Jesse Snyder and Trigg, the smoker, prepare to serve lunch at the Presto gas station located in Grantville.
by Bridget Weishaar
In today’s fast paced world convenience is everything, so why not let dinner come to you?
What began as a friendly-family competition has led Jesse Snyder, McLouth, and wife, Barb, to a mobile meat smoking business named none other than That Smoker.
Snyder’s barbecue endeavors began 10 years ago when he purchased a smoker with his dad and joined the ranks of the ever-popular McLouth BBQ Blowout held annually in June.
Starting as teammates and ending as friendly competitors, the cost of barbecue competitions was too much for the duo and the smoker was left collecting cobwebs in Snyder’s backyard.
The smoker sat empty for many years before a neighbor asked Snyder if he would fire it up and smoke some meat in bulk for a wedding.
Realizing how much he missed it, Snyder began the process of giving the smoker a face-lift. It was sandblasted and repainted with stencils that replicate the American flag in barbecue utensil form.
After completion, the smoker was deemed “Trigg” after a barbecue legend in Texas.
Although their new adventure just began in April, Trigg has already cooked up a bulk Easter dinner order and made its way around local towns such as Perry, Oskaloosa, Grantville, and their hometown of McLouth.
The duo took a look around the county to see what was happenning in the area and decided to center their new business venture in the town of Perry.
“With all the bridge construction going on, we wanted to offer the workers something that wasn’t Casey’s pizza every day,” Snyder said.
Selling out within hours, the location was a hit for the duo and Trigg has made the trip twice already this month.
There are no county regulations in place for mobile food vending, however each town does have its own rules.
Snyder has put in the work, making contact with each city asking for permission and finding out what it would take to be a vendor in each of the Jefferson County towns.
Along with the city halls, Snyder has talked with business owners having prime locations in each town to ask permission to use parking lots. A business with highway frontage is a huge plus for That Smoker. Being seen and word of mouth is the quickest way to boost sales.
The menu changes per location and is at the discretion of the duo and their tiny management team, also known as their children, Carolina and Sawyer.
When not in school, the littles assist with menu promoting, chip tasting, and giving the meat a good apple cider douse when needed.
Pulled pork, St. Louis-style ribs, rib tips, brisket, pork belly, and chicken thighs are on the menu list in the protein category with smoked baked beans and smoked macaroni and cheese offered as sides.
Depending on the cuts of meats used for the day, Snyder has a wide variety of rubs he prefers to use when smoking, The Blend from Kinder and Honey Bacon BBQ from Meat Church BBQ. He also likes Eat Barbecue’s Zero to Hero and Simply Marvelous Spicy Apple BBQ rub.
The sauce list includes the likes of Blues Hog Original, Smoke This Kansas City, or, for spicing things up just a little, Night of the Living Bar-B-Q is used.
Along with the mobile locations, That Smoker also cooks up bulk meat orders and sides upon request.
“We will cook for an event someone needs; birthday parties, graduation partes, Easter dinners, whatever anyone wants,” Snyder said.
The weather forecast has put a damper on locations this past week, but looking into the future That Smoker will be at events such as the Old Settlers Reunion June 22-24 held annually in Oskaloosa. They are also working with the McLouth Kiwanis to possibly offer a meal during the week of fireworks sales.
Barb was born in Germany, but moved to McLouth in 1987 when her father retired from the Air Force. She graduated from McLouth High School in 1995.
Her roots run deep in the county as her parents owned Karmann Clock Repair and later adding a video store to the mix, both in McLouth.
She worked for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office from April of 2006 up until 2021. After that, she obtained her realtors license and is currently employed by Keller Williams on Shawnee Mission Parkway.
Snyder who was born in Lawrence, has always called McLouth home. He graduated high school in 2008 and soon after joined the ranks of the Jefferson County 911 dispatch. He moved over to the ambulance department where he is currently employed.
The couple’s two children, Carolina Sue and Sawyer attend school at McLouth. Carolina is in the first grade and Sawyer, half day preschool.
The team of Snyder and Snyder are both volunteer firefighters with Union Township Fire District No. 9 in McLouth and offer discounts to EMTs, firefighters, and police. Discounts are also offered for special events such as teacher appreciation week. With both being in community-based work, they want to be able to offer support back to those who support their professions.
That Smoker and their upcoming locations can be found on Facebook. You can also call or text the Snyders at 785-331-9207.