About us

SMOAK has been a dream of ours for a few years. When we wanted to make it a reality, we decided to travel south to study our nation’s best BBQ. After spending many days in different states, learning the secrets of what makes BBQ great, we put our knowledge to the test. We spent hundreds of hours perfecting our smoked meats, rubs, and sauces, trying to bring the best BBQ to Rochester, MN that we could.

We came up with the name SMOAK by combining the words "smoke" and "oak." During our travels to the south, we stopped in Texas, and the best BBQ spots there were using a wood called post oak to smoke their meats. We thought the flavor post oak provided to the meats was delicious and wanted to replicate the practices they used. However, we soon found out that, unfortunately, post oak doesn't grow in Minnesota. We reached out to the experts in the wood industry, and they told us that white oak is the closest relative to that species. After smoking various meats with white oak, it was a hit - we loved the flavor. Because the oak we use to smoke our meats is such a significant part of our BBQ, we wanted it to be a part of our restaurant's name. Thus, SMOAK was born.

Our Approach

We're committed to serving you the best and freshest product possible. In order to do that, we will be smoking nearly all of our delicious meats overnight, every single day. As a result of this commitment to freshness, we may run out of certain cuts of meat from time to time.