Stacy’s Smokehouse has just declared war on PETA with these ads.

Colonel Sanders, if anyone, must be so angry. “Finger-lickin’ good” was coined by KFC for its slogan, and it has since become one of the most memorable advertisements ever. Next to KFC, Stacy’s rooster ad could look like a sleazy knockoff wanting a lawsuit. Then again, Beastie Boys sang about “Finger-Lickin’ Good” once.

As for guilty carnivores, their lot is in Phoenix, Arizona, where Stacy Phipps has opened his eponymous smoked meat eatery. Stacy’s Smokehouse, which opened this year, represents a departure for him, who’s known around Phoenix for an earlier restaurant that served mostly soul food.

As the ad copy tells everyone, the “rub” or the spicy sauce lends fame to his barbecues. A rub is defined as a special coating usually indicated for smoked and grilled meats. It is made of any combination of ground spices, seasonings, salt, oil and herbs. For the rub, Stacy adds sugar to a paste of spices, ketchup, and vinegar, so that the meat comes out more caramelized. Plus, Phipps smokes his meat over hickory and almond firewood. As a result, his menu’s bestsellers (ribs, brisket) are said to be all the more flavorsome for it.

There’s the rub: people not indoctrinated to the art of barbecuing may not really understand “rub” right off the bat. The ad agency is probably counting on statistics showing Arizonans who prefer barbecues with their July 4 fireworks.

Smoked meats aside, the restaurant, as in Stacy’s former eatery, prides itself in catfish with a dressing of cornmeal batter. It also boasts of fried chickens, which allegedly requires so much special treatment, they’re only served after 3 PM.

If delayed gratification is not to one’s liking, Stacy’s has some tender pulled pork on offer. It’s the one thing the restaurant skewers other than George Orwell’s Animal Farm; the print ad denoting “four legs” just reminds me of a popular line from the book. “Whatever goes on four legs, or has wings, is a friend,” so says Animal Farm—and PETA.

Advertising Agency: Santy Advertising, Phoenix, USA
Creative Director: Adam Pierno
Art Director: Chris Cavalieri
Copywriter: Jamie Dos Santos
Published: May 2008

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