BBQ

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: The Krispy Daddy

If you’re tired of hearing about Belleville’s newest BBQ place…well, too bad. I’m really enjoying being able to support them in whatever small way I can, because they have great food and a great commitment to local products and freshness!

Today we’ll be looking at the Krispy Daddy:

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Kielbasa, pulled pork, and candied bacon, drizzled with Beast’s signature BBQ sauce, and sandwiched between…two Krispy Kreme donuts?!?

I’ll admit, I was reluctant to try this one. I’m from Belleville, so I’m familiar with “Baseball’s Best Burger,” served at Gateway Grizzlies games, also sandwiched between donuts, and frankly, the idea has always grossed me out. But I was thinking about this new creation, and I figured that the concept isn’t too far off from a Monte Cristo sandwich, which I do like, so it was worth trying.

I’ve had the pulled pork and candied bacon on another sandwich, and I already knew they were good. I hadn’t tried the kielbasa yet, and to be honest, I couldn’t remember if I even liked kielbasa (although I was pretty sure I had tried it at some point before). Well, Beast’s kielbasa is just as good as everything else I’ve tried, and I would totally eat it again!

It took me and all five children to put a dent in this monster sandwich, and even then, we had some pulled pork leftover. Not a bad way to feed a group, though, and they all liked it!

To be honest, I probably won’t order this again, just because the combination of the bacon and the “bun” was a little too sweet for me. I’m just not much for mixing sweet and savory in a main course, I guess. Plus, I really, really love the buns Beast uses, so I missed that part of the sandwich. It was good though, and as always, I look forward to seeing what other unique specials Beast comes up with!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: The Beefcake

Another Tuesday, another chance to support a local small business!

I’d been wanting to try the “Beefcake Sammich” ever since I first saw it on the menu, but I missed it the first few times around. The good people at Beast were kind enough to make me one, even when it wasn’t an advertised item, since they had the ingredients available and they’re awesome like that.

I already knew Beast’s brisket is great, and the burnt ends are amazing, so there were no surprises as far as the meat part of the sandwich. I also knew the white BBQ sauce is awesome (still want to know what’s in that stuff!), but I wanted to see how it paired with beef instead of chicken. The other ingredients were grilled jalapeños, pickles, and tobacco onions (also known to me as onion straws)…and I have a major weakness for onion straws!

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Again, Beast did not disappoint. I’ll have to admit to being a jalapeño wuss…I only ate the first one before my sinuses surrendered. They definitely do add a pleasing kick to the sandwich, though! The onion straws were as amazing as I had hoped…I could eat a whole plate of just those!

It really was just like I imagined it would be, which, in short, was delicious. I especially enjoyed the way the standard BBQ sauce on the burnt ends mixed with the white sauce. As always, there’s just no way you can finish this in one sitting (at least I couldn’t!), but I love that I had leftovers to look forward to the next day. I think this sandwich is now tied for first place with the “Jive Turkey Sammich.” I might say this is the best one yet, but the two sandwiches are so different, it’s easier to just call it even, rather than try to compare them!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: The Big NY

Last Tuesday was one of my favorite holidays…St. Patrick’s Day. You can imagine how thrilled I was, then, when I learned that Beast had a special “Big Sammich” in honor of the day…the Big NY!

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Pastrami brisket, fries (on the sandwich!), pastrami burnt ends (yes, that’s apparently a thing!), swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and an amazing beer mustard, all on rye bread. It was kind of like a Reuben, and kind of like something else…whatever it was, it was DELICIOUS. I’m a sucker for pastrami in the first place, and beer mustard, and Reuben sandwiches, and Beast for that matter, so it was almost guaranteed that I would like it. That didn’t make me appreciate it any less, though!

Here’s hoping pastrami makes its way onto Beast’s menu again, because they did it right!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: The Jive Turkey

Finally, a turkey sandwich from Beast!

The “Jive Turkey Sammich” is another culinary masterpiece, and my new favorite from Beast, beating out the Big Chicken Club by a small margin. Smoked turkey, fried kale, tomatoes, marinated cucumbers, cheese, smokey mayo, and pickles. Now, I normally really hate kale, but I have to say, when it’s fried and covered in mayo, I don’t mind it so much. The combination of tomatoes and cucumbers gave it a nice, fresh taste. And the bun…have I mentioned the buns that Beast uses? I don’t know exactly what it is that makes them so good. They’re substantial, which is a huge deal when the sandwiches are this loaded, but the taste is also great. There’s something unique about it, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s definitely one of the best buns I’ve ever had, though!

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Ryan tried the smoked turkey plate, and he said it’s fantastic…better than Hick’s, which was his previous favorite local BBQ turkey. I can attest to the fact the turkey is moist and has a fantastic flavor. I’m hoping that this becomes a regular attraction at Beast, and, as always, I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with next!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: The Big Chicken Club

Another day, another Beast sandwich creation! This time, it’s the Big Chicken Club:

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Smoked chicken and bacon, spring greens, tomato, pickles, white BBQ sauce (what is that stuff?!?…it’s amazing!), and crispy chicken skin. I don’t usually eat chicken skin, unless it’s really good fried chicken, so I was a little concerned about that part, but it went perfectly with everything else. The chicken was excellent…not dry at all, and cut into perfect sized pieces for the sandwich. This was definitely the best sandwich I’ve tried from Beast so far…I highly recommend it!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: The Pig Daddy

I’ve written about Beast Craft BBQ in Belleville before, after sampling their delicious burnt ends and brussels sprouts fried with pork belly. I really thought that would be the only time I would ever write about them, because, while I love burnt ends, I’m not a huge BBQ person in general. I figured I’d have the burnt ends as a rare treat every now and again, but wouldn’t ever try anything else.

Enter the “Pig Daddy”:

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This sandwich has not one, not two, not three, but four types of pork on it: pork steak, ribs, pulled pork, and candied bacon. Yes, you read that right, candied bacon. If you haven’t tried this delicacy yet, you’re depriving yourself. It also has pickles and slaw on it. An amazing combination if I ever heard of one, especially with the way the pickle juice soaks into the meat.

This sandwich isn’t for the feint of heart. I only made it about a quarter of the way through before I worried that I would explode (don’t worry, we made good use of the leftovers!). It’s also definitely a knife and fork operation, as the bottom bun completely disappeared under the weight of all that deliciousness, as you might expect.

I have never really liked pork steak, and I sure haven’t understood why it’s such a popular thing in St. Louis. Every time I’ve tried one, it’s been dry and bland. But if this is how all of Beast’s pork steaks are prepared, I’m now a convert, to the point where I might actually consider trying it by itself sometime.

Ryan tried the brisket and potato salad this time, and according to his report, it was also delicious. He’s really holding out in hope that they’ll have turkey eventually, before he makes his final opinion about Beast known. I’m just waiting to see if they come up with anything else clever like the Pig Daddy that I can try out!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ

I’ll be totally honest…a few months ago, when we saw the new sign for Beast Craft BBQ, I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure what “craft BBQ” was, but I knew it sounded hipster-y and pretentious, which is totally not us, so I figured we’d never darken their doorstep.

Shortly after Beast opened, however, we were checking out their menu online, and two things caught my attention. First of all, burnt ends. A popular menu item just across Missouri in Kansas City, burnt ends are surprisingly hard to find around here, which is very disappointing, because once you’ve had them, you know just how delicious they are! That alone probably would have convinced me that we needed to at least try the place, but then there was the icing on the cake…brussels sprouts fried with pork belly. Now, I (strangely) love brussels sprouts anyway, but his combination really intrigued me.

So, we broke down and tried it. I got the burnt ends and tortillas with a double side of brussels sprouts. And it was all amazing! When I’m wrong, I say I’m wrong…nothing hipster-y or pretentious about the food at all! I seriously have no need to ever try anything else from Beast, although I’m sure Ryan will eventually. And even though we can’t afford to eat there often, I check the menu every day anyway (it changes daily), just to see if there are burnt ends available!

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Aside from the delicious food, I’m also impressed with Beast’s commitment to fresh, local food. They don’t use freezers or microwaves, so they have what’s available from their suppliers until it runs out. They even offer local beverages, from coffee and tea (Kaldi’s) to beer and soft drinks (Excel Bottling), and suggest pairings to go with their menu items.

If you’re looking to try a delicious new BBQ place, I highly recommend giving Beast a try…just make sure you check the menu and go early in the day if there’s a particular menu item you want…there’s nothing worse than planning on getting a plate of burnt ends, only to find that they’re sold out!