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Dining / Meet the pitmasters of St. Louis

Meet the pitmasters of St. Louis

The best BBQ-ers in the business
by SLM Staff
Photo by Brian Cummings 17025-STL-1308.jpg
When Gobble Stop Smokehouse opened in Creve Coeur, five years ago, owner DeMarco Howard announced, “The bird is the word”—and he meant it. Gobble Stop emphasizes all things poultry, serving up everything from a gourmet turkey burger to a Philly chicken sub. Howard credits his family’s hard work for the restaurant’s success: His brother DeMones keeps customers happy, his cousin Mika Black works the kitchen, and his uncle James Rice assists at the smoker. “My mom, Paulette, focuses on the potato salad,” he says, “and my daughters De-Nae and De-Ana bake cookies.”
Photo by Brian Cummings
Photo by Brian Cummings17025-STL-1050.jpg
Competitive bodybuilder, certified wine specialist, pitmaster: One of these things is not like the other, but they all describe Kelly Brazil, co-owner of Trail Smokehouse in Defiance. Defying stereotypes, Brazil finds humor in her nickname, “Barbecue Barbie.” Husband Joe co-owns the business, but he’s not allowed to touch her smoker. Originally from southern Missouri, Brazil knew barbecue but initially resisted transforming the couple’s wine bar into the “day-cation” smokehouse that it’s become. Watching pitmasters while on the treadmill and buying a big smoker for recipe trial-and-error, Brazil embraced the culture and has created all of the barbecue recipes. She’s already expanding the space to meet demand.
Photography by Brian Cummings
Photography by Brian Cummings17025-STL-0613.jpg
At BEAST Craft BBQ Co., David and Meggan Sandusky follow a clear vision: Ingredients must be top quality. Simplicity rules. “We don’t overcomplicate things,” David says. “We don’t do gimmicks or push quantity over quality. We won’t be tied to a list of rules. It’s not our forte.” “We want to wow people when the full flavor of the food comes through,” Meggan adds. David is more direct: “I want you to taste our food and say, ‘Holy shit.’”
Photo by Brian Cummings
Photo by Brian Cummings17025-STL-0255.jpg
After busing tables for two years at Paul’s in Clayton, Tom Schmidt turned down a server position at age 18 because he was too shy. Several industry jobs later, Schmidt has clearly shed that reserve. From his upscale restaurant Franco, which closed last year, Schmidt borrowed the motto “Great service and food that doesn’t skip any steps” for Salt + Smoke, which serves “more egalitarian” food. With its wide range of visitors, the Delmar Loop is the perfect locale in which to make great food that’s accessible to all. Schmidt’s democratic leanings can be found in his analogy for fast food and fine-dining establishments: They’re like apes and humans in that they share 98 percent of their DNA, and much can be learned from working at a fast food joint, as Schmidt did early in his career.
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