We suspect that if Rub BBQ Co. had opened five years ago, instead of about a year and a half ago, it would be a lot better known— chef-owner Jared Leonard and his team do a first-rate job with live-fire barbecue (in a hulking black safe of a pit), but that’s not the novelty it was when, say, Smoque opened. So they’ve been a little bit of a secret tucked just off of Western north of Peterson, but maybe they’re about to become a little more obvious: they’ve just moved up the street to bigger, flashier quarters at 6954 N. Western, and evolved their name into Rub’s Backcountry Smokehouse.
Besides the existing pit they’ve added a second one. plus a wood-burning grill for faster cooking and finishing of items such as ribs, and items beyond barbecue such as wood-grilled panini. They’ve also dialed up the decor with things like the refurbished vintage sign that Leonard (right) is holding. (One piece of decor had to come down, though— Leonard wanted to pay tribute to the main barbecue-producing states by decorating with antique flags from Texas, etc…. but people objected to a North Carolina battle flag that included a “stars and bars” motif.) The restaurant will open in the new space tomorrow for lunch; you can see the menu here. [Facebook/LTHForum]
