With a smoker attached, this barbecue food truck is passionate about product and community

BAY CITY, MI – Sometimes all it takes is a nudge from someone else to spark a business.

For the Fat Matt’s BBQ food truck, Shellina Poirier is the one to encourage her husband, Matt Poirier, to open a food truck.

It all began in 2020 when Matt Poirier left his job and wasn’t sure what to do, he said.

“I started barbecue when I was probably 21 years old. I worked with a buddy of mine who had a company and we did a lot of competitions all over the U.S.,” Matt Poirier said.

After gaining experience over those years, Matt Poirier said he started his own side hustle, such as catering weddings and events for friends and family.

Then, Matt Poirier decided to create his own dry rub and barbecue sauce, which took about a year and a half to get it right, he said.

Fast forward to 2020 and Fat Matt’s BBQ food truck hit the map.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun meeting new people going to different places all the time and we love doing big events,” Matt Poirier said. “The more challenging, the more excited I get.”

Some of the bigger events where Fat Matt’s BBQ has served include Baja Acres in Millington and Redbud Pro Motocross in Buchanan.

Both events bring people from all over the world, and the Poiriers’ expressed how amazing it is to share their food with such a variety of people.

Matt Poirier said he grew up in Munger and met Shellina Poirier in 2019. They got married in 2020 and special ordered their food truck through a company in Georgia.

The food truck was built to their wants and needs, so a smoker is attached. Matt Poirier said the smoker will hold up to 750 pounds of meat at one time.

Just as they got to pick up their trailer, the pandemic began sweeping the nation, closing all restaurants.

“It’s horrible for restaurants and I do feel bad for that, but for food trucks, COVID actually helped out, because we could stay open because we were outside,” Matt Poirier said.

The Poiriers’ said one of the most popular items from their menu is the mac and cheese parfait, which is their homemade mac and cheese with pulled pork on top drizzled with their homemade barbecue sauce.

The ribs and brisket are popular sellers too, they added.

Regardless of what they’re selling, the mid-Michigan communities have been a huge support, so they enjoy giving back with donations and raising money for various causes, Shellina Poirier said.

“I really enjoy doing a lot of community events. They’re so supportive of us, so the least we can do is be supportive of them,” Shellina Poirier said.

Fat Matt’s BBQ does offer catering and sells bottles of their dry rub and barbecue sauce as well.

Check out their Facebook page here or their website here to see where they plan to pop up next.

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