Overton Welcomes Fat T’s BBQ To Town

By SHANNON BARNES

The Progress

What started as a backyard hobby nearly three decades ago has now grown into a full-fledged business in downtown Overton. Fat T’s BBQ, a new local food truck located each weekend at 289 Moapa Valley Blvd in downtown Overton, has been open now for several weeks and is bringing smiles to many local barbecue aficionadoes.

“I had my first smoker built for me in the 1980’s by a welding company in Texas,” said Mark Thompson, owner and smoked meat connoisseur of Fat Ts BBQ.

Thompson admits that he has had no formal training. But he has a lot of experience. “It has been a school of hard knocks,” Thompson said. “It is a love for good quality meat and many failures over the years that’s got me here.”

Luckily those failures have taught Thompson the amazing techniques he uses to create his menu of smoked delicacies.

Mark’s hails from northern Texas where he owned a contracting company that focused on roofing. He also owned a restaurant where BBQ and Tex-Mex were the stars of the menu.

Three years ago, Mark retired and moved to Las Vegas. When the pandemic hit and lockdowns happened, Mark thought that he should join the wave of the future and become a part of the ever-growing food truck industry. He said that it was an idea he had been thinking about for quite some time.

Now, with all of the restaurant closures, but food trucks still operating, he felt it was the moment to make the leap into the industry.

Mark’s partner, Cheryl Taylor, saw a post on Facebook by Overton resident Jean Gottschalk offering commercial space for food trucks to come to Moapa Valley. Mark contacted Jean and then he and Cheryl made the trip out to Overton to see the community and the space for the food truck. They were very impressed.

This solidified their decision to open a food truck. So in June 2020 Mark drove to Lakeland, Florida and purchased his food truck.

Quality meats, USDA Prime, smoked with post oak are a few of the secrets behind Fat T’s success. Mark said that he wants the protein to be the forward flavor, not the smoke. Post oak allows him to have the smoke without it adding such a strong flavor profile.

Mark hand trims each brisket so that it has just the right proportion of fat, muscle and meat. He seasons the meat with salt, pepper and garlic. As in keeping with north Texas tradition, the BBQ sauce is served on the side.

The original sauce is a mixture of Carolina and Texas techniques. It was developed by Cheryl. Carolina sauce is vinegar based and Texas is a sweet sauce. It is not a thick tomato-based sauce. It has the consistency of an au jus.

Fat Ts has been operating in Overton at 289 Moapa Valley Blvd for just under a month now. On the opening weekend Mark sold out within two hours on both days. Fat T’s operational hours are Friday and Saturdays beginning at 11 a.m. until quantities are gone.

Fat T’s has become a popular place among locals. “The BBQ is amazing!” said local resident Crissy Christensen. “Better than most of the BBQ we have had in Texas when we were living there. Oh, we will so be back!”

The menu at Fat T’s will be growing and changing with the seasons. The core meats will always be on the menu including brisket, pulled pork and spare ribs. The core sides will be macaroni and cheese, and some sort of potato.

Smoked turkey breast and legs along with collard greens are in the works for the fall, and will be added soon. Southern desserts will be added as well.

“I am thrilled to death to be a part of this community,” Mark said. He said that he looks forward to coming to Overton each week and serving quality food.

Be sure to check Fat T’s social media page on Thursdays for weekly menu updates.