Unlike many other variants of American barbecue which revolves around dry rubs and long smoking periods, St. Louis flips the script by grilling then saucing their distinct cuts of ribs and pork steaks. An astounding fact is that St. Louis attributes its barbecue style not to fellow BBQ hot spot Kansas City, but to influences from further south, according to Adrian Miller, better known as the Soul Food Scholar.

“St. Louis-style barbecue finds its roots within the migrant community from Alabama and Mississippi who were seeking a better life up north. It wasn’t an offshoot of Kansas City barbecue,” Miller expounds. His list of signature St. Louis barbecue dishes includes pork spareribs, pork steaks, snoots, and turkey ribs.

The peculiar and intricate pig preparations are a cornerstone of St. Louis's barbecue scene with pork steaks and smoked snoots – pig's nose – delivering a unique crunch and decadence evoking fried pork rinds.

St. Louis translates bbq in its special language. Here, sauce is usually served on the side, not spread on top of the meat. This style has inspired a local saying: “on the side, there’s nothing to hide.” St. Louis’s garlic for sauce makes it the leading consumer of barbecue sauce per capita in the country. The popular sauces include Blues Hog barbecue sauce, offering a thicker consistency, while Maull’s Genuine provides a more vinegar-laden, thin and tangy touch.

When discussing St. Louis barbecue, two names often emerge - Pappy’s Smokehouse, celebrated for their slow-cooked meats with a side of sauce, and Bogart’s Smokehouse, admired for their savory sides like deviled-egg potato salad and fire and ice pickles.

Not to be forgotten, Sugarfire Smokehouse is making its mark by revamping traditional barbecue with chef Mike Johnson leading the way with his innovative “meaty mashups” of dishes such as barbecued cheese curds, artichokes, and andouille sausage. Gobble Stop Smokehouse and Roper’s Ribs also come highly recommended by Miller for their well-seasoned turkey ribs or the contrasting snoots smothered in barbecue sauce, respectively.

To top it all off, St. Louis BBQ Society invites enthusiasts to partake in local barbecue festivities such as Pig & Whiskey at Schlafly Bottleworks and The Q in the Lou BBQ Festival in Kiener Plaza. And for the non-meateaters, locations like Smokee Mo’s offer entire menus dedicated to vegan barbecue, ensuring that everyone gets a taste of St. Louis’s tantalizing grilling culture.