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THE PARKER'S BBQ PIT JOURNEY
What began as a family tradition has grown into a lifelong passion for pit master Steve Parker. His love for sharing great food is the heart and soul of Parker’s BBQ Pit.
From an early age, Steve learned the craft of pit roasting and barbecue from his father. In 1989, during the Montana Centennial Cattle Drive, his father honored the celebration by pit roasting a buffalo. That experience, combined with the lessons passed down by his mother and grandmother about caring for the finest ingredients, helped shape Steve’s dedication to authentic, flavorful barbecue.
By 2015, with encouragement from family and friends, Steve brought his barbecue to the public for the first time at the Rocky Boy’s Powwow Celebration. The enthusiastic response from both the community and visitors sparked the inspiration to take his passion further.
In 2017, Steve purchased a food trailer and jumped at the chance to join Havre’s Discover Downtown event. Serving his signature creations to hundreds, he walked away that same day with the People’s Choice Award—proof that Parker’s BBQ Pit was destined to keep growing.
That growth reached new heights in 2021 when Steve acquired the historic Heltne’s Oil Company building. By early 2022, his dream of opening a true smokehouse with a modern atmosphere became reality on the Hi-Line. Today, Parker’s BBQ Pit offers a menu full of favorites, including slow-smoked brisket, Smoked Mac & Cheese, Green Apple Slaw, and their famous Piggy Bags—a barbecue twist on the classic taco-in-a-bag.
Steve and his “Pit Crew” invite you to stop in and experience the best Que on Hwy 2—where tradition, flavor, and community come together.
WHERE THE JOURNEY BEGAN
HISTORIC HELTNE'S OIL COMPANY
The Great Northern Railway transported people and goods to, and through, northern Montana in the lat 1880's and early 1900's.
By the mid-1920's, however, automobile travel eclipsed rail travel. Soon, modern roads and new roadside service stations, motels and cafes catered to auto travelers. The Northwest Refining Company of Cut Bank built the building, now home to Parker's BBQ Pit, in 1939. Texaco industrial designer, Walter Dorwin Teague, adapted the style for gas stations in 1936 and oil companies nationwide followed suite. Teague specified white porcelain-enamel tile siding, but white brick or concret block were common substitutes. Colorful horizontal "speed lines" at the roofline, large glass display windows and enclosed service bays are other stylistic hallmarks. These design ideals were all aimed at making service stations appear as clean and modern as a new hospital and inviting to any type of driver.
Danfield "Dan" Heltne leased the station from the outset in 1939. He initially sold Grizzly Oil Company prodcuts and then, through different owners, sold Oval E, Carter, Humble, and Enco products through the 1960's. He purchased the station in 1974. Always a cheerleader in the community, Heltne spent years directing the May Music Festival, Kiwanis Club, the Salvation Army Board and the Havre Chamber of Commerce Board. Dan passed away in 1990 and his son continued the business. Over the years, Heltne's became a Havre institution and a Hi-Line landmark. When it closed in 2006, it was the longest continuously operated service station in the area.
