A fire Nov. 29 at Noah’s Smokehouse, a barbecue restaurant at 940 Monroe St., has temporarily closed the business while repairs occur.
By SUE SUCHTYA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – An accidental fire Nov. 29 at Noah’s Smokehouse, a halal barbecue restaurant at 940 Monroe St., has temporarily closed the business while repairs occur.
Fire Chief Joseph Murray said lack of exhaust hood maintenance caused the fire.
“The fire originated in the smoker as a possible result of excess fat, oil, grease and smoke residue,” he said. “The fire was able to extend to the exhaust hood above using the excess buildup as a fuel source.”
Pitmaster Noah Saleh of Dearborn co-owns the restaurant with Dr. Mohamed Elgahmi of Dearborn.
Saleh, a Dearborn native, is an X-ray and MRI technician.
The restaurant is Saleh’s first, which turned a hobby and a dream into a unique restaurant across the street from the Dearborn Historical Museum’s Commandant’s Quarters.
He did his homework and learned authentic barbecue techniques in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina prior to the restaurant’s 2019 opening.
Because of the 10- to 12-hour brisket cooking time, the restaurant was impacted at the height of the pandemic when in-house seating was closed, because it was impossible to predict carryout order volume in conjunction with the extensive food preparation time.
When Saleh launched the restaurant, he said he wanted to depart from the Arabic and Mediterranean restaurants in the area. He said he sought to bring a different flavor to Dearborn, while keeping it halal so everyone could enjoy it, while creating a homelike ambiance and using the building’s brick architecture to its best advantage.