s famous Texas-style, noting that Mueller and his family’s Louie Mueller Barbecue joint has always been a source of inspiration. Scott jumped at a chance to cook with Mueller in Texas this past winter.

As Scott continues to refine the menu, his love of seafood over the open fire is obvious. “Direct heat, smoked, cured— it’s all delicious,” he says. “Grilled cedar plank salmon is a favorite, though we will go beyond traditional dishes with plates like smoked scallop crudo and maybe a dish like charred rapini with smoked trout roe and citrus.”

Whatever’s on the day’s menu at Shed, it will satisfy guest palates eager for that authentic Western grilled flavor, always served with a heaping side of Montana scenic landscape.

Shed opens for the season in May.