In Midwest/Southern barbecue flavors, the following 'styles' routinely dominate the majority of palettes:
- St. Louis: Pork's sweet little friend
- Kansas City: Tomatoes meet molasses
- Memphis: Tangy and tomatoey
- Lexington, North Carolina: Hot and vinegary
- Texas: Ketchup-forward with Worcestershire sauce
- Alabama White: Chicken's peppery best friend
- Eastern North Carolina: Tangy, tomato-less hot sauce
- South Carolina: Mustardy and mysterious
When satisfying one's barbecue tastes this fall, check out what local locations offer:
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The Smokehouse Market, 16806 Chesterfield Airport Road
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The Stellar Hog, 40 Clarkson Wilson Center
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Rock & Brews St. Louis, 17258 Chesterfield Airport Road
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Crushed Red Chesterfield, 1684 Clarkson Road
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StackHouse Pub & Grill, 13419 Olive Blvd.
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Smokee Mo's St. Louis BBQ, 110 Old Meramec Station Road
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Pepper's Deli & Bar-B-Q, 32 Clarkson Road
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Super Smokers BBQ, 601 Stockell Drive
St. Louisans would be remiss discussing barbecue sauce without referencing Charlotte's Rib Barbecue. Pat and Herb Schwarz, Charlotte Peters' (First Lady of St. Louis television) daughter and son-in-law, first opened Charlotte's Rib in Kirkwood in 1977. In 1978, they opened a new location in Ballwin, and later moved to the restaurant's current location in the Claymont Shopping Center at the intersection of Kehrs Mill and Clayton roads. The restaurant's food is traditional St. Louis barbecue, which preserves old-school, spectacular flavors, especially with the Western Blend sauce that takes on a popular KC barbecue style as mild but full-bodied, and the Spicy Southern sauce that has a kick to it but doesn’t overpower the meat.
Another popular common ingredient in preparing St. Louis-style barbecue is Maull's barbecue sauce (started in 1897). It's a rich, pungent, spicy semi-sweet, tomato-based sauce, somewhat unusual for containing anchovies and pepper pulp. Maull's eight varieties of sauce: Genuine, Sweet-N-Mild, Sweet-N-Smokey, Onion Bits, Signature Collection Sticky Sweet, Signature Collection Simmering Heat, Jalapeño and KC-style barbecue sauce.