barbecued ribs Archives - Good Food St. Louis

The Memphis Bar-B-Q Shop

November 12, 2019

The Bar-B-Q Shop in Memphis was voted #1 for Ribs in America by the Food Network.

Mid-westerners take their barbecue seriously. Some would even contend it’s part of the nutrition food pyramid. Here in St. Louis we can find soul soothing ribs at Pappy’s, Shaved Duck, Bogart’s, Salt +Smoke, Adam’s Smokehouse, and Wood Shack in Soulard.

Across the state, Kansas City, with it’s 100, or so, barbecue joints, lays claim to being “The Barbecue Capital of the World.” South Missouri has it own tasty, Dexter-style ribs, slow cooked with a paprika-based spice rub and served with sauce on the side.

Not too far away, there’s Memphis, that U.S. News and World Report ranked the” No. #1 Barbecue City in the Country.” Yes, we’re surrounded by barbecue with all its saucy comfort, each variety with its own fans and followers.

JC enjoying ribs at the Bar-B-Q Shop in Memphis.

Ribs Delivered from Memphis!!

Robin and JC were in Memphis recently. As is the custom in our family, we email photos when we travel and come upon some good eats. When Robin sent me these photos, I immediately responded that I’d like to write a post about the ribs at The Barbecue Shop in Memphis. After all, the place was voted as serving the #1 Ribs in America by the Food Network.

“But,” I added, “I really need a taste of those ribs for my comments to be authentic.”

She paused. “I’d bring you some, but I don’t know how I’ll get them home,” she replied.

“Trust me,” I said, “the rib shop will know how to do this.”

Sure enough, Robin showed up the next day with a nicely packaged meal of ribs, that included some with a dry rub and another with wet. The wet variety is covered with sauce before, during and after cooking. While both were superb on any barbecue scale, I was especially fond of the wet ribs and all the messiness that comes with it.

The Bar-B-Q Shop owner, Eric Vernon, saw to it that my ribs were packaged and ready for Robin to bring back to St. Louis.

Re-warmed ribs, hand-delivered from Memphis, and ready to enjoy at my kitchen table. Fortunately, when I get a-hankerin’ for ribs, I can find some of the best just minutes from my where I live.

More Acts of Food Kindness

Recently, friends from Texas, sent me 5-pounds of pecans. Wow! Just in time for Thanksgiving and enough to satisfy my cooking needs for the next year!

And then last night, Russ and Deb brought me some Bahamian Conch Chowder they’d made from The Key West Kitchen cookbook. This is a delicacy I eat all too seldom and only in the South. It was perfect for the snowy, chilly evening.

Bahamian Conch Chowder has 21 ingredients! But, oh, is it ever good.

. . . nor does Memphis barbecue, or pecans, or conch chowder.

Central BBQ Memphis Style

June 18, 2016

Digging in at Central BBQ in Memphis.

I’m told that there are four-styles of barbecue: Texas, Carolina, Kansas City, and Memphis. So while in Memphis overnight, I wanted to include a stop at one of the city’s stellar rib joints. This is the city where the World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest is held each May attended by more than 100,000 food fans. But where should I go?

I inquired of the locals and found that no two people agreed on which place in their town was the best. Clearly, barbecue is a a matter of personal taste and this was going to be a difficult selection Several names kept coming up in conversations. Three of them were easy to remember, because they started with the same letter: Corky’s, Commissary, and Central. But Rendezvous, an old-time, back alley location had its adherents too.

At Central BBQ, the slow smoked Memphis-style meat is cooked at 250 degrees for 14 hours.

The first question asked when I inquired about a barbecue place was “wet or dry?” One variety is slaked in sauce while the other is dusted with salt and spices. Each type has its fan base. Apparently, some joints do one better than the other. In an attempt to help me with my selection, a reasoned discussion would ensue as to which place was best.

But none of my advisers got overly passionate about their favorite rib restaurant. In fact, some suggested I might want to try several places until I found the right one for me. I didn’t have that luxury on this trip. Based on location, we picked Central BBQ. It’s hard not to be within range of Central, when they have three sites around the city. They’re considered by some to be the “new kid on the block,” since they’ve only been around for the last five years, but they keep winning barbecue competitions.

The man taking orders was proud of Central’s plastic cup and encouraged patrons to take their drink container home.

Central BBQ wet ribs with fries and greens.

Pulled Pork Sandwich.

A slab of Central BBQ ribs comes with rolls or Texas toast.

The Central BBQ park lot highlights another Memphis art form: the Blues.

For some reason, visitors line up to take their photo in front of the menu in the window of Central BBQ. So, I did the same.

For those living far from the city’s historic rib kitchens, Corky’s and Rendezvous offer overnight delivery to customers. No need for that, if you live in St. Louis. Here we’re blessed with the award-winning Pappy’s Smokehouse Memphis-style barbecue and it doesn’t get any better than that.