It’s a pitmaster’s paradise. Sauces, rubs, seasonings and marinades create a Southwest landscape of color that fills 25 feet of shelves from floor to ceiling along one wall of The Ohio Barbecue Store. A whopping 347 varieties in all. Across the floor are the tools of the trade: brushes, carving forks, tongs, chimney grill starters and spatulas, a variety of fuel choices, anything you can think of—and some you can’t—to accessorize your grill or smoker.
In between, the centerpiece for outdoor living … the largest display of grills, smokers, griddles and pizza ovens that you can imagine. It’s hard to know where to begin after stepping across the threshold, but not to worry. An excellent guide is likely manning the counter straight ahead—store owner and champion grill master, Will Davis.
For customers looking to buy a new grill, Will always begins the conversation with two questions. “What do you want to cook or learn to cook?” And then, the nitty-gritty. “Do you want to dip your toe in the water with a stainless steel grill that might cost $1,000, or go all in and spend $2,400 for one you’ll never have to replace?”
There’s also the question of fuel. Charcoal, propane, wood pellets, natural gas, wood? Then choosing a sauce, seasoning, marinade, injection, a rub for the more adventurous. So many variables before the meat even makes it to the cooktop!
Since opening in August last year (a debut boasting 300 people), The Ohio Barbecue Store has become a destination for both indoor and outdoor cooks. Yet, 10 years ago, it wasn’t even a distant dream.
After a 20-year stint in the Navy working as a meteorologist and oceanographer while also earning his master’s in environmental science, Will retired in 2014 and became an air quality and environmental compliance specialist for the oil, gas and beef industries in Texas.
In 2016, while living in Amarillo, Will met Robby Staggs, a serious BBQ competitor. For the uninitiated, in the world of competition, BBQ refers to cooking meat—usually chicken, ribs, pork or brisket—all done slow and low over a fire to create distinct flavor profiles and textures within specified guidelines and rules. A panel of experts judge the results for taste, appearance and tenderness. Winners walk away with awards and cash (and big-time bragging rights).
Every Thursday evening, Robby would invite friends over to enjoy the results of his weekly practice session for an upcoming competition. The first time Will attended, Robby was perfecting his ribeye steak. “He took me under his wing and turned me onto the possibilities,” Will says with a smile, remembering how it all started.
Finally, in February 2018, Will was confident enough to enter his first competition in Shawnee, Oklahoma. “I unloaded my little grill, cooked my ribeye … and won first place.” No surprise, he was hooked. Since then, there have been many competitions and many wins. His trophies, plaques and ribbons are displayed throughout the store.
Meanwhile back in 2017, Robby had opened a successful BBQ store in Amarillo. When Will and wife Sabrina decided they wanted to do the same thing, they did a lot of research and found that Texas and other Southern locales were already saturated with similar stores.
Will, who grew up in Maineville, decided to take a closer look at his home state. The results? He found nothing in Greater Cincinnati, even as far as Columbus, like the BBQ store Will and Sabrina had in mind. The rest is history—a little more than a year after moving back to Ohio in 2023, The Ohio Barbecue Store opened for business on Beechmont Avenue in Anderson Township.
Since then, Will’s mission has been clear. “I want to support the small and large businesses throughout the country who make the rubs, sauces, BBQ tools and grills. And I want to push the hobby of barbecuing and the lifestyle that comes with it.”
So far, locals have shown they are hungry to learn more.
OhioBBQStore.com | 7691 Beechmont Ave, Cincinnati | 513.493.2271
“All the competitions I do during the year are prep for the World Series of BBQ every November in Kansas City—the largest of its kind in the world. You walk out of there with a ribbon, you’ve really done something!”
WHAT HAS CUSTOMERS FIRED UP
Rubs, Seasonings + Sauces: The store carries a number of national brands, including Heath Riles, Meat Church, Kosmos Q, as well as local BBQ brands. Each has its own distinct flavor. “Meat Church is our most popular.” And Will’s go-to? “Texas barbecue really doesn’t have sauce; it’s about rubs, salt, pepper and garlic. Maybe a little paprika.”
Most Popular Grill Type: Pellet smokers. Kansas-born Yoder Smokers and Georgia-based recteq are top brands that Will recommends. While most of his inventory is American-made, Kentucky’s HALO and Georgia’s recteq grills are manufactured overseas, and Napoleon gas grills are made in Canada (check out their Prestige Pro for $4,999).
Classes: In addition to the large inventory of all things BBQ, Will offers classes monthly that cover smoking basics, barbecuing techniques, and different flavor profiles based on rubs, sauces or injections. Classes are limited to 12 participants and cost $40, which includes meat and supplies.