St. Louis, Missouri

The Gateway to the West’s BBQ

St. Louis consumes more BBQ sauce per capita than any other city in America. It sits at a crossroads of BBQ culture, borrowing the sweetness of Kansas City but maintaining a fierce, independent love for pork—specifically, the rib.

The St. Louis Cut

The city’s biggest contribution to the BBQ world is the St. Louis Cut Rib. This is a rack of spare ribs where the sternum bone, cartilage, and rib tips have been trimmed away, leaving a uniform, rectangular rack that cooks evenly and presents beautifully.

The Sauce: Sticky and Sweet

St. Louis sauce shares a lot of DNA with Kansas City sauce. It is tomato-based, heavily sweetened (often with brown sugar or corn syrup), and slightly tangy. However, it tends to be a bit thinner and less molasses-heavy than KC style. The ribs are heavily mopped with this sauce during the final stages of the cook to create a sticky, caramelized glaze.

The Local Delicacy: Crispy Snoots

You can’t talk about St. Louis BBQ without mentioning Snoots (pig snouts). These are typically seasoned, grilled or smoked, and then deep-fried or roasted until they have the texture of a giant, crispy pork rind. They are served slathered in sweet BBQ sauce, offering an intense crunch.

Pork Steaks

Another unique St. Louis staple is the Pork Steak. These are thick slices cut from the pork shoulder (Boston Butt). Instead of smoking them low and slow for pulling, they are grilled over direct heat, often braised in a pan of BBQ sauce, and served tender but intact.