Bam Bam’s BBQ creates a barbecue culture in Utah

626

Bam Bam’s BBQ adds diversity to Utah’s cuisine with Texas-style barbecue made fresh daily.

Cameron Treu, owner of Bam Bam’s BBQ, said he decided to open a restaurant in Orem because growing up in Utah, he could not find good barbecue around here.

“In my opinion, there is no authentic barbecue here so I thought Utah County might be a good place,” Treu said.

Treu found his passion in barbecue when he watched barbecue competitions on television four years ago. Previous to Bam Bam’s, Treu had his own marketing company with a friend and sold half of it to spend all his time learning how to barbecue.

“It was scary,” Treu said. “It was two years not making very much of money, and I’m married with kids. But I just chased down my dream, and it ended up all good for me.”

At Bam Bam’s BBQ, brisket, ribs, turkey, chopped beef, pulled pork or sausage links are priced by half pound. Customers can choose to eat smoked meat with sandwich options, which include sides and drinks. For the sides, Bam Bam’s BBQ has potato salad, beans, coleslaw and chips.

Chris Hronek, a UVU student from Heber City, said his friends brought him to Bam Bam’s BBQ and he kept coming back for seconds.

“I just love how the ribs are tender and they come right off the bones,” Treu said. “I also like the spicy beans. They’re delicious.”

Treu won several barbecue

Cameron Treu is carefully slicing briskets made from the highest quality of beef at Bam Bams BBQ off of State Street in Orem. (Photo by Samantha Williams.)
Cameron Treu is carefully slicing briskets made from the highest quality of beef at Bam Bams BBQ off of State Street in Orem. (Photo by Samantha Williams.)

competitions and got an elite apprenticeship in Texas one year after he entered the professional world of barbecuing. Treu jokingly said he had a lot of secrets and was probably not going to share any of them.

“I guess my biggest secret that makes me different is really high-quality meat,” Treu said. “I have been to a lot of BBQ restaurants. They focus too much on the money side instead of the quality, so they buy cheaper cut of meat, whereas here the quality is the most important to me.”

Treu said some factors behind his success are hard work and networking. He said if he had not made friends with the right people, he would not have been as successful as he was today. He added that passion is also important to success.

“My advice is to do something that you love,” Treu said. “It’s cliché to say that, but you know, I chased money for a long time, and I didn’t expect to make a lot of money from doing barbecue. If you really love something, you are a lot more passionate about it, which makes you better than other people in your field.”

Bam Bam’s BBQ is located at 1708 S. State St. in Orem and is open Tuesday–Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call (801) 225-1424 or visit the facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bambamsbbq.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email