Inside The Kitchen at Port City Smokehouse

“It was swimming yesterday,” said John Berndt, a manager at Port City Smokehouse in Frankfort. “The head is going to come off, the tail is going to come off.”

Then the fish go into the brine overnight, before they’re sent to the smoker for about four hours.

“It’s not, you know, turning a switch like on an oven,” he described.

They’ll smoke about 25 thousand pounds of fish this year.

Some will get turned into jerky, some will get made into one of their famous pâtés.

That’s what keeps Kristeen Burks coming back at least every other week.

“Wonderful to serve for appetizers for guests, and the smoked salmon, the peppered smoked salmon, that is especially good,” she said.

She says she found Port City Smokehouse years ago when her family started bringing in their own fish to get smoked.

That’s usually a three day process, and it can get shipped all across the country.

“So we bring it in and we weigh it, we tag it, we put it in the special bag, it goes in the brine with our regular fish, and then we put it in its a separate tray,” John described.

Or you can pick up your fish here in Frankfort, along with some Michigan-made products in the market, or lunch or dinner to go.

“Their lobster rolls, that’s been a great supper for Ed and I to enjoy,” she said.

Owner Mike Elwell says coming to Port City Smokehouse is more than about just food.

“But what we really provide is the up north experience, and that’s been our focus from the start,” he said.

They opened 16 years ago, looking to combine a love for fishing and fill a need in the frankfort community.

“We started out from humble beginnings,” he said.

Now looking to welcome you back again and again.

“What’s really nice is that we do get a lot of repeat customers,” Mike said. “There’s that relationship they tell us about, you know, the things that they’re doing and most importantly, just glad to get those products in their hand and have a chance to enjoy north Michigan at its finest.”

You can visit Port City Smokehouse at 1000 Main Street in Frankfort, or call at 231-352-9192.

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