T&D BBQ food truck brings tasty homemade barbecue to the Sauk Valley

When Courtney and Dantrion Dodd decided to bet on themselves, they had no idea the odds would pay off.

The Dodds own the T&D BBQ food truck in Dixon. Together, they serve homemade pulled pork, ribs and other barbecue cuisine. The truck’s name not only means “tasty and delicious,” but also incorporates the initials of Dantrion’s nickname, Tron Dodd.

“It just came to him one night,” Courtney recalled. “Everyone liked it. Tasty and delicious by Tron Dodd. It just stuck.”

Although Dantrion studied culinary arts at Robert Morris University in Chicago, his roots in the kitchen stem from childhood.

“I’ve been cooking my whole life,” Dantrion said. “I learned to cook from my aunties and the women in my family.”

Dantrion worked several factory jobs after returning home from college. He tried selling homemade ribs out of his house with some success, but did not consider expanding further until a series of events left him with nothing to lose as he bet on his hopes and dreams.

“We were in the hospital with our son, who had complications since he was born, when I ran out of points at my job running back and forth,” Dantrion said. “They ended up letting me go. So, we decided to bet on ourselves. Right after we came back from Vegas, my wife told me, ‘Go ahead and bet on yourself.’ And that’s what I did.”

As orders for Dantrion’s food plates grew beyond what the couple could legally serve from home, the couple decided to purchase a food truck in 2023. Equipped with a mobile kitchen, a hungry customer base, a dream and a meat smoker gifted to them at their wedding, the Dodds hit the road with their barbecue and have not looked back since.

“What I love about cooking is that you can take anything and make it your own,” Dantrion said. “I like when I serve people, and getting to see people smile, especially when they tell me how good my food is. That makes me feel really good because I’m making people happy with something that I’m doing. I just want to thank everyone for their support. I do what I can, and I let God do the rest. Because without him, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

The T&D BBQ food truck can be found throughout the Sauk Valley every weekend. The Dodds post the truck’s hours and locations on its Facebook page.