Masterpiece BBQ coming to downtown

dweebe · PostApr 27, 2007#12007-04-27T20:50+00:00

It looks like the old New York NY spot (at the corner of 7th and Pine) will not be empty for long. There are new signs in the window saying "Coming Soon: Masterpiece BBQ".

http://www.masterpiece-bbq.com/index.htm

Wonder if they'll have the guts to stay open for dinner? The one in the Brentwood Dierbergs closes at 7:30.

debaliviere · PostApr 27, 2007#22007-04-27T21:20+00:00

Don't suppose they could have come up with a more creative name, eh? Typical St. Peters. Anyway, it will be nice to have bbq downtown since the Smoki O's deal fell through.

metzgda · PostApr 29, 2007#32007-04-29T01:48+00:00

This is great and long overdue. St. Louis is known for BBQ, and tourists want some that is easily accessible. I think this is a GREAT addition to downtown.

mophipsi · PostApr 30, 2007#42007-04-30T17:37+00:00

I say this is a so-so addition to downtown. When KC Masterpiece went under, one of the old cooks opened Masterpieceusing KC masterpiece recipes in a couple of dierbergs. I have eaten at the one off of brentwood and it is quite frnakly just OK. I would much rather super smokers or bandanas open up downtown, or even better if Larry Lampert would open a plush pig downtown. Plush pig in Calyton has great pulled prk and ribs...good stuff. I would rather drive to clayton and eat there than walk from my place to masterpiece for mediocre bbq. Then again maybe masterpiece will step up its game.

bonwich · PostApr 30, 2007#52007-04-30T19:04+00:00

St. Louis is known for BBQ

By whom?

tge-atw · PostApr 30, 2007#62007-04-30T19:14+00:00

It's true. Anywhere you go you find St. Louis Style ribs. Its just that our reputation for barbeque stems from some long ago past that nobody remembers anymore. St. Louis currently does not have anything close to the quality barbeque of a KC, or Memphis. The "central corridor projects" has a good thread about BBQ in St. Louis. It was brought on by the new BBQ place going in just east of Grand Center. I would enjoy getting the "where to eat BBQ in St. Louis" discussion going again if anybody has any suggestions. An interesting conclusion we came to before was that St. Louisan's make more of their own BBQ and skip the restaurants. Though I agree that KC Masterpiece has been sub par in the past, I am happy that a version is going in down town. Even if I don't eat there, there is nothing better than smelling the woodsmoke wafting down the street.

Expat · PostApr 30, 2007#72007-04-30T20:21+00:00

I never heard of St. Louis ribs until I left St. Louis. I thought BBQ was strictly a back yard thing until I left St. Louis. I am not aware of a BBQ tradition in St. Louis - unless you count Maul's in the back yard.

the central scrutinizer · PostApr 30, 2007#82007-04-30T20:25+00:00

metzgda wrote:This is great and long overdue. St. Louis is known for BBQ, and tourists want some that is easily accessible.

We are? Not that I've ever heard of. KC? Yes. Memphis? Yes. St. Louis? No.

bonwich · PostApr 30, 2007#92007-04-30T20:30+00:00

"St. Louis-style" ribs denotes a cut (a 3 1/2 and down with the brisket removed) rather than a cooking style. I've never traced it formally, but I believe it dates to when we had lots more meat-packing activity in the area.

stlmike · PostApr 30, 2007#102007-04-30T21:05+00:00

This follows the pattern with a lot of things. Chicago's more famous for Blues, though we had a mild scene. New Orleans is more famous for ragtime jazz, though we had a mild scene. Memphis is more famous for BBQ and Rockabilly, though we had a claim in these as well. We're not particularly famous for any of these things but we had a finger in all of these bowls.

tge-atw · PostApr 30, 2007#112007-04-30T21:08+00:00

I have heard people insist that St. Louis Style is a cut, a sweet sauce, and a cooking method. If somebody knows for sure you are among the very few. I consider myself a rib.......shall we say enthusiast. I have seen St. Louis Style all over the country, but usually in sub prime locations for barbeque (large chain, sit down restaurants mostly). I assumed that it came from an historical association with barbeque that has gone by the wayside. It makes sense that we would have a strong barbeque tradition here. Lots of hogs and beef, location straddling the West and the Upper South, strong deep south connections along the Mississippi.

bonwich · PostApr 30, 2007#122007-04-30T21:38+00:00

Burgers' is one of the leading meat processors in the country (and happens to be located in California, MO.) If you don't want to take my word for it, perhaps you'll take theirs.

Burgers' St. Louis-style definition

I obviously can't speak definitively about the entire country, but I do know that I've encountered this definition in barbecue joints in Michigan, Florida, South Carolina and New York.

There's also a St. Louis style of sauce that is best exemplified by Maull's, but the "St. Louis ribs" almost certainly comes from a packers' definition.

dweebe · PostApr 30, 2007#132007-04-30T21:38+00:00

This subject has already been covered in another thread.

In business school I did a 45 page paper about St. Louis and BBQ.

St. Louis does a great majority of it's BBQ at home. I knew someone who was very high up in the food distribution industry. According to him

- St. Louis consumers buy more BBQ sauce per capita than any other city.

- In the St. Louis region major grocery stores, BBQ sauce gets more square footage of shelf space than any other market. It's been 12 years so the numbers may be way off but in the average St. louis grocery there will be on average 28 to 34 linear feet of BBQ shelving space. (If you look at the BBQ sauce you'll see 6 shelves with around 5 to 6 feet of product; that how I think it's calculated.) Most other markets avarege 12 to 16 linear feet.

- Kraft and other companies make more varieties of BBQ sauce specifically for our market because we demand it. For example in Memphis Kraft will sell three flavors while St. Louis will have 6 to 8.

gary kreie · PostApr 30, 2007#142007-04-30T21:44+00:00

TGE-ATW wrote:I have heard people insist that St. Louis Style is a cut, a sweet sauce, and a cooking method. If somebody knows for sure you are among the very few. I consider myself a rib.......shall we say enthusiast. I have seen St. Louis Style all over the country, but usually in sub prime locations for barbeque (large chain, sit down restaurants mostly). I assumed that it came from an historical association with barbeque that has gone by the wayside. It makes sense that we would have a strong barbeque tradition here. Lots of hogs and beef, location straddling the West and the Upper South, strong deep south connections along the Mississippi.

I recently dined at Dave Famous Ribs in Minneapolis, and Smokey Bones in Oklahoma City. Both have St. Louis style ribs as a main feature on their menus.

tge-atw · PostApr 30, 2007#152007-04-30T21:46+00:00

I wasn't challenging you Bonwich, just stating that lots of people think it means lots of different things. MMMMmmmmm Famous Daves. Though it is a chain, I have to admit, they have Damn Good Ribs.

threeonefour · PostMay 01, 2007#162007-05-01T06:33+00:00

And let's not forget the staple of many St. Louis backyard barbecues...the magnificent pork steak. Yum.

mophipsi · PostMay 01, 2007#172007-05-01T12:14+00:00

I buy into the theory that St. Louis grills more than most other places. I specificcally only looked at lofts that had balconies so that I could have my grill. now that the weather is warming up, i am happy with my decision...

metzgda · PostMay 01, 2007#182007-05-01T13:20+00:00

bonwich wrote:
St. Louis is known for BBQ

By whom?

I guess what I meant is that outsiders have expectations that St. Louis is a BBQ town, similar to KC or Memphis. When coming here, I would guess that many think of getting St. Louis-style ribs. True, this is only a cut and has nothing to do with the actual cooking process, rub, or sauce - but since it has our cities name attached to it, people expect that there is a lot of it here. I'm just glad that downtown will now have a place accessible to tourists for our city, because most simply won't seek out a place in a local 'hood, even though most certainly it would be superior BBQ.

Hope the BBQ is decent.

arch city · PostMay 01, 2007#192007-05-01T14:55+00:00

I understand "St. Louis-style" BBQ to be:

1. Cut of ribs

2. Sauce style

I found this definition on St. Louis BBQ.com:

What is St. Louis Style BBQ?

For many of us we may not know the correct definition of this BBQ style, and for some others St. Louis may not be consider a BBQ city. Well think again, the fact of the matter is that St. Louis BBQ is actually well defined and well consumed.

Among Missouri, Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina the four major states of BBQ, St. Louis is the world leader per-capita consumption of barbecue according to several sources including St. Louis based Maull Company, a sauce producer. Also Kingsford’s Charcoal selected St. Louis in 2006 for been the capital of grilling, also placing in second place in 2005. We also have a great number of BBQ restaurants in our area to prove it, see our restaurant directory page for more information.

The original St. Louis-style barbecue sauce is tomato-based, thinned with vinegar or beer, sweet and a little spicy. It is not as sweet and thick as KC style barbecue sauce, nor as spicy-hot and thin as Texas-style, usually poured over and cook on pork steak.

Whether you are visiting or living in St Louis, remember to experience or BBQ and discover what St. Louis BBQ is all about! Keep on checking our site for more wonder full recipes and restaurant information. Keep on BBQuin!!!

St. Louis BBQ.com

St. Louis BBQ.com: Restaurants

Next places I plan to try in St. Louis:

Red The Barbque Man

Bandana's BBQ

the central scrutinizer · PostMay 01, 2007#202007-05-01T15:04+00:00

Arch City wrote:I found this definition on St. Louis BBQ.com

Any BBQ website that lists the two places below can't be taken seriously.

Buffalo Wild Wings

15240 Manchester Ballwin MO 63021 636-207-9464

Chili's Grill & Bar

101 Westfield Dr. St. Peters MO 63376 636-397-4447

arch city · PostMay 01, 2007#212007-05-01T15:06+00:00

^Why not? Don't they sell BBQ?

tge-atw · PostMay 01, 2007#222007-05-01T15:13+00:00

Har. They also listed "O'Paddy's". But seriously, nice find. I have never heard of a lot of those places and have just assigned my father and I the task of sampling all of them. Anybody got a defibrillator I can borrow?

arch city · PostMay 01, 2007#232007-05-01T15:18+00:00

BTW, I wish Masterpiece much success downtown. I hope it is good BBQ.

PostMay 01, 2007#242007-05-01T15:19+00:00

ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), May 14, 2006 - Just in time for the warm weather, Kingsford(R) Charcoal has revealed its second annual list of the country's "Top 10 Grilling Cities."

After settling for second place last year, the Show Me State's St. Louis leapt into first place, overtaking Jackson, Miss. Four new cities, Tampa and Jacksonville, Fla., Grand Rapids, Mich. and Des Moines, Iowa, joined the Top 10 list this year, out-grilling the competition.

"With more than 300 barbecue restaurants in a city of 350,000, St. Louis obviously prides itself on its love of charcoal-grilled foods," said Earline Walker, co-owner of Smoki O's restaurant. "Whether we're using dry rubs or barbecue sauce, we've got the grills going year round!"

Top 10 Grilling Cities

From north to south, Americans everywhere are firing up the grill. Rain or shine, snow or sun, the one thing these cities all have in common is their enthusiasm for grilling!

1. St. Louis

2. Des Moines, Iowa

3. Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla.

4. Grand Rapids, Mich.

5. New Orleans/Mobile, Ala.

6. Jacksonville, Fla.

7. Jackson, Miss.

8. Memphis, Tenn.

9. Atlanta

10. Charlotte, N.C.

Survey Measurement

This year, Kingsford ranked 60 cities across the nation to name the grilling capital. Each city is measured on annual sales of charcoal, barbecue sauce, grills and picnic ware, among other criteria. Bringing up the rear in the 60th place is Harrisburg, Pa.

"For the second year in a row, we're seeing a growing trend of cities with colder climates cooking out," said Kingsford Charcoal expert Kelly Burke. "Places with bitter winters like Grand Rapids, Mich. and Des Moines, Iowa have catapulted from the lower 20 grilling cities to the top 10 in just one year, showing us that Americans are grilling out year round no matter what the weather."

Source

debaliviere · PostMay 01, 2007#252007-05-01T15:34+00:00

I will be doing my part to help make us number one again this year - I have a teriyaki pork tenderloin ready to be grilled tonight.