By Isabella Zarate
For years Scott Block found himself raising cattle and farming grain, until one day he decided he was ready for a change of pace.
“I’ve always enjoyed cooking,” Block shared. “I always made our family meals.” Eventually, Block’s passion turned into his livelihood.
Originating in Paris, IL in the Spring of 2021, House of Brisket was born. Block hit the road with his food trailer in tow.
While Block and the food trailer venture all around the state, the House of Brisket seems to be a frequent site in St. Joseph. On (typically) the fourth Wednesday of every month Block parks the trailer in the IGA parking lot for an evening dinner shift.
He claims the invite came after one of the IGA owners visited the House of Brisket during a trip to Urbana. From there Block was asked to set up during last year’s August festival. After quickly selling out, it was clear the trailer would become a local favorite.
Usually, on the menu, pulled pork sandwiches, belly burnt ends, and bbq ribs are often the most popular items. Though for Block, he awards his title of personal favorite to the sweet chubby – a baked sweet potato covered with all the fixings like sour cream and butter, then smothered with chopped brisket and topped off with fresh coleslaw.
“I love it. I love what we do. I love the food that we’re making. And I love to see people happy when they’re eating it,” Block exclaimed.
As running a food trailer is a big change of pace from farming, Block finds himself just as busy. In a regular week, the trailer goes out 4-5 times. On those days Block, his wife, and sometimes an additional employee are up at 5 a.m. putting ribs on, prepping sides and serving by 11.
After a few hours of lunch shift, the trailer packs up and moves to a different location to begin the dinner shift. Once all that is said and done, Block returns home around 8 p.m. where he then proceeds to clean the trailer and set it all back up for the next trip.
“A day when the trailer goes out is a pretty long day,” he shared.
In the chances Block and his crew have some downtime, they like to give business back to the locals.
“When we’re not out we try and go to somebody’s restaurant, see what they got and support everyone.”
