St. Louis-style barbecue

St. Louis-style barbecue refers to spare ribs associated with the St. Louis area. These are usually grilled rather than slow-cooked over indirect heat with smoke which is typically associated with the term "barbecue" in the United States.[1] Often overshadowed by its more famous cousin, Kansas City-style barbecue, St. Louis-style barbecue struggles to distinguish itself from other city based styles of barbecue. Although St. Louis-style barbecue takes inspiration from other styles of barbecue it still retains its own distinct style.

Pork steaks cooking

Popularity

Barbecue in St. Louis is incredibly popular and is a part of general St. Louis culture. There are many famous and award winning barbecue restaurants based in St. Louis, like Salt & Smoke, Sugarfire Smokehouse, and BEAST Craft BBQ Co. which was named the best barbecue in Illinois by Food & Wine.[2] Sugarfire Smokehouse popularized St. Louis-style barbecue. They have 13 locations located in Missouri, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. St. Louis is host to a thriving barbecue culture, with many barbecue competitions throughout the year. St. Louis-style ribs are often a class entry in barbecue competitions.

History

The ribs are often heavily sauced; St. Louis is said to consume more barbecue sauce per capita than any other city in the United States.[3] St. Louis-style barbecue sauce is described by author Steven Raichlen as a "very sweet, slightly acidic, sticky, tomato-based barbecue sauce usually made without liquid smoke."[1]

St. Louis ribs, ready to eat

St. Louis-style spare ribs are cut in a particular way with the sternum bone, cartilage and rib tips removed so that a well-formed, rectangular-shaped rack is created for presentation. This cut of ribs, formalized by the USDA as "Pork Ribs, St. Louis Style," allegedly originated with numerous meat-packing plants located in the region in the mid-20th century and put into the policy by a diehard fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.[4] Butchers after World War 2 employed this cut because it eliminated much of the fat and gristle and they could charge a premium for it. This cutting technique eventually gained popularity as local meatpackers realized they could advertise the cut as St. Louis-style ribs and differentiate themselves from competitors.[5]

See also

References
  1. Raichlen, Steven (2003). BBQ USA: 425 fiery recipes from all across America. New York City: Workman Publishing. pp. 130–131. ISBN 978-0-7611-2015-5.
  2. "The best BBQ in St. Louis". www.stlmag.com. 2021-01-01. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  3. "Reno's Road Trip Randoms". The Great American Road Trip. NBCUniversal. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  4. "St. Louis-style is a hit with rib lovers". STLToday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch L.L.C. 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  5. Love, James (2021-03-24). "The History of BBQ in St. Louis". Draper and Kramer, Incorporated. Retrieved 2023-02-28.

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