How We Came to Be…

Award Winning   |  Gluten Free  |  All Natural  | Kosher Certified  |  Handcrafted in Small Batches  |  Made in Maine

The Story of DennyMike

DennyMike was born some fifty-odd years ago with the given name of Dennis Michael Sherman. The nickname DennyMike was given to him by his mother when he was a mere tadpole, which as it turned out wasn’t such a good idea for a good-ole Yankee where the two name nickname wasn’t as common as it is in traditional BBQ country such as the Great State of Texas.

So the nickname DennyMike got shelved until he went to the old country of Mexico as an exchange student in the early 1970’s. While there, DennyMike met a guy from Texas who would become one of his closest friends to this day. Charlie Arriaga was from East Texas, having grown up in Conroe but living most of his life around the Houston area. Charlie came from a long line of cooks and it was on school breaks from Mexico that he introduced DennyMike to authentic Texas-style barbecue. The rest, as they say, is history. From that first taste in the early 1970’s until today, DennyMike has nurtured a love of and devotion to, dry-rub Texas-style BBQ.

In the thirty or so years since that illustrious introduction at ol’ Mister Herman’s BBQ in Huntsville, Texas, there has been more than a small quantity of ‘cue devoured with a whole host of regional variations from the Northeast, Central and Deep South, to the Midwest and of course the Kansas City area. Long known and widely revered as one of the cradles of that simple, yet sublime food, we have come to love and know as barbecue. Yet DennyMike still comes back to the gold standard of BBQ, the Heart of Texas, the ‘cue that as always measures all other ‘cues.

DennyMikes’ Smokehouse BBQ and Deli grew out of that love of ‘cue and was first opened in Old Orchard Beach, Maine in the summer of 2002. He thought it was time for Maine to experience what he had known and loved for years- authentic Texas-style barbecue.

Now, seven years later, DennyMike has sold the building housing the restaurant and will be actively looking for another location, but in the meantime, he is promoting his line of sauces and rubs at the fairs and trade shows throughout New England and beyond. The word has been out since opening in ’02 that the ‘cue from DennyMikes’ pits rivals any of the best that people have tried anywhere, and the flavor of the sauces and rubs has created a legion of wicked happy repeat customers.

DennyMike is excited to be one of the leaders in the barbecue arena in New England and is looking forward to spreading the gospel of outrageously good BBQ from Maine to Florida and thus heading west, sharing his goodies with the rest of the country.
Yours in smoke,

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What Our Customers are saying:

Now that’s the stuff!
I just want to tell you how much I Absolutely love your sauces, my favorites are Hot and Nasty and sweet and spicy. As a native Mainah, I know how important it is to buy local products we been your loyal customer since before you won the award. My husband and I made a move from Maine to North Carolina. The first week we were here we tried the local “barbeque” which to our shock was not sauce at all…. (Vinegar) they call barbeque and put it on there meats after they have been cook. Terrible, is the only word that comes to mind. On the weekend we would sit around the grill reminiscing about DennyMike’s. Wishing we had a bottle for those ribs… Yesterday my Husband wanted to stop at this store called eastern outfitters (outdoorsmen store) unwillingly I said “sure”. As I was browsing what they had a little display that caught my eye. DennyMike’s sauces and rubs…I never thought I would see a bottle of that again, and especially not in North Carolina! After jumping for joy I have one thing to say….Tonight we are having a REAL barbeque, Thank you so much and keep up what your doing! -Jennifer, Sneads Ferry, NC

Repeat Offender!
Just wanted to say this is the 2nd time I am on line purchasing your rubs.  They are just fabulous .. My son went to Maine for a wedding and someone gave them as a small gift and he brought them back to me here in Jersey and they are the BEST..  I love rubbing them on a pork loin or ribs and slow cooking them.  My kids have never really eaten ribs until I started slow cooking them with your rubs. Just had to let you know. -Karen

WOW.
Your now stocked in my local Hanafords supermarket in Rindge NH!!  Where so happy!  We found Pixxie dust last year up in Camden on vactation and were almost out. We were food shopping and i was telling jane we need to go to york and get so pixxie dust then i looked and saw four of your rubs.  Can’t wait to try them all! Nice and flavorfull with out using a whole tub of it.   Tony from Winchendon Mass