Steele Barrel BBQ Company — Restaurant in Yelm

EDIT 2: 2/3/24 Steele contacted me shortly after my prior review and asked that we give him a second chance. They made an error and they owned up to it. We decided to take them up on the offer and I am very glad we did.

We got the Burrito and Steelio tacos. Both were piping hot, fresh and most of all delicious.

Steele was very friendly and I appreciate what he did for us as a customer. With that being said, he earned a lifelong customer by taking care of us and fixing the mistake. We are already planning to come back again and try the chicken thighs and ribs.

Thanks to Steele and his crew, you changed our mind about the place. Its great to have a wonderful BBQ place in town that ranks #1 in my book. I suggest you all give them a chance if you have not already, you won't regret it.

Thanks again

EDIT 1: I was promptly called after posting this by the owner of Steele. He has asked us to come back again next weekend for a 2nd chance. We're gonna take him up on the offer as I believe they have potential. I really appreciated the owner reaching out and correcting the issue. I'll update after our 2nd go at it.

Prior Review: Well, this is unfortunate. I was really hoping we found a place that would have superb bbq and great customer service.

Made an online order for 4 people. We ordered at roughly 455pm. The order said it would be ready at 505pm, so we promptly left to get our food. Arrived at Steel bbq, the only car in the parking lot at about 510pm. We went to the truck and asked about our order and the lady at the counter said they are "Working on it, we will bring it to your car when it's done."

At roughly 535pm, we watched multiple cars in front of us come and go with their orders, so we went back up to the truck. After waiting in line, we asked about our order, again. They grabbed the bags off the back counter that had been sitting there since shortly after we arrived. The food had been sitting there for over 20mins

Our food sat there the entire time and was never given to us. She had walked by our car when she had other peoples food to giveout. Never asked us, never told us it was done. I have no clue why we were told they would bring it to the car, then leave it sitting on a counter getting to room temperature instead.

As you will guess, everything in the order was cold. We spent $75 on cold bbq.

Honestly, I have no idea what happened, but this is a horrible way to serve food.

I'd expect if someone says they'll bring your food out, you'd actually do it. I would have stood there waiting for it, if you didn't want to bring it to the car.

Now we get cold dinner. Burger was completely soggy. Tacos fell apart because the Tortillas were soaked. Fries were cold. Baked potato was room temperature.

I hope this was a one off, but I'm massively...

I had a brisket sandwich. The sandwiches were very good. The fries were great, it's a bit on the pricey side for a food truck experience with plastic silverware and to go containers. I dropped just over $20 per plate. Bit in hindsight I should have shared my sandwich and fries.

The only real complaint is the wait time. Be prepared to wait upward of 30 minutes or call your order ahead. I also found that a menu with no prices was discouraging since I had no idea what the total would be and after waiting in line for 15 minute with more people behind me I would have probably paid $150 to save the embarrassment of holding up the line even more when I found out the price. I know I could just ask, but item by item feels petty so I didn't do it.

Very rich food, large portions, the BBQ sauce is just Sweet Baby Ray's but as far as retail sauce goes it's pretty good. The fries are nice and seasoned so you might forego the dipping sauce but then again, it's still the only socially acceptable way to eat ketchup by the spoon.

Top 5 BBQ joint in the South Sound. I would rate them better...

Steele Barrel BBQ Company absolutely stole the show at the South Sound BBQ Festival this past Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Huntamer Park in Lacey!

I hit up quite a few BBQ vendors there, but their Brisket Mac & Cheese was seriously next-level. Hands down the best thing I ate all day, and it genuinely smoked the competition (pun intended)!

I even reached out to them because I couldn't find it on their online menu, and the owner, Steele Clayton, was super quick to respond. Turns out, you can get it as a loaded option online, or it's always available on their paper menus at their Yelm location.

If you're ever in the area and craving some top-tier BBQ, you have to check them out. I'll definitely be visiting their location soon to get more of that Brisket Mac & Cheese, and I'm excited to try some of their other items as well! I was so engrossed in enjoying this dish at the festival that I completely forgot to take a picture. Luckily, Steele Clayton was kind enough to send me this candid picture to share...