Meet Josh Marquardt | BBQ Pitmaster on Youtube

We had the good fortune of connecting with Josh Marquardt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
This may sound cliche for the purposes of this article, but I would say the most difficult decision I”ve ever made was uprooting my entire life to take a chance on moving to Nashville. Now obviously, change is difficult for anyone, especially when it comes to relocatting. For me however, it was especially difficult. I always knew I wanted to move away from my home state of Connecticut, but it just seemed impossible. It wasn’t like I was 18 years old and moving for school. I was literally 30 years old, built a reputation for myself, owned a house, had a decent career, many great friends and most importantly, I was close to my family. I had also seen some of my friends attempt to move cross country, only to return to CT in a year or two. So why would I ever change all of that to move to Nashville? Well, it’s hard to describe, but every time I came here, the city felt more like home than my home did. It’s not like I have tons of friends here or family, but the city just ressonates with me and my goals in more ways I can explain. When people ask me “why Nashville?” I just say “I don’t know, but it feels like home.” Most people don’t get it, but those are the same people that want to change their lives and had the same mindset I did previously. What I call the “I have too much to lose” mindset.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I founded my Youtube channel “Fatty’s Feasts” in 2020. Just like everyone else at the time, I was limitted to having fun within the confines of my 4 walls, and I was BORED. Creating a Youtube channel had always been a dream of mine and the pandemic really pushed me to just go for it and see what happens. Originally, my intention was to cure my boredom and bring a little joy into people’s lives by showing how fun cooking at home can be. This evolved into focusing on strickly outdoor cooking such as grilling, griddling and smoking. Because of my passion for BBQ, I moved from my home state of Connecticut to Nashville, TN in 2023.

Starting a successful Youtube channel was not easy. There is a lot that goes into setting yourself apart from other creators. If you search for a video about cooking a brisket, you’ll find thousands of results, from many creators that have a better reputation or expertise than myself. However, I’ve always been in the “marathon not sprint” mindset. Meaning, I knew I was new to content creation and I knew I’d need to prove myself in todays age of social media and short format content.

What frustrated me for so long prior to becoming a content creator, was that when I searched for recipes online, I’d find short 30 second videos that showed you the steps without explanation. No measurements, no screw ups, no tips and tricks, nothing of value besides the perfect looking finished product. This is where I believe I differ greatly from other creators. I walk you through the process in detail. I tell you every step I take and why each step is important. I show you mistakes I make in the process. I want you to leave my videos having a clear roadmap on how to make your food the best you’ve ever made. Short format content doesn’t allow for that kind of detail.

I believe my content is made for your everyday guy or girl who has a normal life and loves cooking outdoors on the weekend for friends and family. I’m not a 5 star chef, working in a 5 star restaurant. I don’t do BBQ competitions. I’m just a dude who has a Monday through Friday job and loves drinking cold beer and cooking delicious meats. That’s who I make my content for and I believe many of my subscribers are those types of people, just like me. There are so many different types of creators out there that do Youtube full time with millions of subscribers. Sure, I’d love a million subscribers some day, but I’m not going to change who I am or how I do things to get there. I tried fitting into a different personallity when I first started and I quickly realized I hated it. I’ve realized the only way to be successful and to truly love what you do, is to just be yourself, and your fans will eventually come to you and appreciate you for you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Even though I’ve only been in Nashville for about 6 months, I’ve been here enough times to know to avoid Broadway (never really been a fan anyway). My friends will typically ask to go and I will reluctantly agree to be nice, but there is so much more to this city than downtown. Personally, I love going to some smaller bars in East. My favorite place to go is Diskin Cider in Wedgewood. For outdoor activities, I am obsessed with Shelby Bottoms greenway. I walk there almost every day around the Cornelia Fort Airpark. I also enjoy watching the sunset from the pedestrian bridge near the Opry. As far as restaurants go, I’m constantly exploring. I have a few favorite hot chicken joints. First, BJ’s is an all around good option. I’m a spice nut, so I always go for the extra hot. I also enjoy Helen’s near Vanderbuilt. It’s not as hot as most places, but it is the juciest chicken I’ve found so far. Lastly, the first hot chicken I ever had was at Party Fowl, so I frequent there as well. For BBQ, you cant go wrong with Shotgun Willie’s in Inglewood. Unlike most BBQ joints that specialize in pork, these guys KNOW how to make a good brisket, which is something you can’t find much of here. They are only open for lunch though, so plan accordingly!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many creators on Youtube that inspired me to make my own channel and I have learned from along the way. I don’t know these guys personnally, but people like Aaron Franklin, Jeremy Yoder, Matthew Hussey, Todd Toven and many more. I would also like to acknowledge my good friend and fellow BBQ fanatic, Dan from back in CT. Dan found me on Youtube as a CT resident at the time and allowed me to borrow his smoker for a few months. This grew my channel immensely and really enabled me to cook things in ways I’d never done before. We are now good friends and constantly bounce BBQ ideas off each other. Without his support, I would definitely not be where i am today!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fattysfeastsfunnies/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FattysFeasts