Big Dan’s

Dan Britt, otherwise known as “Big Dan,” has worked at the restaurant since it opened in 2009. He said his passion for barbecuing is what drew him to the industry in the first place.

Britt said his main courses can take anywhere from eight to sometimes 15 hours to fully cook, since he likes to go “low and slow.” The result, however, is a menu customers flock from across the county to taste for themselves.

Big Dan’s provides decade of American tradition

39 T he local barbecue joint in Carter County may have undergone both name and location changes in the past few years, but the owner’s passion for his product and the community has not wavered since the restaurant first opened its doors.

Big Dan’s BBQ opened under the name Creeker’s BBQ roughly 10 years ago on Highway 91 in Carter County, and ever since that day, Dan Britt said he fell in love with the craft.

“I just wanted to be the pit boss,” Britt said. “The other people I started with left after a year.”

It was in 2015 when the restaurant’s third owner, Eddie Lewis, lost a kidney and had to give up the store. Rather than see his favorite place close down, Britt decided to take ownership of the place himself.

“Big Dan,” as the locals call him, said he originally worked as a civil engineer before working for Creeker’s, but once he started smoking meat, he just could not stop.

“I love the whole history of bar-be-que,” he said. “It is such an American tradition. It is about as American as you can get.”

Its original location on Highway 91 attracted a lot of truck drivers to the location, but in early 2019, the restaurant had the opportunity to move into downtown Elizabethton, next door to the Riverside Taphouse, and after months of negotiating leases and other details, the store reopened on Elk Avenue in early May to droves of people eager to sample his product.

“We feel really comfortable here,” Britt said. “I just love downtown. I love being part of this community.”

Big Dan’s decade of good reputation in part comes from its standards. His immense passion for bar-be-que translates into a high bar he sets for his food. He, himself, for instance, does all of the smoking himself.

“There is an art to doing it right,” Britt said. “Everyone has got their different spice rubs. It is such a versatile type of cooking.”

It is not like barbecuing is a fast process, either. When a customer orders the smoked ham, for example, they are actually ordering something that has been about eight or nine hours in the making. Pork takes about 15 hours, and the brisket can take about 16 hours to fully cook.

Part of this is due to Britt’s “low and slow” smoking process. While using an oven to cook will use a temperature of about 325 to 350 degrees, Britt smokes his meat at about 225. This slower method makes sure the meat is as tender as possible. He said he sticks with the meat the entire time. * Story and Photos by Amber Wadovick *

Britt does all the smoking himself, saying he sets high standards on how to prepare and serve his food.

40 “It is not rocket science, but there is definitely an art.” Britt said his method is not the only one out there. Some cooks will wrap their meat in foil while it cooks, and others use higher heats depending on what they are looking for. That is part of what makes barbecuing so fun.

Since their food has to be as fresh as possible, however, this means Big Dan’s has to predict what the customers are going to want far in advance, which can be tricky in the food industry. For example, in the winter, barbecue is not as overwhelmingly popular like it is during summer. It is not a perfect process, however.

“You really cannot control that,” Britt said.

Part of how they achieve this is by directly interacting with the customers and figuring out what is working and what isn’t. Some of their classics will remain on their menu year-round, while others will vary depending on the season. He said one of his main goals as a restaurant is to keep making quality food for its customers without being too extravagant.

“We do not want to get too complicated,” he said. Among his personal favorite items is the

sliced beef and the pulled pork. When times get tough, he said his staff make the

experience worth the difficulties that sometimes come their way.

“My staff is like a family,” Britt said. “The whole experience is something I am really passionate about.”

Big Dan’s involves itself with many different organizations in the area, including churches and school groups looking to do fundraisers, as well as working alongside fellow downtown businesses like Riverside Taphouse.

“We just like to work together,” he said. “You can tell how they support our own.”

At the end of the day, Britt said he works to provide the best quality product as often as they can, because that is what he loves to do.

Big Dan’s is located at 635 East Elk Avenue in Elizabethton, and they are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information about their menu, their number is 423-542-2272.