What Makes St. Louis Truly A BBQ City

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American cuisine has plenty of standouts from hamburgers to apple pie, but if you are looking for something that is distinctly "American," it's BBQ for the win. But BBQ comes in many forms with different ingredients, different techniques, and different flavors. There are plenty of places across the country that are known for great BBQ, like Texas, North Carolina, Kansas City, and Memphis, but one city in particular certainly deserves recognition for truly being a BBQ city worth discovering. St. Louis, a Missouri city that lies where the Mississippi and Missouri rivers meet, not only has a long history of serving delicious BBQ but also has an entire BBQ style named after it.

St. Louis is known for many things when it comes to food. The unusual way bagels are sometimes sliced is just the tip of the iceberg, along with provel, a unique blend of cheeses that is unique to the city. What really makes St. Louis stand out as a BBQ city is St. Louis-style BBQ, which started out as a reference to a particular cut of pork ribs. This signature cut involves removing the pointed end of the rack, which results in a meatier rib thanks to the eliminated fat and gristle. Over time, the iconic BBQ style evolved to include additional meats like pulled pork and a thick, tomato-based signature sauce.

Americans love their condiments, and BBQ sauce is no exception. In fact, more than 271 million Americans use it. In St. Louis, where the city takes its love for BBQ pretty seriously, that love for one of America's favorite sauces is strong. In fact, residents of St. Louis are known to consume more BBQ sauce per person than anywhere else in the country. Whether they are making their own sweet and tangy St. Louis-style BBQ sauce at home or picking up a bottle of Maull's BBQ sauce, one of the city's most iconic hometown sauces, from the grocery store, St. Louisans like to put it on everything from ribs to French fries.

As long as the sauce is delicious and the meat is cooked to perfection, St. Louis will surely continue to dominate the BBQ scene. From the bustling downtown to the many suburbs that make up St. Louis, there are restaurants across the city that specialize in the city's iconic BBQ, offering everything from the signature pork ribs to pulled pork, burnt ends, pork steaks, and so much more. If you aren't lucky enough to live in St. Louis, where you can easily find the city's favorite sauce on grocery store shelves, you can simply order a bottle of Maull's Classic Barbecue Sauce online so you can replicate the St. Louis-style BBQ experience wherever you are.