OWENSBORO, Ky. — You can smell them before you see them.
In central Kentucky, 40+ restaurants make up the Western Kentucky BBQ Trail. The smell of smoked meat, pork and mutton is sending 'cue lovers from around the nation to this area of the bluegrass state to enjoy the flavors and discover the differences in this consortium of goodness promoted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The restaurants are as different as one could imagine, but the purpose of the trail is the same: to promote the unique quality of these barbecue products and to stake a claim on this place being the barbecue capital of the world.
Nearly 40 years ago, as a young broadcaster at WFIE-TV in Evansville, a photographer friend and I would cross the Ohio River Bridge occasionally and stop at Thomason's in Henderson. Today, the small restaurant is still producing mouthwatering dishes, just like they did decades ago. Their mutton is something, but they also sell a lot of "chip," a regional specialty of charred exterior pieces with a tangy sauce.
Thomason's Barbecue
Kevin Gibson moved from Henderson to California but is now back in town running Thomason's Barbecue.
The Barbecue Trail, to him, is just what restaurant owners need.
"In the past, people celebrated barbecues, especially the traditional western Kentucky barbecue, but other foods have sprung up and things like bourbon, and now, we are re-celebrating our history," Gibson said. "What is awesome is that there is like 40+ restaurants in western Kentucky that serve good, wholesome barbecue. We have been here since 1960. Others have been longer, but mostly family-owned and very small local restaurants.”
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Mutton, a dish which is now very expensive, is the go-to 'cue here in Henderson. Gibson said it is one of two things that makes this regional barbecue so special.
"You cannot find mutton in many parts of the country, and most people do not even know what mutton is, but we smoke mutton here, and it is a big deal in western Kentucky," Gibson said. "Then also, the type of sauce we have. We typically have a thinner, vinegar-based sauce we call a dip or mop, and you can mop it on the meat as it is smoking, or you can use it as a barbecue sauce, but it is vinegar-based so it is much thinner."
Thomason's is a no-frills-come-in-and-come-out kind of place.
Thomason's Barbecue
Homer's
If you want to spend a little time enjoying your meal in an indoor setting, Homer's is also in Henderson.
Casey Todd is only in his 30s, but he has a wealth of experience both in restaurants and in that very special barbecue scene. It is why he does things with his place in a much different fashion.
"I grew up on the western Kentucky barbecue. That is my passion. It is what I truly enjoy," Todd said. "Mutton is by far my favorite barbecue. It is 100% western Kentucky style barbecue. Mutton is extremely expensive now, and it kind of leaves that natural kind of gamey taste in our smokers as well, so we do not actually sell mutton here, which I know is crazy. We are more of a Texas-style barbecue, is what we call ourselves. We are heavy dry rub, no sauce, multitude of sauces on the table. We like to be a hip, modern version of western Kentucky barbecue."
Homer's Barbecue
Like all the other restaurants on the trail, Homer's smokes its meats for hours and employs a grill master who comes in well before the sun comes up to get things started. Todd had left Henderson to work in Hilton Head Island, then returned here six years ago to start another restaurant called Hometown Roots. The allure of operating a barbecue restaurant was very appealing though, even through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As others were thinking of ways to survive, which obviously I was as well, I had a lot of free time, so I was smoking meats. I was having fun," Todd said. "We prepared extensive meals at home, almost nightly, which got my creative juices flowing. You know, I am going to say 6-12 months into COVID, we purchased this building and decided it was time for a barbecue concept."
Homer's, named after his grandfather, is a roaring success with big screen TVs, a large appetizer menu, live music on the outdoor patio and, of course, the world-class barbecue taste. Todd believes his restaurant is one of the more unusual stops on the Western Kentucky BBQ Trail due to his three-pronged experience of atmosphere, good food and food quality. He feels all three experiences will keep people coming back.
By the way, Todd serves burgoo, the meat stew product so unique to this part of the United States.
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Homer's, named after his grandfather, is a roaring success with big screen TVs, a large appetizer menu, live music on the outdoor patio and, of course, the world-class barbecue taste. Todd believes his restaurant is one of the more unusual stops on the Western Kentucky BBQ Trail due to his three-pronged experience of atmosphere, good food and food quality. He feels all three experiences will keep people coming back.
By the way, Todd serves burgoo, the meat stew product so unique to this part of the United States.
Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn
Speaking of burgoo, a 45-minute drive away in Owensboro is the place that put burgoo on the map. Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn is one of the most well-known joints in America. The self-proclaimed "best bar-b-q in the world" is smoked here, and the restaurant has drawn presidents, world leaders, actors and sports celebrities to this part of the state to enjoy their world-famous barbecue buffet. Patrick Bosley is the co-owner of this family-owned piece of history.
"Yeah, an overnight success, six decades in the making. Everyone sees where you are, and no one sees where you have come from. I think that is the story, whether you are an Olympic athlete, a famous chef or a humble cook, they don't see the effort that goes into every day to grind our success. We cook and treat people like family," Bosley said. "Everyone wants to know the secret of our success. They want to know the secret recipe, the secret sauce. I get people come in and want to mentor with you or hang out with you and figure out how you run a business, and they forget the fundamentals of why we cook. In an age of fast food, home cooking stands out every day, and it is a lost art of treating your customers like friends and family."
Bosley is humble about his food. The night my Chuck's Big Adventure team visited Moonlite, former Kentucky basketball star Jack "Goose" Givens was in the house enjoying the buffet that was filled with brisket, pork, beef and, of course, the soupy western Kentucky specialty called burgoo. Goose was posing for pictures and shaking hands, but he also enjoyed the food. That is the key to Moonlite — the quality of these tempting dishes.
Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn
Bosley says more than 95% of the customers go through the buffet line instead of simply ordering off the menu. That too, makes Moonlite so very unique, but again, do not forget the burgoo.
"Burgoo came about because of soup cuts. You barbequed the necks, and shanks were boiled and made into soup meat. You had all your prime cuts. You used everything," Bosley said. "The funny thing on burgoo is that all the different cooks have a different recipe and what they put in it, and so what?"
True, superstar names like Kevin Costner, Dierks Bentley and Bill Clinton love the barbecue buffet, but it is a place where everyone is treated well ,and they leave swearing to come back soon.
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Bosley said he wants to keep great people serving great food, a philosophy that has made Moonlite Bar-B-Q one of America's most famous places to get delicious food.
"It is a place where, you know, there is going to be 300 people when you show up. It is democratic governors, republican governors and it is not one party, one side. We like to check disagreements at the door and have a good time, have good food," Bosley said.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is pumping a lot of dollars into promoting the Western Kentucky BBQ Trail. Our team would have stayed in this part of the state much longer if we could have to experience even more mouthwatering treats.
Check these restaurants out! It's a much shorter drive than the Carolinas or Texas or even Kansas City, and the quality of the meats measures up wonderfully. Enjoy!
More of Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky:
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Visiting fabled horse parks
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Finding giants at Bernheim Forest
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Cabins on the cliffs and in the trees
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Rail Explorers
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Red River Gorge underground kayaking
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Visiting the Woodsongs Radio Hour broadcast
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Touring the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Rocking with Rick Faris
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Berea College
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: Lake Cumberland — Houseboats
- Chuck's Big Adventure in Kentucky: National Corvette Museum, NCM Motorsports Park