Recent content by Mark Pepelea

Belleville is about a 30 min drive from downtown St Louis. Beast Craft is a BBQ restaurant with some twists. They have the standard BBQ (ribs, brisket, chicken, pork) and some other things as well - Pork belly, snoots (a St Louis thing) and pork steaks (another St Louis thing) among others. They...

I ate at Sugarfire and tried the ribs, pulled pork and brisket and a number of sides. The food was cooked beautifully, excellent moisture and tenderness. But I was looking for some more smoke and a stronger seasoning. I prefer the BBQ meat to have the bulk of the seasoning and flavor, not the...

Bogarts ribs were simply the best ribs I have ever eaten. Beat Pappys which we my favorite for years. I have competed in KCBS contests for 12 years and Bogarts ribs were better than mine. All the BBQ was excellent and in my opinion Bogarts is the best BBQ in St Louis. Sides were all good as...

Waited 45 min to get food at Pappys and it was worth the wait. Ribs were great, pulled pork was very good and sausage was excellent. The brisket was my least favorite as it did not ave a lot of flavor. Had a good time there and the owners made the rounds and asked each table how the food was and...

A relatively new joint opened recently on Willamson street. Truely awesome ribs. Tied with Pappy's in St Louis for the best restaurant ribs I have ever eaten. I eat here about twice a month. Brisket is decent, pulled pork very good, ribs and hush puppies outstanding. Sides are decent to very...

We visited Pappy's this past summer right when they opened. waited 45 min in line to get our food. once ordered, it was served quickly. Brisket was so-so but sausage was good. Pork was really good and ribs were excellent. This was the best food at a BBQ place that I had ever eaten. I highly...

I realize that this is not new info, but I definitely agree with Lew. I cook BB with the same technique as 3-2-1 but adjust the time so BB cooks a shorter time.

Hey Coz, You worked so hard and did so well in Grafton that you earned some rest. Go ahead and take it easy on Saturday morning. ; ) Finally I get on the road and will start my season at Kenosha. Regards, Mark

I have tried both ways and decided that soaking was a waste of time for me. I have not soaked the chunks (not chips) for years. Regards.

IMO no meed for a smoke ring. Just let me taste it and then I will tell you if it is good. On the web a while ago, I saw a "smoke ring" that was done with some red kool aid. Looked nice. Don't know how the brisket tasted though. I think it looks nice, but do not score it when judging a comp. I...

And I will join in agreeing with Russ as well. The absolute best thing you can do to prep for a comp is a real practice in your backyard ( or two of them) where you do things just like you would at a contest. That is what helped me the most in refining my checklist and working out my timeline...

I will also be at the Kenosha Grill Games and welcome anyone to come by. I used to cook with a small offset and WSMs but have moved to Backwood Smoker units. Come on by and say hi. I would be happy to explain our set up. Just look for the red beetle - Slug Bug BBQ. Regards, Mark

I got rid of my 2 WSMs that I used for 6 years when I got a pair of backwoods smokers for comps and a Klose pit for my patio. I almost shed a tear and was upset enough that my wife said I could keep one if I wanted. I still sold them, but really cheap ($30 each) to 2 friends who use them every...

I did a small whole hog last year and found 2 party rental stores that had a cooker that I could use. Rent was not bad and the pig came out great. Regards

One mor vote for cooking in advance and sealing in a foodsaver bag. I have done this many, many times and the pork has come out great. I will be cooking for a graduation party for 100 next weekend and already did the pork. I need my cookers for 40 slabs of ribs that I will cook the day of the...