About Bubba’s
Good barbecue runs in the family.
Hayden Woodard learned to cook barbecue from his father and grandfather. What began as cooking for family and friends eventually became Bubba’s Q Shack.
The story
From family cooks to the Q Shack.
The family cooking tradition reaches back to the 1980s, long before Bubba’s Q Shack had a name.
He spent years cooking for relatives and friends. In 2015, the barbecue became a commercial business. As more people asked for it at their tables and gatherings, the work grew into holiday orders and drop-off catering throughout Apex and surrounding communities.
The name came from home, too. Bubba is the nickname of Hayden’s son.
Behind the smoker
Still cooked by Hayden.
Today, he personally handles every cook for Bubba’s Q Shack.
We make the dry rub and Eastern North Carolina-style vinegar-based sauce ourselves, keeping the process as direct and personal as it was when cooking for people we knew.
The barbecue is cooked low and slow, with the timing guided by the food rather than a fixed schedule. Depending on what is on the smoker, some cooks take approximately 12 hours. From Boston butts to ribs and whole-hog requests, each item gets the time it needs.
Explore Bubba’s