Lexington, KY - While the name of Greg and Leigh Pence's recently opened Southland Drive restaurant might sound unappetizing, make no mistake, this is real BBQ -
rubbed, smoked and served by purists. In fact, the name, Butt Rubb BBQ, is an homage to Greg's obsession with the food -
it's his nickname, Butt Rubb.
"He's not the head chef," Leigh jokes. "He's the butt chef."
The husband and wife team has clocked in over 30 years of experience in the food industry, putting in time at various local venues in the central Kentucky region, such as Halls on the River, Applebee's Park and the Kentucky Horse Park, while preparing a wide array of fare. "We've done everything from hotdogs to escargot in those 30 years," Leigh said.
The "I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you" secret rub recipe is Greg's own concoction, mixed together over five years ago after years of trial and error. "I got into this because I love BBQ, but I never had any that I thought was great," he said. "I've never had bad BBQ, but nothing really jumped out. When I finally came up with this recipe, I took a bite of it and said, 'That's it.'"
The regional varieties of BBQ, just in the U.S. alone, are very diverse. Nearly every state or section of the country (save for New England) has an indigenous style, with Memphis, North Carolina and Western Kentucky styles being among the most recognizable. Across the board, saying one style is better than another could be fighting words to some BBQ diehards. Butt Rubb's BBQ, according to Greg, is competition style.
"Everybody asks what style it is, and I say my style," Greg said. "I guess ours is closest to Memphis style, but we don't put the sauce on it."
In fact, they won't put sauce on. They'll put sauce on the table, but you're going to have to apply it yourself. Like putting ketchup on a good steak, Greg and Leigh say preparing the meat -
they use the "Boston butt" cut, smoked behind their restaurant in an apparatus Greg built -
with sauce isn't the correct way to make true BBQ.
"Some of these guys get the meat and then they stir in the sauce, and there you go," Greg said. "That's not real BBQ. What we do is a lot harder to do, that's why nobody else is doing it."
The new restaurant has been something the couple has been planning for over a decade (actually, a work performance evaluation from Halls on the River 25 years ago said Greg was destined to open his own restaurant), they were just waiting for the right spot and the right time.
"We've been looking for a long time," Greg said. "We've probably looked at every empty building in this town over the past 10 years. This one just happened to come up. I gave the landlord a sandwich, and he said, 'Come on. Come on.'"