Brothers’ Mobile Barbecue Truck Is a Local Favorite

Photographer / Jubilee Edgell

Jonny and Dan Egolf had a dream to be their own bosses. They made that dream come true with their popular Leg Shakers BBQ.

“We are brothers and have been cooking on the grill, smoking meats and crafting homemade dishes with our handcrafted sauces and rubs for some years now,” Jonny says.

Jonny previously worked as a welder for Hunts Maintenance in Westville, Indiana, while Dan worked at Hoosier Racing Tire in Plymouth, Indiana.

They both had worked together as welder-fabricators for many years at the same companies, before Dan’s move to Hoosier Racing Tire.

After working at jobs that were not giving them the creative ability or freedom they were craving, they decided to make a plan. They missed the days of being able to work together

“This drove us to find a way to make it happen and be our own bosses, do something we love to do, and that was grilling up some good barbecue,” Jonny says. “We were inspired to take the barbecue to the people by having a lot of support from family and friends. We received a lot of good feedback from everyone, so we started looking into what it took to make our food, and have it available for everyone.”

They made the wise decision to make their business mobile.

“Since buying a fixed location in a small town seemed to not be the best way for us to start, we decided to take (our food) and serve it out of a mobile kitchen trailer,” Jonny says. “We could have our grills and smokers rolling wherever we decide to go.”

Jonny noted that being mobile was a great concept inspired by the west coast food truck craze.

“Barbecue to us has always been done up outside with family and friends,” Jonny says. “It should also be focused around the grills and smokers and the hunks of meat and food inside of them.”

The Egolf brothers also started to hone their recipes and cooking methods.

“A joke was made one day that it was so good it made your leg shake,” Jonny says. “It’s kind of like when you pet a dog and hit that sweet spot that makes them just start thumping their leg, and thinking, ‘Oh, that’s the spot.’ That was also the day the name ‘Leg Shakers BBQ,’ and the food we cook, took on a form of identity.”

The Egolf brothers are currently taking their Leg Shakers BBQ out to set up in spots locally to sell to the public.

“Being mobile has also allowed us to take the barbecue to private catered events, giving folks a barbecue experience with the grills and smokers going, and the smells of barbecue in the air,” Jonny says

The community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“It was a big shock to us,” Jonny says. “We first set up on the side on U.S. 421, near San Pierre, Indiana, and we honestly didn’t know what was going to happen. We made about 100 pounds of meat, and 50 pounds in sides.”

After about four hours, they were sold out

“We couldn’t believe it,” Jonny says. “On the first day, we sold all of our food, and got to serve some really great people. On the second set up, we found a great location at the Oak View Motel in North Judson, Indiana. That’s when the community really got excited because it was something new and different to eat around that area. We made even more food and sold out in two and a half hours.”

Jonny adds that customers have responded to the unusual setup

Jonny says customers really love the pulled pork brisket sandwiches, topped with grilled onions and their sweet homemade BBQ sauce called “Beer’d Sauce.

“It seems to be the most popular,” Jonny says. “We also got a lot of great feedback on our smoked bacon mac and cheese, and our seasoned potatoes. The smoked Gouda and Munster cheese have also been popular.”

Dan says his favorite is their “candy bacon, smoked Gouda cheese, pulled pork sandwich, smoked turkey, seasoned potatoes and smoked bacon mac and cheese.

Some other tasty items cooked up in the trailer include their pulled pork or brisket nachos, topped with nacho cheese, leg shakers beer’d sauce and jalapeños

“We also do BBQ chicken and ribs,” Jonny says. “There is some stuff we don’t always have readily available unless it is requested. This includes our smoked turkey, orange-glazed ham, beef jerky, jerk chicken and our homemade chili. We do have a catering menu on our website at legshakersbbq.com that offers a larger menu of items that are not normally sold out of the trailer.”

Jonny added that Leg Shakers’ unique recipes have been in the works for the past five years.

The Egolf brothers use as many locally grown and sourced products made in Indiana as they can.

“We use these cooking ingredients to make our sauce in our well-seasoned cast iron pots and smoke and dry different spices and herbs for our rubs,” Jonny says. “We use our homemade rubs and sauces in and on the fresh homemade food that is prepared.

“We would like to thank God for blessing us in this life journey and give a special big thanks to our mom and dad, Bart and Judy, for all the help and support over the years. I also want to say thank you to all our friends, family and to all of the barbecue lovers that help and supports us.”

For more information, visit Leg Shakers BBQ online at legshakersbbq.com or give them a call at 844-974-2537.

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