Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Stroud.
Hi Matt, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started cooking with my Dad when I was big enough to reach the kitchen counter. I enjoyed grilling and making salsa with him. I started smoking meats for my family and friends about 25 years ago. My smoked brisket was always a crowd-pleaser at parties. My wife, Trisha, and I grew up in Lake Highlands and met in high school. We reconnected at a Halloween party 10 years after graduation. We knew that we wanted to raise our kids near family. So we chose to live in Lake Highlands. Starting in 2008, we traveled the country in our travel trailer since I worked in oil in gas. Trisha has always Road Schooled our 2 children, Maddon (10) and Savannah (8) so they could travel with me.
In 2018, I dabbled with making BBQ sauces while helping my friend with his food truck. I came up with a Jalapeno BBQ Sauce that regular customers would ask for. So, I started to can and sell it. And from that, Strouderosa was born!
My last oil and gas job ended in January 2020. Then the pandemic hit. With no pipeline job in site, Trisha and I decided to really put everything into making BBQ sauce, expanding to Blood Orange Habanero and Peach Chipotle, along with our original Jalapeno BBQ Sauce. Last November, Trisha had a fellow Mom ask where to get a smoked turkey on the local Mama Facebook page. Trisha and I discussed it and decided to offer our services. At first, it started as us just offering to smoke turkeys, then it turned into us planning full Thanksgiving meals! The next week, I smoked a couple of briskets and posted on Facebook that we were having a Brisket Bonanza and passing out free samples. I ran out of brisket in two hours. We received raving reviews on Facebook. From there, we have had a steady amount of orders for smoked meats. In January 2021, we started Meals of the Week, which are precooked and ready to reheat family meals. We operate out of our home in the Dallas Suburb of Lake Highlands. We offer free contactless porch drop-offs in the Lake Highlands area. We will deliver to surrounding areas for a small fee. Most weeks, we sell out in just two days!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has NOT been a smooth road! For the BBQ sauces, it was me going to locals restaurants and shops to ask if they would sell the Jalapeno BBQ Sauce. We had a few give us a shot. We gave away more jars than we sold! For smoking meats, easier to sell… but we struggle with space and time. We can not expand our house. We have to smoke and make on-demand since storage capacity is limited. We tried renting commercial kitchens, but we could not travel with the smoker! We have often thought of opening a restaurant, but that just does not feel like the best move for us during a pandemic! Delivery was tricky. Trisha would do most of the deliveries while I was prepping. But then when we got too many orders to deliver in one day, we had to start delivering on two different days.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a natural gas pipeline welder by trade. My dream is to have my own smoked meats family-style restaurant. I have always enjoyed cooking and smoking meats since I can remember. My fondest memories of my growing up are cooking with my Dad. I think that our great taste, generous portions, fair prices, and unique style of food really set us apart. We are unique as in we don’t really consider ourselves a BBQ service. We really focus on generous portion family meals using smoked meats with a dash of homestyle and Tex-Mex.
Pricing:
- Smoked brisket – $18/pound
- Smoked pulled pork – $16/pound
- Jalapeno BBQ Sauce – $8/16 ounces
- Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce – $8/16 ounces
- Blood Orange Habanero BBQ Sauce – $8/16 ounces
Contact Info:
- Email: strouderosa@gmail.com
- Website: strouderosa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strouderosa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strouderosa
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/strouderosa
Image Credits
Thomas Garza of Thomas Garza Photography
