When we last spoke, your intrepid reporter and her trusty sidekick were braving the Alaskan wilds—or at least the streets of Fairbanks—in search of authentic Southern barbeque. We found; we ate; we (I) wrote about it, and now I’m here with Part 2: Big Daddy’s Backstory.
We aren’t on much of a publishing schedule here at Sweet Tea. I think about something I want to write about. I write about it, and I hit the Publish button when I get tired of editing it. It lands in your inbox or on your social media feed, and we have a nice chat about it. I reached out to Big Daddy’s on Facebook ahead of my last piece about them but got tired of editing before I heard back from them and hit the Publish button anyway.
As fate would have it, almost as soon as I hit said button, I heard back from the “new” owners of Big Daddy’s BarB-Q—they bought the place eight years ago—and when I finally worked out the time zone difference to avoid calling in the middle of the night, I had a really nice chat with Jenn Oden, owner of this Northernmost Southern BBQ joint.
Jenn and her husband Jeff bought Big Daddy’s from its founder and original owner, Harold Groetsema, and theirs is a story of never giving up on your dream. They both came to Alaska as the children of Assemblies of God missionaries. Jenn’s dad was a pilot who flew between the far flung small communities he served. Jeff wanted to be a chef and attended culinary school at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
One thing led to another, and ten years later he was selling cars at Seekins Ford Lincoln in Fairbanks. But he hadn’t given up on his dream to be a chef. One day a friend told him about the state barbeque competition. He decided to start slowly and only entered the Brisket and the Sauce categories, and he took first place in both of them.
Jeff and Jenn bought an old box truck from a plumber, cut out the side, and Holy Smokes food truck was born. They offered catering and traveled to places around town to sell their barbeque. At launch, they were in the barbeque business part time, but eventually they met with enough success for Jeff to be in the food truck business full time.
In 2014, Groetsema, who appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with his restaurant in 2009, approached Jeff about buying Big Daddy’s, but the stars didn’t align for the deal the first time through. However, a year later, Groetsema told Jeff, “You’re the one who is supposed to buy the business,” and in October 2015, Jeff and Jenn took over the restaurant. Once Jeff got on his feet good, Jenn quit her job to join him in the restaurant business full time.
They still enter Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) competitions, and each year they host a backyard BBQ competition of their own for locals. Jenn says transplants drive the popularity of their barbeque, especially from nearby military bases, but they get their fair share of tourists like Stephen and me. She also says they have a lot of local regulars—like Cheers but with brisket and a tangy mustard sauce.
As I mentioned before, Big Daddy’s BarB-Q is a must visit. Their award-winning brisket is delicious, and the pulled pork is kind of awesome too. They make their own sauces, including their mustard sauce that won first place in their very first BBQ competition. Jenn tells me fried okra and homemade slaw are their top selling sides, so I know what I’m going to order when I go back.
Jeff and Jenn also enjoy photography, so check out their website at Alaska Outdoors Photography with Jeff N Jenn.
And if you find yourself in Fairbanks, make sure you visit them at Big Daddy’s.
Sweet Tea is three! I find it a wee bit hard to believe that my cheer-me-up pandemic project is still going strong, but here we are! Your support and encouragement has meant the world to me, and I will continue to write as long as you continue to read.
Until next time,
Karla
I love this! We didn’t make it to Fairbanks when we took our trip to Alaska and now I regret it! 😊