The Start
It all started in 2014 with a random recipe search and a serious case of BBQ curiosity. During a family reunion at the lake, I whipped up my very first homemade barbecue sauce—and let’s just say, it didn’t last long. One taste, and the family was hooked. That saucy success sparked a mission: to create a handcrafted BBQ sauce that packed bold flavor without the junk.
Fast forward to 2017, while dialing in that original recipe, my wife and I hit a new plot twist—our son was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. Suddenly we were label-reading ninjas, dodging gluten, MSG, and high fructose corn syrup like it was a full-time job. That challenge turned into our commitment: every sauce and spice blend had to be clean, flavorful, and cul-de-sac approved. After years of experimenting, failing forward, and taste-testing more ribs than we care to admit, Smoked Q was born—and the flavor hasn’t looked back since.
Creating Deliciousness
After saucing up the family reunion, we couldn’t stop there. Our next adventure had us mixing, blending, and occasionally exploding in the kitchen—creating spice rubs, baking mixes, and anything we thought might level up the BBQ game. Some recipes were hits. Others? Let’s just say the didn't make the cut. But every experiment brought laughs, lessons, and a whole lot of flavor-packed fun.
By early 2020, all those smoky trials led to something real: Smoked Q officially became a family-run venture, producing small-batch, handcrafted BBQ sauces, rubs, and spice blends. We found that other families—just like ours—wanted delicious food made with real, recognizable ingredients. No dyes. No fillers. No unpronounceable junk. Just honest-to-goodness flavor the whole crew can get behind. And that’s been our mission ever since: bold flavor, clean ingredients, and backyard BBQ made better.
Make it official
To make Smoked Q legit, we rolled up our sleeves, tapped into some MBA brainpower, went deep into the BBQ corners of the internet, and powered through with good old-fashioned hard work (and caffeine). Even with a few curveballs from the COVID-19 pandemic, we officially fired things up and launched our first lineup of small-batch products on August 16th, 2021—and we haven’t looked back since.
From day one, the support has been incredible. Friends, family, and flavor fanatics helped us get rolling (and kept coming back for more). That early momentum gave us the push to grow our product line and expand across our hometown community in Northeast Indiana. By 2023, the word was out—our brand awareness sizzled, and sales jumped 78% from year one to year two! It has been continued growth year over year since, showcased by shipping to 33 US States and counting.
A new era
As demand has grow and our small-batch commercial kitchen setup couldn’t keep up, we knew it was time to scale. That meant partnering with a trusted contract manufacturer—someone we met while trading barbecue secrets on the competition BBQ circuit. With their help, we can now bring our handcrafted recipes to more backyards without compromising quality, flavor, or our commitment to clean ingredients.
This big step also sparked a fresh new name: Rocks BBQ. It’s bolder, more personal, and perfectly captures our mission—“Where Bold Flavor Meets Backyard Eats.” Whether you're firing up a weeknight dinner or feeding a hungry crowd, Rocks BBQ is here to elevate your cookout with sauces and rubs made to impress.
Learn more about our Founder
Meet Rock
Cook with Rock is the passion project of Mike "Rock" Rauch, founder of Rocks BBQ. I love sharing simple, flavorful recipes that showcase my amazing Rocks BBQ products. My goal is to inspire backyard cooks everywhere to recreate delicious dishes right at home. Whether you're firing up the grill, smoker, or griddle, @cookwithrock is here to help you elevate your outdoor cooking game.
For the backyard pitmasters who love cooking outdoor find me across social @cookwithrock