The Pitmasters

Mark Cooper

Hello, my name is Mark. I was born and raised right here in The Northwoods. Graduating from Bruce High School and going on to attend college at Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis, I have always had a passion for amazing food.  Especially barbecue. Years ago, I had my first taste of authentic Texas Style Barbecue while visiting Austin, Texas and I have never looked back. I started dabbling on my own making my first pork butt on an Old El Cheapo Brinkmann smoker. Slowly getting better and upgrading my equipment, I finally met Norman and learned how to really make authentic Texas Barbecue. Now, I hope to share all that we have learned with The Great Northwoods of Wisconsin!

Norman Kelly

My name is Norman. I was born and raised in South Texas and have been around good BBQ my whole life. I moved to Chicago in 1998 and realized that not all BBQ is made equal. I was left with 2 options, fly back to Texas whenever I wanted BBQ or learn how to make it myself. That started my BBQ journey. I moved from Chicago to the Northwest Wisconsin area in 2012 and brought my love for BBQ with me. Through trial and error, I finally came up with a flavor profile that enhances smoked meat and more importantly, people enjoy. 

I met Mark at work and found out he has the same love for BBQ as I do. We started Fat Cow Barbecue and can now offer the same great Texas Style BBQ right here in the Dairy State!

How it all Started

Late nights, ​working swing shift in a hot dusty paper mill usually leads to conversations. Conversations of smoky, juicy, wonderful meat is the typical topic amongst people like us. Late night conversations snowballed into ideas and ideas snowballed into plans of something more. We started with no clue and tackled a 300 pound chicken cook for a friend using nothing but a homemade flip flop grill. With determination, we have grown from those humble beginnings, and are now selling our delicious barbecue to the masses.  

From Smokey Dreams to Barbecue Reality

Offering up brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and sides, Mark and Norman are able to cater almost any event you can dream up.  Big or small we can cater them all.