timesnewsonline | What's Cooking: Big Dan’s East Tennessee Barbecue Company @timesnewsonline | Uploaded September 2024 | Updated October 2024, 17 minutes ago.
Besides faith and family, there are two things Dan Britt really loves: music and barbecue. So, when he came off the road as a professional musician and immediately faced an economic downturn at work, he decided to turn to his other love and open a barbecue joint with a friend.
Britt first opened Creeker’s out on Stoney Creek, developing a solid menu and a rabid following that fell in love with his meats and sides and prices, which have always been more than reasonable. He loved his spot out on HWY 91, but he always wanted to be a part of what was happening in downtown Elizabethton. When the chance came to do so, he jumped at it, trading Stoney Creek for Elk Avenue.
“In 2015, I had the opportunity to move to downtown Elizabethton,” says Britt, “I love this town and I get to see people I went to school with and there’s a lot of new people coming her. I just enjoy being downtown.”
It’s obvious to see his love for barbecue, especially after trying some for yourself, but what was it about smoking meats that drew him to become downtown Elizabethton’s purveyor of pulled pork?
“I just got obsessed with barbecue, somebody gave me a smoker, just a little bullet smoker, so on my lunch break I’d go get chunks of meat and I started experimenting making my own rubs and stuff and I just took to it real well. I grew up cooking because my mom had to work second shift a lot, so I was proactive in cooking and, barbecue… I was just drawn to it, as a lot of people are.”
Dan may not have the reputation of other barbecue joints in the region (not many do), but for those who come to Elizabethton to find good smoked meats, he compares very well.
“You know, there’s some famous barbecue places in this area,” says Dan, “that have been around for a lot of decades. I’ve just been doing this for fifteen years. That longevity in a business, it means you know what you’re doing, you know, especially nowadays. It’s hard.”
His ribs are tasty, his pork and beef are smoked to perfection and his sides and sauces are first rate. It seems there’s nothing he hasn’t mastered here, even his pies. When asked about his sauces, which he makes in-house, Britt said they go back to his days growing up and traveling and eating with family.
“I had a great aunt that lived in Memphis and a great aunt that lived in San Antonio, Texas, and I got schooled. I guess it was ingrained in my life to be exposed to barbecue. I was 8 years old eating Rendezvous ribs in Memphis and I ate San Antonio beef and goat barbecue. The sauce down there has more different chili pepper and cumin and Memphis is more vinegar and tomato and people around here like more sweet sauce with molasses and brown sugar. I just love doing all the recipes.”
Britt’s recipes have helped him create something special in downtown Elizabethton. A place someone can find a great meal at a great price. When my mother visited from Florida recently, I took her and her friend to Big Dan’s and they were both flabbergasted by how much they could get at such a low price, and how much they enjoyed the food. In today’s world, quality dining does not come this cheap.
“I’m not in competition with other barbecue places,” explained Britt, “I’m in competition with myself. I want to be the best I can be and you never stop learning.”
It sounds like he’s got the best lesson of all under his belt already.
You can find Big Dan’s East Tennessee Barbecue Company at 633 East Elk Avenue in downtown Elizabethton, TN or call them at (423) 542-2272.
Besides faith and family, there are two things Dan Britt really loves: music and barbecue. So, when he came off the road as a professional musician and immediately faced an economic downturn at work, he decided to turn to his other love and open a barbecue joint with a friend.
Britt first opened Creeker’s out on Stoney Creek, developing a solid menu and a rabid following that fell in love with his meats and sides and prices, which have always been more than reasonable. He loved his spot out on HWY 91, but he always wanted to be a part of what was happening in downtown Elizabethton. When the chance came to do so, he jumped at it, trading Stoney Creek for Elk Avenue.
“In 2015, I had the opportunity to move to downtown Elizabethton,” says Britt, “I love this town and I get to see people I went to school with and there’s a lot of new people coming her. I just enjoy being downtown.”
It’s obvious to see his love for barbecue, especially after trying some for yourself, but what was it about smoking meats that drew him to become downtown Elizabethton’s purveyor of pulled pork?
“I just got obsessed with barbecue, somebody gave me a smoker, just a little bullet smoker, so on my lunch break I’d go get chunks of meat and I started experimenting making my own rubs and stuff and I just took to it real well. I grew up cooking because my mom had to work second shift a lot, so I was proactive in cooking and, barbecue… I was just drawn to it, as a lot of people are.”
Dan may not have the reputation of other barbecue joints in the region (not many do), but for those who come to Elizabethton to find good smoked meats, he compares very well.
“You know, there’s some famous barbecue places in this area,” says Dan, “that have been around for a lot of decades. I’ve just been doing this for fifteen years. That longevity in a business, it means you know what you’re doing, you know, especially nowadays. It’s hard.”
His ribs are tasty, his pork and beef are smoked to perfection and his sides and sauces are first rate. It seems there’s nothing he hasn’t mastered here, even his pies. When asked about his sauces, which he makes in-house, Britt said they go back to his days growing up and traveling and eating with family.
“I had a great aunt that lived in Memphis and a great aunt that lived in San Antonio, Texas, and I got schooled. I guess it was ingrained in my life to be exposed to barbecue. I was 8 years old eating Rendezvous ribs in Memphis and I ate San Antonio beef and goat barbecue. The sauce down there has more different chili pepper and cumin and Memphis is more vinegar and tomato and people around here like more sweet sauce with molasses and brown sugar. I just love doing all the recipes.”
Britt’s recipes have helped him create something special in downtown Elizabethton. A place someone can find a great meal at a great price. When my mother visited from Florida recently, I took her and her friend to Big Dan’s and they were both flabbergasted by how much they could get at such a low price, and how much they enjoyed the food. In today’s world, quality dining does not come this cheap.
“I’m not in competition with other barbecue places,” explained Britt, “I’m in competition with myself. I want to be the best I can be and you never stop learning.”
It sounds like he’s got the best lesson of all under his belt already.
You can find Big Dan’s East Tennessee Barbecue Company at 633 East Elk Avenue in downtown Elizabethton, TN or call them at (423) 542-2272.
