About Us
From our humble days touting around Branson, Missouri as a food truck, we've built the Big D's BBQ brand. We've now expanded into our own brick and mortar restaurant location at 1550 State Hwy 248 along Branson's RED route.
We're a local family business whose motto is "Work hard and be nice to people".
Big D (aka Dana) is our superstar Pitmaster. He learned to cook when he was 12 after he brought home his first pheasant. His Mama said, "you got it, you cook it!" And since then he has been delighting his family's taste buds with his passion for cooking. Some 20 plus years ago, he entered regional barbecue competitions as a hobby and took home many awards. He and his wife, Linda (aka Mama D), often entertained friends with a yearly barbecue at their home. These gatherings grew into feeding 150 guests and hiring a band for an outdoor concert.
Big D's career background is in finance. For over 20 years he managed his clients portfolios and investments. In May of 2017 he retired from investments and took the plunge into the barbecue world when he was presented with the opportunity to open in a food truck.
Through many bumps along the way, he never looked back and tackled each hurdle head on.
"It amazes me to think that we built this business serving our barbecue from a food truck parked in a dirt parking lot and in the winter". says Big D. It wasn't long after opening that word of mouth spread and Big D became known as the brisket king. Big D's landed many catering contracts with the local resorts and became friends with the local entertainers who touted his barbecue to their audiences.
Fast forward to 2019, Big D's BBQ was one of three finalists for the Business of the Year presented by the Branson Chamber of Commerce. Two weeks later Big D won the Best Barbecue in Branson for the second year in a row from the Best of Branson people's choice awards. Mama D also won her first award for the best desserts in Branson this year with her Smoked Bourbon and Bacon Pecan Pie. In 2020 we were voted #1 in BBQ for the third year in a row and #1 for Branson's Best Burgers and 2021 brought us our fourth GOLD Win for the Best of Branson Barbecue category!!
Quality and customer service sets us apart. Our meats are smoked low and slow over pecan wood for up to 14 hours. We use own proprietary blend of seasonings to bring out the flavors of his smoked meats and sides.
We recently had these sauces and seasonings bottled for retail sale and now we're expanding our offerings online.
If you happen to be in Branson, we'd sure love to meet you, feed you and make you feel at home.
We appreciate you supporting small, local and family owned businesses.
Love,
Mama D