Fatman’s Fire Pit BBQ

I read some of the reviews and decided to go here today for lunch. I have found many excellent hole in the wall barbecue places that were hidden gems. Unfortunately this is not one of those places. I ordered the 4 rib dinner plate which comes with a roll and opted for the onion rings and cole slaw as sides. Onion rings were top notch, I love beer battered onion rings. The coleslaw was equally great, creamy sweet and very flavorful. Now, the ribs were cooked well and obviously smoked. They weren’t too fatty and not the least bit dry. The issue I had was with the smoke flavor, not really sure what kind of wood they used. But it didn’t have that nice hickory smoke flavor to it, it was more of a carbon, ash, burned diesel fuel flavor to it. I found myself trying to figure out what exactly it was I was tasting throughout the entire meal, but ultimately after the last rib was gone decided it was not very enjoyable. The sauce that came with it was ok, if a little bit cloyingly sweet, like duck sauce from a Chinese food place.
No issues with the décor or cleanliness, it’s about what you would expect. But man was it cold in there! I left my coat on and considered eating in my car but decided it would have been too messy. My toes were almost numb when I left. Another reason that I hurried through the meal. I think if I’m going to spend 20 bucks on lunch again it’s going to be at Sonny’s, better atmosphere, not freezing cold, and much better BBQ.

Very good Bbq. The beans were amazing. Staff was very nice and helpful. Great portion size. Great prices too. I ordered the brisket. Tasty! I took my leftover brisket home and added it to some beans i was making and man were they good!

This is a mom and pop type restaurant. No chain what so ever which is what I was looking for.
One feature is they have an entrance door and an exit door that you can use if you like while leaving. I thought that was unique.
They have mostly tables in here and most are located in the center of the restaurant. You come in and pay, then sit down and wait for your order to get ready. I got mine to go.
menu items ordered: bar b q pork sandwich, home made French fries and a coke. Yes the fries were what I call home fries. They taste great with catsup, salt and pepper added to them. The bar b q sandwich was unusual but good. The bar b q sauce tasted sweet and was brown in color but there was also some sort of red chucks of tomatoes thrown on the pork and sauce. I have eaten at several bar b q restaurants and never seen that. However, I am always up for something different which why I have Unilocal.I like to try new things.

Ok… so here’s my review. My husband and I are on a weekend trip here. I had read some reviews and the ones I had read for this place convinced us to try it. That being said…
I got a bbq pork plate and so did my extremely bbq savvy husband. He got slaw and potato salad as his sides. I got potato salad and baked beans. He was a tiny little disappointed that he couldn’t get chopped, inside meat (it was pulled). He said there was a little too much «gristle» on his meat. But he pulled of those parts and after that cleaned his plate.
My plate of food was amazing and the baked beans weren’t like any I’ve ever had; made with 9 different kinds of beans.
It was all phenomenal until… I found a couple of hairs in my stack of napkins. That kinda grossed me out but I tried to think, «who hasn’t been in the kitchen and accidentally gotten their hair in something… honest mistake. But if it wasn’t for that, they would’ve gotten 5 stars from me.
About the staff… I only had an encounter with one employee and she wasn’t very cooperative or really pleasant. Both me and my husband asked about getting inside meat & getting it chopped and she basically said they don’t do that. So I would say their staff was not great.

There are two places to eat BBQ in Somerset: Sonny’s & Fat Man’s. If you like microwave dinners, then Sonny’s is the place for you. Fat Man’s is a home grown, hole in the wall place that BBQ’s the best pork and brisket anywhere around. They have two sizes of sandwiches, the Amy (which is on a normal size bun) and the Fat Man (self explanatory). I usually get the Amy brisket sandwich with a side of beans and fries. I would definitely recommend Fat Man’s to anyone looking for good BBQ. It’s no Crazy8 BBQ in Texas (literally the best BBQ I’ve ever had), but it’s about 900 miles closer, a lot cheaper, and still pretty dang good. One word of warning though: they only accept cash. They have an ATM in the restaurant, but it’s always good to be prepared in case they’ve been busy & the ATM is out of $. If you ask me, fork over the cash and go to Fat Man’s. It’s as close to a 5 star rating as you can get in the Set.

Great food. Clean place. Cash only. atm on site. Was there on Halloween and staff were dressed up. Loved the participation. Very nice and friendly. Best beans I have ever had. More food than you will eat.

I have no idea why this is marked $$. This food is delicious, cheap, and service was fast and friendly. I had Amy’s pulled pork sandwich (this portion was plenty big), mac & cheese, and okra. Highly recommend!

So, each evening that I’ve been in the Somerset area, I’ve tried to look up a few non-​chain local places to grab a bite the next night for dinner.
And inevitably, I’ve driven around for at least 20 minutes trying to locate the spots that I’m looking forward to trying. Also inevitably, my trips into Somerset proper (i.e. the older part of Somerset — to try places like the Square Restaurant and Lounge or Old Town Deli) were massive fails. Hand to G*d, I made at least a dozen u-​turns on each trip, given the profoundly effed up traffic planning and zoning board madness. (Dear Homeowners: I was not casing your joints…)
One evening, I’d blown thru the three options I’d identified over about 40 minutes of driving around (two options were closed and the third had no parking within 2 blocks, let alone accessible parking) and told myself I’d just go by Arby’s (meh…) and head back to my hotel for the night. So, U-​turn #14 of the evening… which led me to notice Fatman’s Fire Pit BBQ, in a small, unassuming building off of 27 (it’s painted white, if that helps), accessible through the same drive as Arby’s (hey, they have a bigger sign), but an immediate right once off 27.
Fatman’s is cash only — though they do have an ATM on site.
Their staff were friendly and helpful in making sure I caught the info on what’s available. (That said, they may be scary or hold off-​putting [to say the least] opinions — there was a fairly tall stack of the same dvd, without explanation [the title or producer of which I do not recall] for sale at the register – yes, since this is a BBQ joint, not Redbox, that rarely ends well, JIMHO. Just giving a little warning in case things go sideways.)
They know a little about smoking meats though. On less fatty meats, though, the smoke tends to overpower, particularly given their minimal saucing.
They didn’t have smoked turkey that night, but I second Derek S. that their prime rib steak sammie is excellent. As are the onion rings. Went back later in the week, and I have to say that I could take or leave the pulled pork… I liked the smoked ham best, turkey next… Personally, I found the brisket really dry, tarry, and just… not even what I’d call brisket (it had the texture of not-​so-​great dry pot roast, tbh), though this was the recommendation of the staff.
Their sauce is a hybrid — a little smokey, a little sweet, a little tang, with chunks of tomato. If you’re looking for heat or a true vinegar based sauce, you’re out of luck. They squirt their sauce on top of take-​away servings (yeah, I’d probably do that differently, too, given the option).
Red beans and rice, slaw, and onion rings were great. While we were there, a few (clearly) neighborhood folks came in and bought large sides (including the potato salad — which I didn’t try, personally, so I can’t chime in) — definitely a clue that they’re doing something right!
That said, their mac and cheese is either an offense to pasta and cheese everywhere, even compared to similar stove-​top only versions, or meant as baby food (only). The flavor wasn’t necessarily bad, but definitely didn’t taste like what you think of when you order mac and cheese. The noodles were cooked to hell and back: noodles literally disintegrated into glutenglop on the fork. Ick.
The restaurant itself is simple, simple, simple; walk in and make your order; either wait for pickup or take a seat. They do call /​order ahead, and per my second visit, that worked pretty great.
I’d give them a 3.5 star rating, if I could, but as much as I would rate Fatman’s as at least slightly above average, they’re not remotely competitive with other KY BBQ joints (Mama’s Pickles, in Louisville, for example).
Again, staff was super friendly and helpful.

For what this place lacks in décor, it makes up for in good food. I eat here about once every week or two. I used to always get the pulled pork sandwich. While it was it pretty good, it never really «knocked my socks off.» Then, I tried the prime rib steak sandwich. It is hands-​down, by far, one of the very best sandwiches in town. Thin sliced steak loaded up with grilled peppers and onions and cheese at an unbeatable price. Also, I just tried a new side item — red beans and rice. I was skeptical when I first saw the red beans and rice, but, WOW, were they ever tasty!