UPDATE: Fatboy's BBQ in Ladonia - Live to ride, ride to eat

UPDATE: Fatboy's BBQ has moved to a new location in nearby Cooper and opened last April. The new location at 850 W. Dallas Ave. in Cooper gets much higher traffic, but Shannon and Heather will be serving up the same great BBQ. They are open Mon-Fri 10:30am-6 pm. Their new phone number is 903-300-3287.

Original post

About 80 miles northeast of Dallas, you'll find some of the best barbecue in North Texas. Fatboy's BBQ is located on a narrow side street in Ladonia, population 691. It's well worth the drive or ride from DFW.

Shannon Bankston and girlfriend Heather Hoff started Fatboy's two and a half years ago. They are both from the area and know the majority of their customers by name. A steady stream of lunch customers came and went as Marshall Cooper and I visited on a recent weekday.

The joint is named after the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, a softail-style cruiser motorcycle. Fatboy's BBQ is described as "Biker owned, biker friendly" on their Facebook page. Both Shannon and Heather ride, though not as much as they'd like since they started the restaurant.

As a result, they started "Biker Night," so they could at least be around bikes even if they don't have the time to ride much. Biker Night will resume again on Saturday March 24 from 7pm-10pm, with music form the Delta Crossroads Band. It's BYOB and they will of course be selling BBQ. You can keep an eye on the Fatboy's BBQ Facebook page for more news and announcements through the spring and summer.

A pile of pecan wood sits beside the smoker at Fatboy's BBQ in Ladonia.

Our lunch at Fatboy's: The sampler platter including seven meats and two sides.

Marshall and I looked over the menu and gravitated toward the sampler platter. We got an amazing spread of meats (around a pound) and two sides for $11.50, including sliced brisket, chopped beef, pork sparerib, pulled pork, pork sausage, jalapeno sausage and smoked ham. Sides were Texas toast, potato salad and cole slaw, both recipes from Shannon's mom. We ordered an extra rib so we could each sample one.

The meats were bathed in pecan wood smoke, something you don't find a lot these days as joints cook hot and fast to meet demand, resulting in smokeless meats. There are no shortcuts for Shannon, it's old school Texas BBQ. No rubs or mops either. The meats are tender and full of flavor. Though you don't really need it, their BBQ sauce is very good as well, a family recipe from Shannon's dad that adds a little bite and flavor.

Fatboy's also offers a Psycho BBQ sauce, made with Naga Jolokia or Ghost peppers, among the hottest in the world. Of course Marshall had to sample it, I passed. He was blown away how it started sweet but morphed into pure heat. As we visited, a regular customer came by and ordered her "usual," a chopped beef sandwich with psycho sauce and jalapenos. That was impressive.

Left: Smoke pours out of the smoker at Fatboy's. Right: Pitmaster Shannon Bankston talks BBQ with the Posse.

Pecan wood stacked up near the smoker.

What impressed us the most was Shannon and Heather's devotion to being a great BBQ joint. As we arrived around noon, he was putting on the briskets for the next day. They'll cook until 8 a.m. the next day, a total of 20 hours. With the "hot and fast" revolution hitting some Central Texas joints, this isn't something you're seeing or tasting much these days.

Shannon says they set the alarm for every 3 hours during the night, alternating between him and Heather as to who gets the wakeup call to tend the smoker and check the meat during the wee hours. Fortunately they live next door to Fatboy's.

"People just don't realize how much work goes into it," Shannon says. "But we love doing it."

Marshall Cooper and Heather Hoff talk BBQ. 

Customers enjoy their meals at Fatboy's picnic dining area.

Fatboy's will be moving in early summer to Cooper, a town located 15 miles from Ladonia, between Paris and Sulphur Springs. They'll be moving their current building and smoker to the new site and have high hopes for the future. The new Fatboy's will be located on Hwy. 24, in an area with much higher traffic than they have now. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for news on the move, we'll keep you updated as well.

Fatboy's BBQ, 850 W. Dallas Ave, Cooper, 903-300-3287. Open Mon-Fri 10:30am-6 pm.

Co-owner and operator Heather Hoff takes a break during a BBQ Thursday at Fatboy's.

Photos ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse

The Barbecue Chronicles: Sampling the best barbecue between Dallas and Texoma

Too hot for barbecue? Hardly.

With the Texas heat pushing triple digits, we headed north toward Lake Texoma on a recent Saturday for the latest chapter in our Barbecue Chronicles. Over about 11 hours, we traveled 200 miles and ate at five joints.

Our tour included planned stops and some chance finds, one of which turned out to be the highlight of the day.

Learning from our earlier expedition to Tarrant County, when we overstuffed ourselves, we took a midday break at Cedar Mills Marina. We found some nice shade where we relaxed, watched sailboats, played horseshoes and rejuvenated our appetites.

Our eating began about 60 miles from downtown Dallas, at the corner of Gene Autry Drive and Highway 377 in Tioga, home of Clark's.


"They've been written up in Bon Appétit, and usually I would hold that against them, but I think they're pretty neat," said Chris Wilkins as we waited for the doors to open at 11 a.m. Wilkins, a photo editor at The Dallas Morning News, plans our itineraries.

Since last November, we've taken four barbecue tours and driven more than 1,100 miles, from Central Texas to the Oklahoma border. This Texoma trip took us through horse country, filled with postcard-perfect ranch houses and show rings. Photos of horses and riders cover the walls at Clark's.

While Wilkins rates Clark's among his favorite North Texas barbecue joints, some in our group, which numbered as many as 14 over the course of the day, were less impressed. The ribs were tender, but didn't taste fresh. The sausage and turkey were good but not great.

"The sauce needs a higher flavor profile," said Rebecca Gibson, wife of barbecue posse veteran Mike Gibson. Rebecca, an expert baker, works at Susan G. Komen for the Cure. On our tours, we can get into some serious taste discussions, but we think Rebecca is the first posse member to use the term "flavor profile." A nice touch of class.

Marshall Cooper, a commercial real estate broker making his first tour with our group, said Clark's brisket was lean and tender and had a good smoke taste, but it was slightly dry. Cooper cooks excellent barbecue himself.


When we finished eating, Clark's co-owner James Hilliard gave us a tour. Once we learned that he smokes his brisket for 31/2 days at 160 degrees, some of us stopped calling it dry.

"People don't understand," Hilliard said, "ours is a smoke-cured product."

Clark's also has chocolate and lemon pies covered with mountains of meringue.

"I'm so happy," said Ahna Hubnik, a multimedia editor at The News, as she hoisted a giant piece. Hubnik maintains that for a barbecue place to be really good, it has to serve pie.

From Tioga we drove north on U.S. 377 and then west on Highway 82, past Gainesville, to Lindsay, population 788, home of the Smokehouse Pit Bar-B-Que.

Like Clark's, the Smokehouse is a sit-down place. The big parking lot was jammed, and so was the big dining room.

The onion rings got raves, but that was it.

"I think my brisket was sliced on Thursday," said Bryan Gooding, a commercial photo producer making his second tour.

"It's a long way to drive for onion rings," said Bruce Tomaso, an editor at The News making his first tour.

After the Smokehouse, the main tour group headed for Lake Texoma. We also sent out two small scouting parties.

Photographers Tom Fox and David Woo stopped at Dieter Brothers, a few doors away from the Smokehouse, before returning to Dallas.

"You missed the sausage of the day," Fox reported by cellphone about Dieter's German specialty.

Another photographer, Michael Ainsworth, followed a tip about a new place near Sherman; he was to report in later.

Our main group followed U.S. 82 back to Whitesboro and turned north again on 377. A few miles up the road, we saw Big Ronnie's Texas Pit Bar-B-Que, which wasn't on our itinerary.

Big Ronnie's consists of a serving trailer, a giant smoker on wheels and a live-in trailer. Each sits on a new concrete slab. The serving area, with two picnic tables, is open and covered by a roof.

"This place has some killer drive-up appeal," Cooper said.

The food wasn't bad, either. The center-cut pork ribs were meaty and tender, though they could have used more smoke taste.

We continued on to Cedar Mills, on the western end of Lake Texoma. We sought shelter under some big trees. We got out the horseshoes and coolers. Tour veteran Gary Barber put on swimming trunks and took a dip.

"There's nothing like horseshoes and a sauna," Gooding cracked.

While at the marina, Wilkins got a call from Ainsworth. The cell reception was poor, but Ainsworth's excitement was clear.

"He just kept going on about the homemade ice cream pie," Wilkins said.

That pretty much sealed our next destination. The Bone on the Grill, Ainsworth's find, is about six miles west of Sherman, on the north side of Highway 82. Surrounded by ranch land and a few oil well pump jacks, it's been open less than a year.

The Bone surrenders nothing to Big Ronnie's in drive-up appeal. The joint is two old delivery trucks married by a spongy wooden deck. The pits are also homemade: two 55-gallon drums, side by side.

Through a sliding window, the group ordered ribs, brisket and pie. There was a low, collective groan when we opened the Styrofoam container to see ribs drenched in an orange-colored sauce. We soldiered on and got the surprise of the day. No smoke taste, but that didn't matter.

"The sauce was amazing, unlike anything I've ever had," said posse veteran David Guzman, a multimedia editor at The News.

"This was worth the trip by itself," Tomaso said.

We tried to get proprietor Lemontt Thomas to tell us his recipe.

"I'm not telling, man," he said. He did allow that he had lived in Memphis, St. Louis and Chicago, and his sauce was a bit of each.

The best was yet to come: ice cream pie, with chunks of Oreo or pineapple. Taking a bite, we understood why Ainsworth got so excited.

We left Bone on the Grill after 6:30 p.m. and made the short drive to Sherman and the OO Smokehouse.

Painted bright red and bordered by vacant lots, OO Smokehouse has no dining room and no restroom. Order at the window and eat right there in the parking lot.

An hour before closing, the ribs and sausage were sold out, but the brisket, turkey, stuffed peppers, pork tamales, hot links and sauce all got good reviews from the nine remaining posse members. It was a nice ending to a very hot but very enjoyable barbecue-eating day.

Afterward, Wilkins, our trip planner, reflected on our tours so far. He said the best moments are the unplanned stops.

"I'd like to plot out our next tour with no known destinations," he said. "Follow the blue highways and look for the smoke."

Of course, we'll throw the horseshoes in the trunk.

Texoma BBQ Tour itinerary

9:30 a.m.: Leave Dallas
11 a.m.: Clark's Outpost, 101 N. Highway 377, Tioga. Open Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
1:30 p.m.: Smokehouse Pit Bar-B-Que, 307 E. Highway 82, Lindsay. Open Sunday to Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
3 p.m.: Big Ronnie's Texas Pit Bar-B-Que, Highway 377 and Sandusky Road, north of Whitesboro. Open Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  (Note: this joint is now closed. 7/14)
3:30 p.m.: Horseshoes and beer break at Cedar Mills Marina and Resort, 500 Harbour View Road, Gordonville, on Lake Texoma.
6 p.m.: The Bone on the Grill, 4933 Gibbons Road (at Highway 82), west of Sherman. Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Note: this joint is now closed. 7/14)
7 p.m.: OO Smokehouse, 200 S. Montgomery, Sherman. Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.   (Note: this joint is now closed. 7/14)
9 p.m.: Back in Dallas

Story by Gary Jacobson
Photo by Chris Wilkins & Michael Ainsworth

Sneak peek - Far North Texas BBQ Tour video

Our story on the Far North Texas BBQ Tour will be in The Dallas Morning News this Sunday, but here's a sneak peek at the tour video, shot by Texas BBQ Posse member David Guzman.

BBQ and blue highways - Just follow the smoke

The North Texas BBQ Tour schedule had three bonified stops, based on reviews by Daniel Vaughn, aka the BBQ Snob. Since last November, we’ve taken four barbecue tours, and driven a total of more than 1,100 miles, from Central Texas to the Oklahoma border.

We didn’t plan for that horse-trailer-turned-barbeque-joint on Highway 377 north of Whitesboro, Big Ronnie's Texas Pit Bar-B-Que. Damn, those ribs were pretty good. We’d work them off at the planned exercise/horseshoes break on the shores of Lake Texoma. If that’s possible when you exercise with a cigar in one hand and a cold beer in the other.

Nor did we plan to stop at the intersection of Hwy 82 and Gibbons Road, as we hustled to make closing time at the OO Smokehouse in Sherman. Lemontt and Sonya have built their dream at that corner, The Bone on the Grill.

In the end, I’m beginning to understand that the highlights of a tour are the unexpected stops. Not the places we read reviews about on Yelp or Urbanspoon.

I’d like to plot out our next tour with no known destinations, just a tank full of gas and a cooler full of beer. Of course we’d have the horseshoes in the trunk for an exercise break. Follow the blue highways and look for the smoke. This barbeque thing is really starting to make sense to me……

UPDATE - From posse member Marshal Cooper: " Just spoke with someone that drives to and has frequented Big Ronnie's
every Saturday on his way to the lake for a good while. He told me they packed up lock stock and barrel and vanished sometime last week!"

(Photos by Chris Wilkins)

OO Smokehouse - The end of the BBQ trail

Our marathon five-stop North Texas BBQ Tour a couple of Saturdays ago ended at OO Smokehouse in Sherman. We cruised into the lot a little before 7pm, hoping to make closing time.

The OO had gotten a top 50 ranking in Texas Monthly magazine, so expectations were high among the nine surviving posse members.

Despite the fact they were sold out of ribs, we were impressed. Here's some feedback from a couple of posse members.

Marshall Cooper: "This place was an icon of an authentic Texas BBQ Stand; no dining room or restrooms, you know, tailgate in the parking lot on the hood of your car or bed of your truck! The sliced beef plate was really good, heavy smoked, tender, but maybe a little dry. No detectable rub. Definitely ranks with some of the best brisket around. As for ribs, they ran out. What does that tell you?"

David Guzman: "By the time we got to OO Smokehouse I was already full. I ordered four pork tamales and two pork stuffed jalapenos. I loved the stuffed jalapenos, they were delicious. The BBQ Tamales, a far cry from my grandmothers homemade pork tamales, were also very tasty. It's nice when someone takes a common food and gives it a little flair.They were excellent."

Postscript: I went back to the OO last weekend around noon to sample the ribs. As expected they were excellent, cooked perfectly and worth the trip.

OO Smokehouse, 200 S. Montgomery, Sherman. Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

(Photos by Chris Wilkins)

Unplanned stop on the BBQ trail

Since our North Texas BBQ Tour last weekend, I've had a hard time explaining the discovery of The Bone on the Grill, located on Hwy. 82, around six miles west of Sherman. I turn to Texas BBQ Posse expert Marshall Cooper to describe this inspiring stop on the BBQ trail, as follows:

"This place deserves first place in sexy Texas drive-up appeal for all roadside BBQ joints! The two attached trailers with the attached spongy deck had outstanding views of bordering ranches with vast spreads of producing cornfields and oil wells. A Texas Classic! The BBQ pit was nothing more than two side-by-side 55-gallon drum grills available at Home Depot for $49.95!

The grilled baby back pork ribs were very meaty with falling off the bone near tender meat. The taste of the meat without sauce was way below average, as they were not smoked. However, they were presented with a secret sauce that smothered and drowned the ribs to a non-traditional flavor. Something between an Asian Jerk Hawaiian flavor but not salty or sweet, you figure it out because we couldn't! You were given the choice of mild or hot and we chose hot. The flavors were really intense and good.

If you are looking for traditional hickory slow-smoked BBQ this place does not have it - but try the place anyway for something new to experience! They deserve a first place in creativeness!"

This is one of the most amazing eccentric BBQ joints the posse members have ever seen, both in appearance and menu. Don't forget about the homemade ice cream pie, that alone is worth the drive. In fact, I'm heading back there again this weekend.......

The Bone on the Grill, 4933 Gibbons Road (at Highway 82), west of Sherman. Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.




(Photos by Michael Ainsworth & Chris Wilkins)

How the sausage is made…

Sometimes it isn’t pretty.

See that crumpled Nestea can at the lip of the truck bed in the photo above?

On a barbecue tour, after five stops, eight hours of eating, and an occasional beer, that can is called a tripod.

Give Barbecue Posse founder Chris Wilkins credit for innovative thinking under stress, even if he loses a few style points for agility.

At OO Smokehouse in Sherman, Wilkins, a photo editor at The Dallas Morning News, was composing a souvenir keepsake for posse members. He eventually used the crushed can to support his camera.

We’re not even going to try to describe how he got off the truck and into the photo. Just use your imagination.

The results can be seen in the photo below. Not too bad at all.

Who cares how the sausage is made as long as it tastes good?

(Photos by Mike Gibson & Chris Wilkins)

A little posse peer pressure

As an appetizer at Clark’s Outpost in Tioga, the Barbecue Posse ordered lamb fries and passed them around. There were some snickers. Lamb fries are lamb testicles, breaded and fried.

“I’m not eating those,” said David Woo, a barbecue posse veteran and Dallas Morning News photographer.

Peer pressure, though, is a powerful force. Don’t be chicken, the posse told Woo. Everyone else had eaten at least one. He must, too.

Woo grabbed a lamb fry and popped it in his mouth.

“Wow! Nasty!” he said.

“Take two, they go in pairs,” posse newcomer Bruce Tomaso said.

But one and done it was.


(Photos by Chris Wilkins & Mike Gibson)

North Texas BBQ Tour - 5 joints in 8 hours

Here's a sneak peak at our North Texas BBQ Tour this Saturday, the first five-stops-in-one-day tour for the Texas BBQ Posse. The itinerary was as follows:
11am Clark's Outpost, Hwy. 377, Tioga
1:30pm Smokehouse Barbecue, E. Hwy 82, Lindsay
3:00pm Big Ronnie's Texas Pit Bar-B-Que, Hwy. 377 north of Whitesboro
3:30pm Horseshoes and beer break at Cedar Mills Marina on Lake Texoma
6:00pm The Bone on the Grill BBQ, Hwy. 82 west of Sherman
7:00pm OO Smokehouse, 200 S. Montgomery, Sherman


The posse lines up outside of Clark's Outpost in Tioga, waiting for the doors to open at 11am. We had 14 folks join at the first tour stop.

Clark's co-owner James Hilliard gave a tour of the smoker room, where he opend the door on row after row of brisket, which smokes for an amazing three days before serving.

On the way to Cedar Mills Marina for a break, we discovered Big Ronnie's Texas Pit Bar-B-Que north of Whitesboro on Hwy. 377. The joint operates out of a converted horse trailer on the side of the road, producing really good ribs and giving the posse our first of two unexpected stops.

Nine posse members were still standing when the tour ended at OO Smokehouse in downtown Sherman, the fifth stop of the day. Of course, we'll follow up with a tour story in The Dallas Morning News, combined with slideshow and video.

(Photos by Chris Wilkins)

Posse favorites: Clark's french fried corn on the cob

Clark's Outpost BBQ in Tioga offers a unique side dish to go with your ribs and brisket. And no, we aren't talking about their world-famous lamb fries, aka the cowboy's favorite.

We took a road trip to Clark's last month, to do our posse duty of sampling various smoked meats while passing on the sides. Our waitress mentioned we should try their french fried corn on the cob, it was something special. We gave up without a fight and ordered one each.

The deep-fried corn cob arrives at your table warm and covered with butter. It has the texture of perfectly grilled corn but melts in your mouth. I'm pretty sure it's the best corn on the cob I've ever tasted.

We're planning a small tour of north Texas joints next month, starting at Clark's. The "no sides" BBQ tour rule will have to be tossed aside so everyone can sample a true Posse favorite.

Clark's Outpost BBQ, 101 Hwy. 377 at Gene Autry Drive, Tioga, Texas. Open Mon-Thurs 11 am- 9 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-9:30 pm, Sun 11 am-8:30 pm.

Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse

Clark's Outpost BBQ - A trip into horse country

We loaded up the truck and headed north to Clark's Outpost BBQ in Tioga on Saturday. We'd heard a lot about Clark's and wanted to investigate, they've been featured in both Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines. In the past I've been known to say, "The words barbeque and gourmet should never be used in the same sentence," so I was a little suspicious.

The drive from Plano took almost an hour, a little longer than we expected. The distance was almost 50 miles door-to-door. We rolled through beautiful rolling horse country and the small towns of Aubrey and Pilot Point on the way to Tioga. Rumor has it the wealthy oil barons and horsemen have landed their helicopters at Clark's for a BBQ lunch.

We almost smelled Clark's before we saw it driving northbound past Pilot Point on Hwy. 377. The overwhelming aroma of smoke was everywhere as we pulled in the parking lot and entered the simple front door. Inside Clark's you feel like you're visiting an old friend. The walls are lined with old photos among numerous of tables covered with green checkered tablecloths.

My brother Jonathan and I decided to split one pound of brisket and one of ribs, with sides of french fried corn-on-the-cob. Our plates came within ten minutes and the posse members dug in. The meats had a great smoke taste, though the brisket was a little dry. The ribs were cooked almost perfectly, the addition of the sauce made them even better. We passed on ordering their world-famous lamb fries.

Both the service and ambiance were great. I had heard the prices were high at Clark's and this trip was no exception. Our lunch of one pound of brisket, one pound of ribs, 2 corn-on-the-cob sides & two soft drinks was over $50 with tip. Ouch. But if you stick with the daily specials you can eat far more affordably. The Texas BBQ Posse looks forward to their next trip to Tioga.

Clark's Outpost BBQ, 101 Hwy. 377 at Gene Autry Drive, Tioga, Texas. Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m; Friday and Saturday - 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.; Sunday - 11:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Photos ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse