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Da Big Show BBQ is smoking at Valley Fort

Big, beautiful, puffs of smoke that fill the air with the delicious aroma of barbecue. That's what you'll see and smell traveling on South Mission Road on Saturdays and Sundays, courtesy of Da Big Show BBQ.

"Big Bertha," the nickname for the large smoker and grill owned by Melroy Hyman, is docked at the entrance to the Valley Fort, which hosts a Farmer's Market every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Da Big Show BBQ was invited to set up shop at the Farmer's Market last December. When business boomed, Hyman decided he'd make his barbecue available on Saturdays too.

"Fallbrook's been great to us," said Hyman, who had 20-year career in the Navy. "I really want to thank the people of Fallbrook for their support. We plan to be here for as long as we can."

Da Big Show BBQ is known for its smoky, flavorful brisket, big tender pork ribs and a signature sandwich called "Da Big Show."

"It's got pulled pork, brisket, bacon, jalapenos, BBQ sauce and cheese," said Pattrice Hyman, wife of Melroy, of "Da Big Show" sandwich. "It's on a six-inch hoagie (roll) so it's nice to share, but you don't have to."

Pattrice was the instigator of Da Big Show BBQ.

"Six months after Melroy retired, his alarm was still set at 4:30 a.m.," said Pattrice. "I needed to find something for him to do besides doing the laundry and doing the lawn. He enjoys cooking and he enjoys barbecuing, so here we are."

Da Big Show BBQ started in the summer of 2013.

"It was basically a shot in the dark to see if we could do this," said Melroy. "We started out pretty slow and refined our product. We started doing farmer's markets and little festivals, and had the chance to be at March Air Force Base (now called March Air Reserve Base) for about two years."

Da Big Show BBQ was then given the opportunity to occupy a spot at a large farmer's market – the Sunset Market, held every Thursday evening in Oceanside.

"We've been at the Sunset Market for two years, " said Melroy. "That's our schedule, Thursdays in Oceanside, and Saturdays and Sundays in Fallbrook. The rest of the week is prepping or doing catering. We do a lot of catering."

On a typical Sunday at Valley Fort, Melroy said Da Big Show BBQ will dish out "12 to 14 slabs of ribs, 10 to 15 whole chickens, 20 to 25 pounds of brisket, about 12 pounds of tri tip, and more than 10 pounds of pulled pork."

And since Da Big Show BBQ usually has no problem selling out the day's inventory, people are learning to show up early.

"We've had people come right at 10 a.m.," said Melroy. "That's why we try to get here at 8:30 a.m. and get everything set up."

The Hymans reside in Wildomar and "Big Bertha," with meats slowly cooking inside her as she is towed on a boat trailer, can sometimes attract a following on the road.

"She's already running and smoking, and we've had people follow us to our location because it was smelling so good," said Melroy. "They just fell in behind us and followed us and got some great grub."

As anyone who has ever tried knows, making a delicious brisket is hard to do. Melroy, who uses red oak wood to smoke the meat, has mastered it.

"I've got it down to about 10 1/2 hours, that's as low as I can go to get it to where I want it," said Melroy. "It took me awhile to get it down. I ruined about five briskets learning how to do it this way. It's a slow process. You cannot rush it."

Melroy and Pattrice are both from the Caribbean and that is reflected in their rubs.

"A lot of Caribbean spices go into our barbeque," said Melroy. "So we incorporate a lot of different ingredients that the usual barbecue guy won't do."

When asked what else makes their barbecue so special, Melroy replied, "We do it with love. We take our time. No matter how big we get, we've already made the decision that we're going to keep it home grown, authentic as we know it."

Da Big Show BBQ is a family operation as the Hyman's daughters, Jade and Alondi, assist their parents at the barbecue stand, serving up side dishes such as macaroni and cheese, baked beans, cole slaw, and potato salad.

"It's fun," said Melroy of running Da Big Show BBQ with his family. "My mom had me in the kitchen at an early age. My friends were playing outside and I was in the kitchen looking at recipes and different stuff. I wasn't too happy about it, but it turned out well."

Valley Fort is located at 3757 S. Mission Rd. and on Saturdays and Sundays, if you look for "Big Bertha," you can't miss it.

 

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