You can finally look forward to going to the in-laws for dinner, thanks to Mary Ellen and John Bingman of Saylorsburg, who have opened In-Laws Barbecue in Gilbert.

With a motto of "slow is pro," the main features on the menu are smoked meats including pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs and chicken. Sides range from cole slaw, baked beans, green beans with bacon, mac 'n' cheese, french fries and salads. Fried mac 'n' cheese wedges and homemade corn bread may quickly become your new favorites. They have root beer and birch beer on tap.Located in the old Beechwood Inn on Route 209, you can order in or take out in fast-food style. But there is nothing fast-food in the preparation with all the meats slowly smoked on the premises. Currently they are using an indoor smoker, but they have one outside, ready to use when the weather gets warmer or if needed. All the recipes, including the barbecue sauces, mac 'n' cheese and corn bread, are their own, except the chicken wing sauce.The Bingmans came up with the name In-Laws in memory and honor of their brother-in-law, Jimmy Kercher."He started roasting his own pigs. Then he built his own smoker. John helped him in the roasts for friends and family for years. John thought they could build a bigger and better smoker, and Jimmy kept expanding his menu. They began doing more and more pig roasts," Mary Ellen said.Jimmy passed away unexpectedly two years ago from pneumonia, so In-Laws is dedicated to him.The Bingmans met at Penn State University, where they both graduated.John, self-employed as a Quality Systems Consultant for the past 20 years, spends a lot of time traveling all over the country. One day he told Mary Ellen that he loved smoking meats and said, "Why don't we open a restaurant?"Mary Ellen worked 20 years as a medical technologist at the Easton Hospital and then became the director of the nonprofit Pregnancy Resource Center in Stroudsburg up until her retirement. She agreed to give it a go."We knew it would be quite a life change. We're hoping to do well enough for John to give up his other job," Mary Ellen said.The Bingmans have three children and six grandchildren. Their daughter, Misty Overland, is the restaurant's front manager, and her son, Erik Bogart, 16, is part of the kitchen crew.They are very grateful to the community for their support."We've been busy in our soft opening, and we want to do everything we can to offer a good product to our customers. We're still adjusting, and it might take us a couple of months to get all our bugs worked out," Mary Ellen said.Their hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and closed Sundays. Visit their website at

www.inlawsbbq.com or call 570-994-5626.