Beerded BBQ started with a deep respect for the craft of live-fire cooking and a simple, relentless drive to get better with every single burn. After coming home from the Marine Corps, our founder and pitmaster, Jake, was looking for a new mission. He found it in authentic, high-quality barbecue.

Like most great obsessions, this one started small. Jake bought a cheap, beat-up barrel smoker off Facebook Marketplace and dove in headfirst. His very first cook, a brisket point, was a total disaster. But instead of walking away, that failure sparked a obsession to figure it out. He spent countless hours learning the rules of wood, fire, and airflow. He tried out a pellet smoker for a while, and while the results were consistent, it just felt too automated. It was missing the soul, the heavy wood smoke, and the hands-on craftsmanship that makes real BBQ what it is.

That search for true flavor led him to an offset stick-burner, and everything clicked. From that point on, Jake truly began to hone his skills, dialing in his techniques with every cut of meat.

As the food got better, so did his connection to the community. In 2025, Jake and his family launched the first-ever Bangin' BBQ & Bargains competition right here in Wauconda, Illinois. It was a massive hit out of the gate, but it did something else, too... Stepping onto the competitive BBQ circuit filled a competitive void that Jake hadn't felt since his football days. It put a whole new fire in his belly to chase excellence on the podium.

Today, the Beerded BBQ team is actively training, traveling, and competing against the best in the business to build a name we can be proud of. But you don't have to wait for a trophy to taste what we’re doing. We’ve channeled all that hard work into building our mobile outdoor kitchen, featuring a custom-built smoker.

With the mobile rig officially rolling, Beerded BBQ is nearly live. We will soon start booking professional catering services for private parties, weddings, and corporate events, and we will be bringing the smoke straight to the streets with local pop-ups all over Wauconda and the greater Lake County area.

We’ve come a long way from a broken-down marketplace barrel, but we're still chasing the perfect bite. And honestly? This is just the beginning.