Dan’s Smoke Pit

Amazing! Best food in town!

Dan’s is closed… confirmed in person 2÷24÷12
Sad.
Empty inside…
You will be missed, Dan and Ophie… as will your yummy BBQ !

This place is good old BBQ. There aren’t too many places to get that around here. The owner is friendly and the place is very clean. (big plus)… We had a taste test of the tri tip, pulled pork, and the beer can chicken sandwiches. The pulled pork and chicken were the best I’ve ever had. The tri tip tasted re heated but was still really good. We came just as they opened so i expected that actually. Usually I won’t eat reheated meat but it was still really good. We got a meal with sandwich red potatoes and a drink for 5.54… Great deal and the potatoes were awsome. They said they cater too. Hope this place makes it… Give them some business people.

Ate here a few weeks ago with a co worker and it was ok. The staff was great super nice and they even let us in ten minutes before they opened so that was cool. We split the pulled pork and rib sandwiches and I must say the rib sandwich was awesome. It’s only five bucks but I would have paid 13 for it. I wouldn’t get the pulled pork again though. It lacked flavor and didn’t melt in my mouth like some of the better ones I have had. The ranch beans were really good and also cheap. The only negative and it’s not the restaurants fault is all the high school kids that come over. They seriously are idiots and have no clue how to act in public. Overall a place everybody should try, friendly staff but really small inside so get there early.

The best BBQ I’ve ever had. The owners are incredibly nice and like family to their customers. One owner sleeps in his car outside so he can turn the meat during the night and it shows!
We went in at 445 on a Friday and they were out of a lot of meats. What we did get was delicious! My husband and I plan on leaving San Jose earlier on our next Yosemite trip, just so we can try Dan’s Pulled Pork.
CASH ONLY!

Great Food, service, & atmosphere. A++

The food is good, that’s why giving it one star is such a hard thing, but obviously a lot more is needed for a good restaurant review.
I wanted to go back to show other family/​friends it. The next time, they were closed for a family emergency; understandable. The next time I called to see their hours, they asked me what I wanted. Found that to be kind of odd. Told them I wanted tri tip, they said they might ‘have enough’. I once again, asked their hours. They stated they closed «whenever they ran out of food»!!! lol. The THIRD time I attempted to go, there was a sign out front that read «Closed for catering». Their DEBIT/​ATM machine has been down forever, so bring cash.
…professionalism of any type, yeah… don’t expect it.

They might have the best BBQ around, but we’ll never know, as they are never open when we drive over there! My fiancé and I have been wanting to try this place for a while and are only available to come over on Saturdays and we have tried 3 – 4 times to eat here and EVERY time they are CLOSED! The last time we rolled up at 5:30 while a group of scantily clad skanks walked out and he CLOSED! This is no way to run a business. I understand that he caters, but if he has a restaurant, that should take first priority with the catering a sideline service that runs whilst the brick & mortar establishment is OPEN. I’m getting really tired of driving over to restaurants and they are CLOSED when they should be OPEN. I like a place with stable hours that I know will be open when I get there or I’m going to stop going there.

After reading the reviews on Unilocal my husband and I drove the short drive from Modesto to eat lunch today at Dan’s Smoke Pit. It is a small place with about 12 tables. Very casual with a small bucket on each table that had paper towels, condiments and BBQ sauce. The people were very friendly and one of the owners came to see how our meal was — she was just delightful and I am thrilled that their business is such a success.
I had the BBQ Rib sandwich with a side of bbq beans and a soda — all for $ 5.00! The sandwich was awesome, overflowing with the most tender boneless bbq rib meat in the best sauce ever. The beans were also great. My husband had the sausage and peppers sandwich with macaroni salad. The sausage was split and grilled and had cheese and peppers. He said it was amazing and the macaroni salad was good also. We sat and ate our lunch and watched Dan tend to the meat he had cooking in the big outdoor BBQ. All of this and our total bill was under $ 11.00!!!
We took home the menu and are already planning what we will get the next time we eat there. Make sure you get there early as they are so good they do sell out! This place is not to be missed…
Gina

BBQ almost good enough to get a speeding ticket. In Oakdale of all places.
Seriously I have a family member who would not shut up about how amazing this place is and how nice the family is who runs it and how the meat is awesome… blah blah blah. I thought my family member might be a little crazy. I had to see this for myself.
So I figure I would entertain said family member and eat here at least once. I was going to be visiting the NorCal area for a week so I had a little window of time to stop by here. Actually lets be honest… I had one single night that I had no plans, so we had to make dinner here happen last minute. I had to speed down the 99 at slightly over the speed limit to get to Dan’s and meet the family before they closed or ran out of meat for the night.
First off, this place is wayyyy off the beaten path… I guess maybe if you are going to Yosemite or live in Oakdale, Dan’s might be close but for me and everyone else it is a bit off the main highway. I had not been in Oakdale in YEARS when I visited Dan’s the other night… last time I was here they still had a chocolate factory here. How long ago was that???
One thing to know about Dan’s is that even though they close at a posted time (I believe it is 730 pm) they sometimes close early because they run out of meat. Apparently they prepare their meat the real BBQ way and it takes half a day to cook fully (12 hours) so sometimes they get more business than they anticipate and they run out of meat and close early.
There are no frills here… plastic silverware, soda in cans, one single bathroom.
But they have some damn good food!!!
I ended up getting the BBQ chicken and tri-​tip. I ate every single bite of the tri-​tip (there seemed not to be a nasty, gristle filled bite in the whole lot I received). The chicken was amazing! I know this may sound strange but it seems like the chicken that I got was actually bigger than most chickens I am used to eating… it was huge.
The dinner I got comes with sides but I just ended up giving them to other family members. They were out of red potatoes for the night, the side I would have gotten. I guess that is just one of the things about Dan’s…you have to be somewhat flexible with their menu. Especially for a family run place.
In total I might give Dan’s 4.5 stars just for the fact I wish they had a few more of the regular restaurant amenities like soda refills and right now they only accept cash but if we are true to our math we know that 4.5 rounds up to 5. If they ever get a soda fountain or a working debit card machine they would get a full 5 stars from me.
Dan’s is a quirky little Oakdale spot that I would love to stop by again… in fact I look forward to it.
:0)

Awesome!!! Thanks, Dan, for some incredible barbq. Only problem is that I can’t decide which is better — the brisket, the tri-​tip, or the pulled pork. All get five stars!

Would go 4.5 if you could, but we’ll round up based on the family run nature of the place and the nice people there. Only drawbacks are soda from a can, and plastic utensils. But, that being said, the brisket is excellent, the pulled pork sandwich was overfilled to the point that my wife shared half with me, and the sides are well done. So, if in Oakdale, we’ll hit it again!

GODZILLA VS. THE BUBBALON MOTORCYCLE GANG, AT THE CARNIVORE BBQ BEAST FEAST
*************
A legendary epic, more historic than the Illiad, the Odyssey, and the fables of Mickey the Mouse combined!
*************
The small village of Oakdale was all quiet before the coming storm. Little did the people know, that the storm would not come in terms of weather or rain, but would come in terms of BBQ obsessed Behemoths. Behemoths so big, that each one could by themselves, could blot out the noontime sun.
The first Behemoth, Godzilla, stomped into town, as terrified High Schoolers scattered in all directions. He approached the small traditional native BBQ hut, but hesistated. His keen sense of smell and his infared senses, detected the outside BBQ. Attracted by both the luscious smoky smell of slowly roasted beasts and the 350 degree heat, he waited there, for he want to meet his foes head-​on. Godzilla did not like surprises, especially with roast beast and the formidable Bubbalon!
It was not long before a gradually increasing rumbling was heard, and the Bubbalon Motorcycle Gang roared into view. Bubbalon and his fellow behemoths were mounted on huge fire-​breathing cycles. Bubbalon yelled a friendly salutation to Godzilla, which helped defused a potentially dangerous confrontation.
Fortunately, for this small town, these Behemoths were here to eat BBQed beast and not the natives. The Behemoths lumbered into, crowded in, and squeezed into the small shack. To an outside observer, the walls of the shack now bulged outwards. The local gravity field now doubled, and nearby planes & vultures were deflected towards the hut, and had a terrible time staying airborne.
The fearless heroic warlock leader of the BBQ pit, named simply DAN THE MAN, brought out huge vats of various smoked succulent magical beast meat that was slowly roasted overnight, for the loathsome motley crew of Behemoths.
The fearsome Behemoths were touched by this simple gesture, vowed an agreement to spare this worthy man, and immediately shoved tons of beautiful bountiful BBQed beast into their respective gaping mauls.
Between the monstrous sounds of growling, grunts, and wanton gluttony, the grizzled Behemoths roared their collective pleasure, over this amazing BBQed Beast Feast.
If one listened carefully between huge gulps, you could hear and almost comprehend these ancient & terrible Creatures, as they moaned and bellowed in a melancholy manner, about eons long gone, and their respective amazing past exploits as young Monsters, in their prime.
As the final bushel of roasted beast was shoved into his mouth, Godzilla realized that not only did he prevail in the BBQ Behemoth feeding frenzy, but he was absurdly happy, for once in his monstrous life.
Godzilla, did not know if his new found happiness & better disposition, was due to the bonding experience with his rival Monsters, Bubbalon and his gang, or because of the wonderously addictive beast meat, created by the secret magical powers, of DAN THE MAN, the BBQ WONDER-​WARLOCK of OAKDALE.
Regardless of the reason, all Godzilla knew was that he left DAN THE MAN & the Bubbalon Gang, beaming a toothless grin from reptilian ear to ear, as he crawled and heaved his way out of the near bottomless BBQ pit, and left the kind people of Oakdale in peace!
*****
Epilog: Godzilla does not care where you live, and bellows a command! You must feast on BBQ WONDER-​BEAST here, even if you have to transverse both the burning Sahara and the freezing Himalayas, to get here! Just stay at a friendly local native’s hotel hut in the little village of Oakdale AND FORGET ABOUT THAT STUPID PATHETIC JOB THAT YOU MAY, OR MAY NOT, HAVE!
ALL HAIL DAN’S SMOKE PIT!
GODZILLA!
BUBBALON!
& GANG!

BEST $ 5 SPENT IN OAKDALE!
Where would I be without my Unilocal Mobile App? Lost and probably eating at chain food joint when traveling on business. Don’t do it Oakdale. Drive off the beaten path from HWY 120 to Dan’s. Dan even greeted me, took my order, and gave me a second sample serving of the delicious homemade chicken salad.
For $ 5, I got a large, tender tri-​tip sandwich on a super soft roll, a side of pasta salad, and a bottled water. Service was friendly and efficient and dining area and bathroom was clean.
A can’t miss when in Oakdale!

Fabulous food! Best meal that we’ve had in months – and we just ate at the Ahwahnee and the best restaurants in Sacramento! We won’t be surprised if Dan is snatched up as the chef at a 5-​star restaurant. The bbq chicken was incredibly tender and flavorful. Wish Dan’s Smoke Pit was in our neighborhood in Sacramento! Can’t wait to go back…

IT’s the real deal, homemade sauce, smoked meats, clean friendly place, very inexpensive as in a bargain. I’ll be back anytime I’m in the area. We had the rib sandwich, killer, as were the side potatoes with onions. Nice patio for outdoor, clean nice seating indoor and the aroma of his custom made Texas grill right out front is the best!

Ok, we wanted some meat for the game. This place had some good review and just down the road, so off to Dan’s we went. (I’m not sure why, but it was a comforting sign that the workers were playing scrabble while waiting for the meat to cook outside.)
We ordered a slab of ribs and a couple of sides. Wow! The smoked ribs were good. Forget the sides! Eat meat!
One tip the owner told me was to get there around 6pm for the just off the grill ribs. That’s how they serve them in competitions. Great addition to the area.

If you need an excuse to drive to Oakdale, as most of us certainly do, Dan’s Smoke Pit would be it. This food is as good as you’ll find anywhere: the meat smoked to perfection, the sides fresh and mouth-​watering. This is no run-​of-​the-​mill BBQ joint — these people know their stuff and they’re obviously in the restaurant business not just to earn a living. Dan’s world-​class meats are worth the drive from almost anywhere in Northern California and that’s saying something.

We work in Oakdale and Dans Smoke pit is one of our favorite lunch spots.
The sandwiches are sooooo good with the grilled peppers and onions. I have tried pretty much everything on the menu and have never been disappointed.
They have different specials every day, so there is always something new to try.
Bonus points that Dan & Mom have got to be the sweetest people ever!

If you’re in to slow cooked barbeque than you need look no further than Dan’s Smoke Pit.
The meat is cooked to perfection. You don’t need to chew, the meat just melts in your mouth, it is that tender. The ribs had a great flavor to them (they’re a St. Louis style), the brisket to die for (it’s hard to find people who make brisket around here… everyone tend to focus on tri-​tip).
We tried the sides they recommended (red potatoes, which were delightedly spiced with garlic, butter, and seasoning and the baked beans, which were very sweet). The flavors of the meat and sides coincide so well, it makes for a hearty and delicious meal.
It’s a family run restaurant, so you’ll see Dan making the magic happen. They’re open Tuesday-​Saturday, 11:30 — 7:30, but don’t let the hours fool you: call ahead or go in early because the food often runs out (as my wife and I have found out from experience).
They haven’t been open very long (they’re going on a year) and if you’re headed East on 108, it’s right past the Oak St stop light on the left across from the Valero station. You’ll see the barbeque out front.