Smokin’ Deal BBQ to host open house at new 7,000-square foot store
Smokin’ Deal BBQ in Vernon Hills will have an open house at its new location from 9:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Whether looking for a gift for a backyard barbecue enthusiast or trying to equip a champion pitmaster-level setup, Jeff “The Smoker Guy” Silvers has it all covered.
Silvers’ new store at 1000 S. Butterfield Road, Suite 1007, has an extensive display of barbecue grills, smokers and other outdoor lifestyle products by makers like Weber, Yoder, Hestan, DCS, Lynx, Twin Eagles, Napoleon, Recteq and others. At just under 7,000 square feet, the space is roughly twice the size of Silvers’ former Mundelein location.
Customers also will find rubs and sauces, accessories, fuels, outdoor kitchen accoutrement, and even a sizable offering of top-quality meats, including Heritage Berkshire and Duroc Pork, Prime and Australian Wagyu Tomahawks, rib-eyes, beef ribs, hanger steaks and tri-tips.
More than three dozen brands and product types are available, serving residential, competition and commercial barbecue operations. Open house attendees can sample some pulled pork, burnt ends, sausage and more.
“We’ll have food, giveaways, and several of our featured partners onsite,” said Silvers, a certified Kansas City Barbeque Society judge.
The store has a built-in, live-fire education island. It’s a 16.5-by-6-foot space where some top chefs, including Gale Gand and Larry “Duce” Raymond, have stopped by to lead cooking demos.
“Duce’s father created Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue, and Gale is a two-time James Beard Award winner,” Silvers said. “We’re going to continue to attract chefs that are well-known and respected for their culinary expertise.”
The cooking demos are part of Silvers’ relationship-building versus transactional approach to business that has helped him become a go-to for amateurs and pros alike, he said.
“We support a lot of competition barbecue teams,” he said. “They’re looking for best-in-class rubs and sauces, the ones that are hitting now. We also source some of the best proteins available, intentionally for competitions ... here, they’re able to see it before they buy it.”
Amateurs, pros or restaurateurs can find something at Smokin’ Deal BBQ — from a $300 grill to a luxurious outdoor hardscape project or commercial-grade equipment for mobile or stationary use.
“We really are all about the outdoor lifestyle,” Silvers said. “This store is effectively everything to do with fire and cooking and being outside enjoying one another’s company.”
Store hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, visit smokindealbbq.com or call (847) 393-7065.