BRINGING THE FLAVOR. Rollin' Smoke BBQ is just kicking off its adventures in the Chippewa Valley, aiming to bring an incredible Southern-style BBQ experience to the area.

It’s no secret the Chippewa Valley is all about the food truck/trailer craze – heck, Volume One has a whole event series dedicated to rounding up food trucks for folks to enjoy! – and two locals have dived into the game by opening their own food-on-wheels biz: Rollin’ Smoke BBQ.

Jim and Marie Kent have enjoyed cooking for just about their entire lives and have thought about running their own food truck for several years, but the time just wasn’t right before. A few weeks ago, things finally clicked into place.

“We’d been seriously looking into (buying a food truck) and one day, I saw a guy down in Alma was selling his trailer. I went and looked at it, it was what I wanted, and the timing was great,” Jim recalled. After bringing the trailer back to the Chippewa Valley just a couple of weeks ago, Rollin’ Smoke BBQ has received its license from the City of Eau Claire and has a menu prepped.

Jim is the man behind the barbecue, having adopted a Southern style years ago which will mark Rollin’ Smoke BBQ’s flavors. Though born and raised in Wisconsin, Jim traveled to Texas about 10 years ago and had his first taste of Southern-style barbecue, and as they say, the rest is history.

“The way I barbecue and smoke meat, it’s heavily influenced by Texas,” Jim said. “What makes it is all in the seasoning and the way it’s cooked.”

The menu will include brisket, pulled pork and chicken, beef ribs, burnt ends, and sides such as beans, Mac and cheese, greens, and cornbread. The main meats and sides options will all be $10 or under, and perhaps most special is Rollin’ Smoke’s combos and ribs options.

Not only can folks order a one-meat or two-meat plate, but can also order a half-rack or full-rack of ribs. Yes, a full rack of ribs, right out of a food trailer!

Rollin’ Smoke will also have specials that pop up on occasion.

Though the food trailer is still awaiting graphics to fully finish the meals-on-wheels machine, Rollin’ Smoke BBQ served up its mouthwatering grub for the first time outside of Big T’s Saloon on Sept. 24, offering Green Bay Packers fans fuel as they watched the game.

Where to see them next? Keep up with Rollin’ Smoke BBQ online to see where they’re headed. “We’ve had a few other inquiries to go other places, so we’ll be around this fall,” Jim said.

Keep up with Rollin’ Smoke BBQ’s schedule and updates on Facebook. Reach out to the Rollin’ Smoke team at rollinsmokebbqwi@gmail.com or (715) 456-8814.