A Rigby barbecue restaurant that found its home on Clark Street in 2016 has continued to grow and receive nationwide attention in recent years. Since Lil’ Mike’s first opened three years ago, it has been ranked as one of the top barbecue locations in the region.

Before earning recognition from across the state and nation, the co-owners’ barbecue endeavors began as simple weekend cookouts.

Lil’ Mike’s co-owner Jennifer Scarbrough said they would barbecue every weekend after family members returned home from working in the oil fields. She said people continuously told them to open their own restaurant. After many years of others insisting, they finally decided to open Lil’ Mike’s in 2016.

After starting in a trailer in 2015, the business found a home on Clark Street in Rigby in 2016 where they served menu items such as slow-cooked brisket, ribs, pulled pork and sausage that were smoked for 12 to 14 hours and cut in front of the customer, sticking with their Texas-style roots. They also offer specialty side dishes such as corn salad and coleslaw.

Scarbrough said a difficulty with cooking the food in advance is once the food is gone, they close for the day. Any meat left over is then used for something else, so that nothing is wasted.

“What’s on that night is all we have,” co-owner Betty Shultz said. “We don’t keep any meat.”

Scarbrough also said the company caters for numerous family and business events. She said they have catered for as many as 250 people and have traveled as far as Alpine, Wyoming. The time it takes to prepare for the event remains the same, Scarbrough said. The only difference is the amount of food they need to prepare.

Praise for the company’s food is endless, including not only Rigby residents, but people from around the world. Listed are few reviews from the Lil’ Mike’s website.

“This is such a great place to eat. I’m from southwest Texas and I’ve tried various barbecue places that have my heart. This place joins the list,” one review states. “If you’ve ever heard of Rudy Barbeque in Texas, this is just as good.”

“I just ate at Lil’ Mike’s and it was the best barbecue I have eaten. I have eaten barbecue across this fine country of ours and this is the best little hidden gem. Nestled in a quaint little town of Rigby,” another states.

After a few successful years, the family decided that is was time to expand.

In June 2018 they decided to expand to West Yellowstone, Montana. The Firehole Barbeque Company can be found on Firehole Avenue.

Scarbourough said they initially served food during the annual Snowmobile Expo. While there, she said they received praise for their food and were asked to bring a restaurant to area. Before deciding on their West Yellowstone location, they also considered a site in Idaho Falls, but ultimately came to the conclusion that West Yellowstone was the best option.

“We’ve had really good feedback,” Scarbrough said. “Everyone loves it, and all of the locals support them.”

Like the Rigby location, the Firehole’s meals have received nationwide recognition, recently being featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” hosted by Guy Fieri.

Fellow co-owner Julie Shults and her husband run the West Yellowstone restaurant.

Aside from a different name, the process of cooking and presenting their food has remained the same. The West Yellowstone location also offers a few additional menu items such as nachos and potatoes.

Shultz said the main difficulties of going through the expansion process was trying to find a reasonably priced location and building the walls in the rain and snow. Despite that, they said their main goal was to share their love for barbecue, continue to expand and to continue producing the best food possible.

“We want to bring the Texas experience here,” she said.

Sticking with their goals, Scarbrough said they are again considering expansion in the future, with locations such as Bozeman, Montana, and Boise on their radar.

TripAdvisor currently ranks Lil’ Mike’s as the No. 1 restaurant in Rigby, while another poll ranks it the fifth best barbecue restaurant in the state.