From Bonanza to Barbecue: A First Look at Strouderosa BBQ in Lake Highlands

They say that when one door closes, another opens. And in the case of Matt and Trisha Stroud, that opened door led them straight into the world of barbecue.

Matt was a welder in the oil and gas industry for years, a cyclical job with long breaks at home between long jobs away. During his days at home, Matt started making barbecue sauce. Inspired by their love for the old Western show Bonanza and its Ponderosa Ranch, the couple decided to combine their last name with Ponderosa, and voilà, Strouderosa BBQ was born. Like any smart marketers, they secured the domain name online.
In January 2020, Matt was furloughed just before COVID-19 hit and the world as we knew it shut down. But every cloud has a smoky silver lining, and now with more time on their hands, they decided to finally make good use of the domain they secured and began selling their jalapeño barbecue sauce.

It soon caught the attention of a few local hardware stores, and even One90 Barbecue jumped on board and started selling it in their store on East Northwest Highway. But it was an exchange on the Lake Highlands Facebook page that really turned up the heat. Trisha stumbled upon a post from a fellow Lake Highlands mom seeking a smoked turkey for Thanksgiving. Trisha offered to have Matt smoke a turkey for her, and, as it turned out, for 32 other Lake Highland moms. Those new customers asked, “What’s on the menu for Christmas?”

The Strouds started doing weekly meal pickups and deliveries with a menu centered on smoked meats. Their business grew rapidly, and in 2022 the demand was outgrowing their home kitchen. They started scouting for a new place to operate and opened their Lake Highlands restaurant in May.

The restaurant décor is rustic and cozy, with eight picnic-style tables. There's table service, so no standing in line here. If you’re lucky, you can even catch an old episode of Bonanza playing on TV. The restaurant is currently BYOB, but they're working on getting their license to serve beer and wine.

Our first look required some strategic planning as there were so many things we wanted to try. In round one we tackled the brisket nachos ($17), piled high with moist chunks of smoked brisket, Threeso (three-cheese queso), pickled jalapeños, pickled onions and pico. The nachos are served on the same size tray used to serve the barbecue. It’s easily shareable between two people or could be a full meal (or two). Be sure to douse the nachos with the homemade jalapeño barbecue sauce, which was the icing on the chip for us.
After surviving round one, we couldn’t resist returning for another challenge. This time, we focused on the barbecue meats and sides. The brisket was perfectly smoked and melted in our mouths. The turkey breast, brined and lightly seasoned with pepper, was tender, as were leftovers the next day. The hot links and jalapeño smoked sausage brought a splendid kick and that satisfying snap with each bite. And as for the smoked baby back ribs, the meat fell off the bone with a gentle tug.
All of Strouderosa's sides were superb. The jalapeño cream corn had a sweet kick from the candied jalapeños, making for an excellent summertime side dish. Smoky, bacon-laden borracho beans were hearty. The deviled egg potato salad was cool and refreshing, and green beans with more of that smoky bacon were great. The Mac and Threeso steals the show here, though. It's decadent and fresh; not dry or lumpy like many that linger too long under a heat lamp.

If you stop by don’t forget to grab a jar of jalapeño barbecue sauce to go. A 16-ounce jar in the restaurant or online goes for $10.

Strouderosa, 9090 Skillman St. Wednesday, 5–8 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.