Eat Local: Fat Daddy's Southern Bar-B-Q

There’s a little place in Forks Township, nestled in the Firehouse Plaza, where meats are painstakingly wood-smoked for hours just for our epicurean delight. It’s called Fat Daddy’s Southern Bar-B-Q.

The menu consists of all manner of chicken, beef and pork, all cooked to perfection in an authentic hickory wood smoke. Meats are smoked anywhere from two to 15 hours. Beef and pork cooks overnight to ensure the best flavors.

The barbecue’s most popular item is the pulled pork. According to the owner, Michael Elky, “Pulled pork is king right now. But I’m really hoping the cheesesteaks will pick up.”

The cheesesteak is the newest addition to the Fat Daddy’s menu, which already includes ribs, pulled pork and chicken, ham, wings, brisket, and a Tex-Mex assortment. Fat Daddy’s cheesesteaks differ from the Philly style because they smoke all of their meat. 

“The meat never touches a grill,” Elky said proudly. “It’s always fresh, never frozen.”

He goes on to explain that he uses a lean cut of beef, rather than a fatty portion typically used in cheesesteaks. Elky can do this because wood-smoking doesn’t depend on fat to cook it.

It is certainly a different flavor than the cheesesteaks most of us are accustomed to; there is no grease, and the meat is tender and moist. Choice of sides ranges from mac-and-cheese to black-eyed pea salad to french fries. Their pierogies, another recent addendum to the menu, are fat and flavorful, and come in three varieties: potato and cheese, wine kraut (sauerkraut cooked in wine), or apple. The apple is delicious and almost classifies as a dessert, like eating a tiny pie.

Fat Daddy’s has been in Forks Township since 2006. Elky, a former electrician by trade, started by cooking for himself and neighbors first.

“I learned how in a drum in the backyard,” he said. “I started feeding neighbors and relatives. Then they said, ‘you should do this for more than just yourself and us.’”

All of their meats and sides are made right in the restaurant. They make their own spice rubs and barbecue sauce, which is Elky’s own recipe. Desserts, like cheesecake and pies, are brought in from bakeries in Reading and Kintnersville.

“Ribs are our bread and butter,” said Elky. His ribs are cooked with a dry rub, rather than being slathered in barbecue sauce like other places. When describing the cooking process, Elky said, “You have to be on your game every day. You can’t have an off day.”

Fat Daddy’s Southern Bar-B-Q offers eat-in, take-out, and catering options. The business holds concessions at Musikfest, Celtic Fest, and sporting events, as well as catering independent parties and weddings.

The restaurant is open seven days a week, 11am – 9pm, and is located next to Firehouse Billiards in the Firehouse Plaza on Sullivan Trail. All major credit cards are accepted. Check out their full menu at www.fatdaddysbarbq.com.