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New M4S BBQ eatery replaces Brimstone in downtown Gig Harbor

A popular barbecue restaurant based in Midland, east of Tacoma, plans to recreate its smoky, tangy magic with a new outpost in downtown Gig Harbor.

M4S BBQ is a purveyor of pulled pork, pulled chicken, beef brisket, pork ribs, and smoke-fried chicken wings prepared in an eclectic range of barbecue styles. Its name is a rebranded version of the Midland parent eatery’s name, My 4 Sons BBQ.

Matt and Brenda Henning insider My 4 Sons BBQ, their restaurant in Midland. Their forthcoming downtown Gig Harbor eatery is rebranded M4S BBQ. Photo by Ted Kenney

New owner bought out Brimstone

M4S BBQ’s space — in the old Don’s Drugs storefront at 7707 Pioneer Way, still owned by the Sehmel family — is more than twice the size of the Midlands shop. This provides room for a full-service bar seating 25, bringing the new restaurant’s capacity to 75 patrons.

To break into the downtown Gig Harbor market, M4S BBQ bought out Brimstone PNW Smokehouse, which described its menu as “influenced by BBQ flavors found around the country all done up with our PNW twist.”

Brimstone’s last day of service was Aug. 2. But its proprietors, Katie Doherty and Thad Lyman, will retain a strong presence on the downtown Gig Harbor culinary scene. They still own and operate Netshed No. 9, Brix 25° and Iscreamery.

Selling Brimstone PNW Smokehouse was “simply a business decision that allows us to focus on the three restaurants we continue to operate in Gig Harbor and to put more resources towards growing one of those concepts in the future,” Doherty said in an email.

Matt Henning, co-owner and -founder of My 4 Sons BBQ, said M4S BBQ in Gig Harbor could see a soft opening within the “next week or two.” That’s if the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department provides a timely inspection and approval.

The official, full-scale opening, with liquor license in hand, is likely in 20 to 30 days, he said.

A mural adorns the window of the My 4 Sons BBQ restaurant on Portland Avenue in Midland. Photo by Ted Kenney

Meet M4S

Customers at the new restaurant will be able to order at the counter, or from tables and at the bar using QR codes. One reason to opt for counter ordering is to see what Henning calls “the whole show” of meal preparation. M4S BBQ staff members will cut individual orders from the hot brisket or pull pork and chicken from larger sections of freshly-smoked meat.

The restaurant won’t offer pre-packaging or microwaved portions, Henning said. “BBQ is intended to be fresh and that’s how we intend to operate.” The Midland restaurant occasionally runs out of items when demand exceeds the supply of food that was made that morning.

“We’ll have sandwiches and combo plates similar to what we have at the Midland location,” Henning said. Customers will be able to get entrees as individual portions or by the pound, for taking home to feed families.

M4S BBQ’s menu spans the Barbecue Belt, with Carolina-style pulled pork, St. Louis ribs, and brisket prepared using a simple salt-and-pepper rub, in an “homage to central Texas,” Henning said.

“Everything is served naked,” with customers applying the sauce, he said.

“We have three sauces: our Original BBQ sauce which is a tangy, mildly sweet sauce; [and] our Chipotle Lime BBQ sauce, which is our spicy sauce — it’s our base sauce made with smoked jalapeños, smoked serrano peppers and smoked habanero. And our last sauce is our M4S Gold, which is a mustard-based sauce.”

There’s an appetizer for that

M4S BBQ will introduce two new appetizers. One is Pig Pops, consisting of pork tenderloin on skewers, wrapped in bacon and rubbed with their house seasoning.

The other is Beef Cheek Nachos, with Cowboy Caviar topping. These feature cheeks of cattle (reportedly a very savory cut) from their sole beef supplier, Royal Ranch out of Royal City in Grant County.

Black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers and sharp cheddar cheese top the meat, with house-made tortilla chips below. Matt Henning said that he and his wife and co-owner, Brenda Henning, favor Royal Ranch because of its sustainable and healthy production methods.

M4S BBQ will offer its take on traditional barbecue sides — mac and cheese, smoked BBQ beans, coleslaw, mini cornbread muffins and more.

One dish, The BBQ Sundae, defies easy categorization. Served in a cup, it stacks “everything in a single bite:” mac & cheese, BBQ beans, meat, and coleslaw, topped with BBQ sauce and pickles.

“If you don’t like your food touching, this ain’t for you,” the restaurant’s website quips.

As at the existing restaurant, M4S BBQ will rely on the pellet-fired smoker from Ponca City, Oklahoma-based Cookshack, Inc., which Henning views as a key item of barbecue technology. He fuels his with hickory wood. This combination, he said, produces “real cool smoke” and avoids a creosote flavor that can come from a “bad burn.”

Matt Henning outside My 4 Sons BBQ in Midland, east of Tacoma. The restaurant is named for his sons John, Brett, Bryan and Tyler. Photo by Ted Kenney

New in town

Henning, a Des Moines native and Puyallup resident, said he’d never been in downtown Gig Harbor before learning about the opportunity to buy Brimstone PNW Smokehouse. But now he’s a fan of the city, and he doesn’t find the distance between his existing restaurant and the new one daunting.

Midland is “24 minutes, door to door” from downtown Gig Harbor, he said. New hires and carry-overs from My 4 Sons BBQ and Brimstone PNW Smokehouse will make up the staff at M4S. Henning said he looks forward to fine-tuning operations at both locations so he can “float between the two as needed.”

At launch, M4S BBQ in Gig Harbor will be open from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Later on, “we want to capture some of that lunch business” in Gig Harbor during the week, and will expand hours there, he said.