Low and Slow:
Enjoying the Process at Old Hoosier Meats

(Text originally published in the February 2021 issue of InMiddlebury Magazine.)

When Randy Grewe first took over the day-to-day operations of Old Hoosier Meats, he had learned just enough about meat to be dangerous. Now, his signature dry rub and low-and-slow smokehouse produce delicious ribs, brisket and pulled pork. His barbecue acumen may be the reason his ribs are award-winning, but Old Hoosier Meats is what it is today because of his innovative spirit and hardworking attitude, combined with a community that supported him and his family through thick and thin. 

Randy and his wife Michelle both grew up in Middlebury, attending Jefferson Elementary from and Northridge High School. Michelle was a few classes behind Randy in school, but years later they would get reacquainted at a mutual friend’s wedding and subsequently married themselves. They ended up moving back to Middlebury and raising their kids (Audrey and Sam) here, having only been away a couple years. They recently celebrated 26 years of marriage.

At Northridge, Randy was in the same class with Andy, son of Lynford Miller. Lynford owned a small butcher shop on 101 Wayne Street called Old Hoosier Meats. Besides sampling the beef jerky a couple of times, Randy’s only memory of Old Hoosier from his high school days was that Lynford was gracious enough to sponsor their softball team one year (something Randy now does himself for Middlebury’s youth sports teams). It wouldn’t be until years later that the building and business would catch Randy’s eye.

Randy was between jobs at the time, and Lynford was looking to get out of the business. So they established a timeline: “I would work for him for a year to learn the trade. The idea was that he would help me out as needed, and he did for several years until he passed away.” Randy enjoyed grilling and experimenting, but he had no training in working with meat. Included in the deal was that Randy could start fixing up and remodeling the old building.

The original building was built in 1923 as the high school gym. The Middlebury High School was on the next block over, now replaced by the parking lot and housing behind the First State Bank. The high school moved locations in 1938, and the gym was turned into a cold storage facility not long after. Residents didn’t have in-home freezers at the time, so they would rent out an 18x18-inch freezer drawer. Lynford eventually purchased the place and operated it for 24 years.

When Randy bought it, the historic building was in need of some love. The Grewes had lots of friends and family in the area eager to help them in this new endeavor, from remodeling to manning the counter (something Audrey, who now works in the film industry in California, excelled at as early as 3rd grade).

Within that first year, the Grewes and their crew cleaned up and cleared out the old building, sanded and refinished the floor, and redid the ceiling, tripling the amount of lighting in the retail area. The original stamped steel roof panels now adorn the register area. While they kept the signature ivy that covers the front of the building throughout the spring and summer, they did remove the poison ivy from the row of hedges out front. In the end, not only did Old Hoosier Meats look amazing, they also received the Middlebury Business Beautification Award that year. 

Most of the remodeling was done before the grand opening, so Randy and his team could focus on stocking the shelves. “We went to food shows and went online looking for unique products you don’t find everyday. We wanted something different than the big box stores, in both products and in service.” The shelf-stable products they carry now include everything from unique craft sodas to jams, jellies, sauces, and seasonings like the controversially-named Butt Rub (and other impolite but extremely popular dry rubs). But all of this is a precursor to the main event: the meats. Of course, Old Hoosier carries all of the normal meat market fare, stocking fresh steaks, pork loin, prime rib, and filet among numerous other cuts. They also make 15 different flavors of brats in-house and are known for their beef jerky.

But the most unique aspect of Old Hoosier is the smokehouse.

“We started looking for ways to utilize the smoker more, and one of the first things we stumbled into was baby-back ribs. I stumbled onto a great rub from the very beginning, and lucked into the time frame. By the second time I made ribs, we were selling everything we had.”

Residents of Middlebury and beyond can attest to the fact that Randy’s smoked ribs are as delicious as they are serendipitous. During the summer, Randy and his team will smoke up to 80 slabs a week (50 per week in the off-season).

But he didn’t stop there, building on the success of his ribs by adding brisket, wings, pulled pork, bacon, smoked chicken wings, and smoked mac and cheese to the rotation. Regarding the last one, Randy offers this mouth-watering window into the process: “We get a good creamy mac and put that in the smoker underneath the ribs so the drippings are falling into the mac and cheese, then we just keep stirring it throughout the day.” The original smokehouse has been in operation since the 1950s, so as Randy says, “those walls have a whole lot of flavor in ‘em.” It can hold up to 60 hams or 80 slabs of ribs with room to spare for wings and jerky.

A gas line along the bottom maintains a consistent heat, and they keep the woodbox well-stocked with sassafras logs. Randy’s step-dad was a primary advocate for collecting this particular wood, rustling up three years-worth of it from friends and neighbors before he passed away. 

This low-and-slow process produces not just exceptional flavor, but also limited quantities, and Randy’s customers have learned that good things come to those who wait (and call ahead). “We make as many as we can, we take pre-orders, and we run out when we run out.” 

One of Randy’s inspirations for Old Hoosier was Charlie’s Butcher Block in Elkhart. “I loved what they had there. I would go there at least once a week for lunch, or to bring some food home. I thought Middlebury could easily support something like that.” Accordingly, with each passing year Old Hoosier adds more ready-to-eat options. Several years ago they started doing carry-out lunches on Fridays, stacking to-go containers with a choice of a third rack of ribs, pulled pork sandwich, or their famous barnyard nachos -- pulled pork and brisket topped with queso. Sides included, of course. Some Fridays, Randy and his team serve lunch to over 100 people. They also offer pre-cooked options like prime rib roasts. And for all the home cooks and home smokers out there, Old Hoosier offers fresh cuts like brisket, beef tenderloin, and pork shoulders.

Over his 17 years operating Old Hoosier, Randy has had his fair share of challenges to overcome, from learning how much stock to plan for to fielding new requests almost weekly. During the holiday rush, he’s often in at 6 AM and out at 6 PM, shouldering paperwork to finish at home. Some years he smoked up to 500 hams in a single holiday season. And during the pandemic, he had days in March and April that were comparable to the Christmas rush. 

“We’re small enough and hometown enough that if I ran out of ground beef, I could say: let me write your name down and how much you want, come in tomorrow, and I’ll have it for you. From an essentials standpoint, we were here. We came in and kept going... It’s a small town, so we look out for each other. It’s a good group of people around here.” 

Randy’s love for the community in Middlebury has been forged over the years by a number of circumstances, not least of which was how Middlebury family and friends banded together when his son Sam was diagnosed with cancer in his leg at 14, then later when Sam began his journey to becoming a Paralympian in the high jump.

“The community really came together and helped out with that. Our customers have been a part of Sam’s journey as well. When he went to Rio we sold T-shirts with “Grewe Crew” on it, and we sold probably a couple thousand T-shirts that helped pay for expenses to get down there and support him. Great community. The support they’ve provided us has been great. We give back however we can!” Sam has since jumped for Team USA in Dubai, Qatar, Peru, Toronto, Amsterdam, and Germany, taking home gold in almost every event.

After almost two decades in this meat business, Randy has been able to connect with and serve multiple generations of Middlebury-area carnivores. All of this started with an interest, an opportunity, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a lot of hard work and time. At its heart, barbecue is about enjoying the process with the people you care about, and Old Hoosier Meats is testimony to the depth of flavor that comes out of that process.