Intro
Meet Leonard Botello IV. Pitmaster, owner, and the man behind Truth BBQ. In 2015 Leonard opened Truth out of a small shack off a rural highway between Austin and Houston. What happened next surprised the whole industry. Truth landed on Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ list. He's held a place in the top 10 ever since. A second location followed in Houston Heights in 2019, and the accolades kept coming: a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation and a No. 9 ranking on Texas Monthly's most recent Top 50 list. Leonard is known for his authentic Central Texas-style barbecue, his obsession with the perfect cook, and a dedication to honoring the history of Texas BBQ while pushing it forward. When he's not running the pit room, you'll find him cooking at food and wine festivals across the country, picking up the guitar, or building fires in his backyard. We're proud to welcome him to the Turtlebox family.
Q&A
What is your profession? And did you always know this is what you would end up doing, or was it something you stumbled into?
Truth BBQ — cooking. I grew up in restaurants and it was the last thing I actually wanted to do. So I went to school to do anything but cook. Then craft BBQ came along and I became absolutely obsessed with the craft and attention to detail. It derailed my entire life plans.
When you’re not doing your core pursuit, what else do you enjoy doing?
Honestly, problem solving and coming up with solutions to make things easier. I started playing guitar last year and now I can't put it down. It's similar to a BBQ pit: it's just another puzzle to solve.
How do you incorporate music into your life?
Any way that I can. I choose music that reflects how I want to feel or am feeling in that moment. Music lets you revisit specific memories tied to a song. I like that.
What does “Live Free” mean to you?
When my phone never goes off and a restaurant that runs itself perfectly
Any guilty pleasures?
Sour candy and rewatching old series I've already seen 100 times: like True Detective Season 1 or New Girl. Don't judge me.
What’s your hottest take or most controversial opinion?
Cooking great brisket is about creating the most perfect cooking environment inside the pit, not the wood, the pit, the brisket, etc. You are focusing on all the variables affecting the environment, not just the brisket.
What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you in the wild/on tour?
One time I was lighting up a burn barrel. I left the propane torch on for the logs to catch, walked away for five minutes, came back and it wasn't lit. I didn't realize the gas had gotten trapped between the logs. I relit it and...yeah, it blew up.
Who is your favorite musical artist? Or what are you listening to right now?
I'm a rocker through and through. My favorite bands are AC/DC, Van Halen (not Van Hagar), Skynyrd, and Def Lep, Joe Dirt style. But honestly, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hendrix, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, John Mayer, Audioslave, Queens of the Stone Age, Fleetwood Mac, Zeppelin, Hank Williams, George Strait, Zach Bryan, Eric Clapton, Allen Jackson, Chili Peppers, Metallica, Nirvana, Elton John, I mean, we can go on and on.
Favorite Turtlebox speaker and why? How do you use it?
I love all my Turtlebox speakers. If I had to choose one it'd be the Ranger. It puts out an unbelievable amount of sound for a small speaker, and since I'm always listening to music I can just throw it in my backpack or side bag and take it wherever. The magnets are absolutely insane. I've left it on my trailer pit after a cook and driven hours back to the restaurant, and it was right where I left it. But honestly they're all killer. It really just depends on the activity and whether you're trying to earn yourself a noise complaint.
Music is part of every good memory I have. That's why there's always a Turtlebox within reach. From the pit to the beach, the shop to the backyard, it's one thing I never leave behind.
