Virginia Barbeque arrives in Missouri
Move over, Memphis. Texas, step aside.
Virginia Barbeque has arrived, opening their first restaurant in Missouri at the Lakeside Shoppes at Winghaven.
"It's all about the hickory wood smoking and the sauce," franchise owner Kirk Menard said, describing the regional difference of Virginia-style barbecue.
Virginia barbecue sauce is a tomato-based red sauce with a subtle, spicy sweetness, which sets it apart from other regional sauces. The sauce has a flavor balance that enhances hickory-smoked meats and has been described as "Ode to Que." Otherwise, it is good old-fashioned barbecue that would make grand-pappy proud.
"Easterners get excited when they discover they can get the kind of barbecue here they grew up with," Menard said. "It's exciting to us, and we're proud to be the first Virginia Barbeque to open in the state."
Virginia Barbeque's menu headliner is the pulled pork, produced using time-honored Southern barbecue techniques.
"We smoke pork shoulders for a full 12 hours, sometimes 13," Menard said. "That's how much time it takes to achieve the smoke flavor and tender texture. Once it's smoked, we hand-pull all the pork ourselves, removing all the fat, which makes it the best."
While the pulled pork can be ordered on a platter and packed to go by the pint, the customer favorite is to have it piled on a sandwich. Eat it Southern style, topped with slaw and your choice of sauce.
"Our Southern slaw is a favorite and a little different than what you'll usually find," Menard said.
Southern slaw has a slightly sweet taste and is tossed with a mayonnaise-based dressing, which has been thinned with vinegar. The "secret" ingredient that Virginia Barbeque founder Richard Ivey uses in the recipe is champagne vinegar.
Those wishing to sidestep the slaw can opt for the roasted red potato salad, deemed the "best potato salad ever eaten" by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Included among the sides are hush puppies and mini corn bread muffins, both items that seldom are found at barbecue outlets.
All of the sides, meats and sauces are available for take-out and in-home catering. Traditional catering service is an option also and is priced per person. A favorite catering entrée are the St. Louis-style ribs.
"Never knew what St. Louis ribs were until I got in the business," Menard said, describing the St. Louis rib cut as a larger, meatier rib, which has become a popular choice among Virginia Barbeque patrons.
Twelve ribs are served in a slab, which is unusual at other restaurants.
"There are 12 ribs in a slab, sometimes 13, depending on the hog," Menard said, "so when you order a slab, that's what you get. That means you get six in a half-slab, too."
Beef brisket and pulled smoked chicken round out the meat Virginia Barbeque's smoked meat roster.
Virginia Barbeque is best defined as simple and authentic, slow-smoked and served with Southern hospitality. Give it a try, along with another Southern standard, sweet tea.
Virginia Barbeque
3002 Winghaven Blvd. • O'Fallon
(636) 695-5095
11 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily
