Where are you starting? Do you already have a lot of spacers under the stem, or is the steerer cut short? One option might be to buy a fork with an un-cut steer tube and stack spacers up to the safe limit. I do that on my bikes, along with the already mentioned short (90mm) stem angled up.
I also use shallow drop bars on one bike which allows me to stay in the drops for extended periods despite having a stiff lower back and a gut.
I like the bar tops about an inch to an inch and a half below the saddle. Years ago I ran them 4 inches below.