Hard work never bothered Jeff Buckler. But after selling commercial tires for 28 years in central Illinois, his body began to wear down. After several rotator cuff surgeries and a hernia surgery, he knew he couldn’t take it much longer. The tire business was shifting, and he found himself getting more buried in paperwork than working with customers.
“I thought I’d die selling tires,” he says. “But it just wasn’t fun anymore. One of my friends owned a chain of local bars and grills. He told me, ‘If you work half as hard for yourself as you do for other people, you’ll be successful.’”
Buckler decided to take his friend’s advice. In 2017, he purchased one of his friend’s bars. Despite never having cooked professionally, he learned the basics and eventually started experimenting with his own recipes.
Not long after, his motorcycle club was looking for a clubhouse. They found a building in Sadorus and the owner told them if they fixed it up, he’d cut them the first six months of rent cheap. The plan for every member of the club to come in and help run it. Buckler says that lasted about three months before they had to hire people to help run it.
“I was doing all the work scheduling people and ordering food,” he says. “Finally, the club president said it was only fair to sell it to me if I wanted it.”
He opened Buford’s Pub on Dec. 16, 2018.
Precision Engineering: The Two-Pound Tenderloin
During a trip to the grocery store one day, Buckler ran across some fresh breaded tenderloins. He decided to take one home and try it out.
“It was good,” he says. “I went back and asked the managers for 10 more of them. Then, I went back in for 10 more, then 20, 30 and when I asked for 40, the butcher told me he didn’t have the manpower to make that many. So, he took me back into his kitchen and showed me how to cut them and tenderize them.”
The butcher also shared his special seasoning recipe that Buckler has modified over time.
“People started going crazy over them,” Buckler says. “The next thing I knew, we were posted on the Pursuing Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches page on Facebook, it has nearly 175,000 members who talk about tenderloins and where to find the best ones.”
One of the things he learned from the page was that the bigger the tenderloin, the better the lure to customers. He started making the tenderloins a little bigger each time until he landed on a 2-lb. tenderloin. But he says there are some 3-lb. tenderloins in the mix, too. They weigh each tenderloin and serve it with a trademark flag that notes the tenderloin’s weight.
Sales continued to grow until the pandemic struck in 2020. Buckler pivoted to serve the massive tenderloins in tin pans because none of their Styrofoam containers were big enough for these to-go orders. This became the brand’s signature.
“If you see a tenderloin in a tin pan on social media, there’s a 9 out of 10 chance it’s ours,” Buckler says.
Outperforming the Competition
The Pursuing Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches page has helped turn Buford’s into a destination. People drive from across the state and even from other states like Florida and Minnesota or just to try one. That’s how the Illinois Pork Producers Association discovered this tasty tenderloin in a town of 400 people.
“When Mikayla Schaefer called to tell me we won the 2026 Best Pork Tenderloin Sandwich in Illinois, it was mind-boggling,” Buckler says. “I still tear up. It’s hard to talk about because I never consider my stuff to be the best. That’s not who I am. I dream to be the best, but I also know everyone has different taste buds, so I don’t put too much weight in trying to chase favor. ”
Wible says this first-ever Breaded Pork Tenderloin Draft competition was designed to spotlight hand-breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches served at restaurants across Illinois. After multiple rounds of voting and a final panel sorting out the top five tenderloins, Buford’s Pub was named the champion.
That came as no surprise to Buford’s customers. Laura Smith, a long-time fan of Buford’s Pub, says she loves how Buford’s brings in people from all over to the small town of Sadorus.
“The tenderloin at Buford’s is delicious and the size is amazing,” Smith says. “I love that they use fresh ingredients and it is always coked just right. Also, everyone is always so friendly and helpful when you go in there to eat.”
How Do You Make the “Perfect” Tenderloin?
In the past year alone, Buford’s has sold nearly 10,000 pork tenderloins. He says they’ve sold up to 96 tenderloins in one day. Because of this demand, he went from buying pork by the case to buying it by the pallet. He also needed more space to make the tenderloins and built a USDA-certified kitchen in nearby Arthur.
Buckler’s process has been perfected over time and starts with a loin that’s approximately 7 to 8 lb. He says the smaller ones are also fine. The challenge is when the loins get too big.
“I prefer the medium size ones, where they’re short and fat, so I can cut a nice, 6”x8” piece of meat,” he says. “We use all of it. We are going to make a smaller pub cut now for bars looking to cook one in a pizza oven. We also offer a mini tenderloin at Buford’s in addition to our traditional big tenderloin.”
Once he trims the fat off the loin, he tenderizes it using a Hobart 403 machine and seasons it. He says the “secret” to his tenderloin is that he marinades them in a buttermilk-egg mixture for 24 hours. Then, he breads them with a seasoned cracker meal so it gets double-seasoned.
Juan Molina has worked at Buford’s Pub for two years. He points out that most restaurants just cut the tenderloins, pound them out by hand, bread them and throw them in a deep fryer.
“The way Jeff tenderizes them allows that marinade to really soak into the meat, so you’re not losing moisture when you pound them out,” Molina says.
He also says the thickness of Buford’s tenderloins also makes them better because they have more meat. Getting the tenderloin cooked just right is also key. Every tenderloin is timed and temperature-checked on three different sides before it leaves the kitchen, Buckler says.
Hitting the Road in the Name of Pork
One of the reasons Buckler chose to make his kitchen USDA-certified is because he plans to sell his popular breaded tenderloins to other bars and possibly even larger companies like Sysco.
“There’s nothing like our 2-lb. tenderloins on the market,” he says. “I think this would be a great product for someone looking for something different to feature. Some people have even expressed interest in using them as a pizza crust.”
Molina will be hitting the road soon promoting these tenderloins. He is optimistic about this opportunity to grow the business.
“I’ll come to Buford’s and help whenever they need help,” says Molina who has also served as one of the cooks. “But my focus is getting this tenderloin pushed out. As long as Jeff wants to go after the big fish, I’m ready to go fishing.”
An American Dream Fulfilled
Early mornings, late nights and continually striving for excellence have been key to the growing success of Buford’s Pub. And, of course, a good menu with delicious offerings is important, too. Although his tenderloins get a lot of attention, Buckler’s pulled pork nachos are very popular.
He serves a lot of pork on the menu because it’s tasty and versatile. By using one pork product for multiple things, it also takes up less space in the freezer and allows them to use it all up.
“Pork is so good,” Buckler says. “I feel like it’s underrated for how good it is, but that may be because people don’t know how to cook it very well.”
Buckler sees the tenderloin distribution business as his “retirement.” He’s excited to focus on innovating and supplying high-quality, USDA-approved tenderloins to other establishments.
“Being successful is about doing stuff other people don’t do,” he says. “I never dreamt years ago when I was just starting to make them that we’d be here today selling hundreds a week. I can’t try again for the Illinois tenderloin title for another five years, but goals for the future, right?”
Buckler may have thought he’d die selling tires, but in the quiet town of Sadorus, he’s proving the American Dream is still possible.
Editor’s Note: As a Sadorus resident, Farm Journal’s PORK brand leader Jennifer Shike can testify to the incredible pork tenderloins and pulled pork nachos at Buford’s Pub. Try it out for yourself 109 E. Market Street in Sadorus.
Can’t make the drive but want to try a tenderloin? Visit https://bufordstenderloin.com/.
