Flint’s Smokehouse is growing its footprint in Crenshaw, bringing Texas-inspired and Alabama-crafted barbecue and other dishes to the area with a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Highland Home. 

Owner Michael Flint, completed culinary school in 2015, and has worked in restaurant management and as an executive chef in Montgomery. He launched his latest venture by selling smoked hams and turkey legs for holidays, firing up his new smoker during the Covid-19 lockdown. 

Learning as he went, Flint said he went from not knowing much about the Texas-inspired style of cooking to claiming the smokehouse style as one of his favorite ways to cook.

“Smoking and barbecue was just something I knew nothing about,” Flint said. “I didn’t know the first thing about it honestly, and I just dove in headfirst and bought an expensive piece of equipment and taught myself how to do it.”

The entrepreneur hopes to explore a variety of offerings, employing a creative flair to bring something different to the area’s culinary offerings.
“Flint’s Smokehouse is not just barbecue,” Flint said. “We didn’t name it barbecue for a reason. With my culinary background, I hope to explore and introduce several different items [and] different styles of food so it’s not going to be your typical pulled pork and ribs – which I will offer every day. I want to introduce new flavors and techniques and different styles of food, but I still want it to be approachable to the people in the area that maybe aren’t familiar with it.” 

Flint said business has taken off in the past year and a half, blossoming after he catered a wedding for a local couple in the fall of 2023. From there he began catering for multiple weddings. 

Furthering the business, Flint purchased the operation’s current location and retrofitted it with a commercial kitchen to help with catering. 

After accidentally cooking too much food for the Greenville Camellias Society’s Camellia Show and Artisans Market in February, Flint decided to sell plates of food from their ktichen. Continuing the next day, Flint’s Smokehouse sold plates again on Sunday. 

“We’ve been open every single Sunday since then, and it’s continued to grow,” Flint said. “We see new people every day… I ultimately want to do this Friday, Saturday and Sunday every single week because I want to take advantage of the beach traffic coming through town [by] giving them somewhere else to eat. But, I have a family [and a] full-time job. Catering keeps me busy on Fridays and Saturdays.”

Looking towards the future, Flint’s Smokehouse will be acquiring a food truck soon, hoping to have it fully operational for the summer. 

Flint’s Smokehouse is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, selling dishes like their Alabama Twinkie – a twist on the Texas Twinkie – which is a smoked jalapeno pepper wrapped in bacon and stuffed with pimento cheese and pulled pork. 

“Flint’s Smokehouse is a story of growth,” Flint said. “A year ago I bought this building not having a clue what I was going to do with it. I knew I wanted to cater out of it at some point, but I didn’t expect to open this soon. 

“I didn’t expect to have these Sunday pop-ups, but I’m really blessed I was able to do that. I’m blessed that I get to have my kids and my wife involved, and she [Kellie Rae Holliday] helps me every Sunday.” 

For more information, catering inquiries, ordering online or contact information, please visit their website at flintssmokehouse.com. On the website, potential customers can select catering styles like buffets, plated service, boxed meals and more. 

For additional information on future hours and events, please visit Flint’s social media page at Flint’s Smokehouse.