Beast Craft BBQ

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!

The Five Best Things I’ve Ever Eaten

Maybe it’s because I’m pregnant and hungry all the time. Or maybe it’s because I have gestational diabetes, and can’t eat anything interesting. But lately, I’ve been thinking back over the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten, and I think I’ve come up with the top five, (none of which are things that I cook–I wanted this list to contain special, restaurant-only items!).

Chicken Thomas–This was one of the specialties at a restaurant my parents and I used to go to, Cafe Wheaton, (that has, sadly, closed), and while they had many delicious thing on the menu, including chicken and/or veal oscar, I almost always ordered this. It was a breaded chicken breast, slathered in some kind of parmesan sauce, served with pasta, and there were artichokes involved. I wish I could remember more details about it so that I could try to replicate it, but it’s just been too long.

Fresh Trout–Back in college, I went to Copper Harbor, MI, for the very first time, for my cousin’s wedding. While we there, I had fresh trout, caught that day in Lake Superior. I don’t think I knew what really fresh fish was like before that day! In all honesty, I don’t really even remember how it was prepared, but it was, hands-down, the best fish I’ve ever eaten, and there are days that I think it would be worth the trip up there just to eat fish that fresh and wonderful again!

Tiramisu Cheesecake–This is the only thing on my list from a chain restaurant, (Cheesecake Factory), but this cheesecake is so good, it’s worth it. My two favorite desserts, combined in one amazing piece of cake. Seriously drooling just thinking about it. Lucky for me, there’s a Cheesecake Factory near enough to us that if I have to have a piece, I can, but not so close that I’m danger of going there often. It’s the perfect set-up for a serious pregnancy craving, (gestational diabetes aside).

Seamus McDaniel’s Cheeseburger–The first “local only” item on my list, the Seamus cheeseburger is by far the best I’ve ever had. Rare, with provel, tomatoes, and onions, it’s like a bite of heaven. The french fries that come on the side aren’t too shabby, either.

Beast Craft BBQ Carnitas–I’ve loved Beast since it first came to Belleville, but the carnitas, a recent menu addition, are just over-the-top delicious. I seriously couldn’t eat them often enough!

Honorable Mention (because I couldn’t just leave the list at five!):

Triple Chocolate Suicide Cake–I haven’t had a piece of this cake in probably over 20 years, but I still remember it. This is from another, (now defunct), restaurant that my parents and I used to frequent, and tiramisu and cheesecakes aside, it’s the best dessert I’ve ever eaten. Several layers, (at least three, maybe more, and they were thick layers!), of rich chocolate cake, and an almost fudge like frosting. Oh, and big triangle of a chocolate bar stuck in the top, and the whole thing drizzled in more chocolate. Sinfully delicious!

So, there you have it. Those are the best things I’ve ever eaten, and I’m proud of myself for “only” including two desserts on the list. I could have easily made a list of just the best five desserts I’ve had, or a list of 10 or more of my favorite foods, but I wanted to narrow it down to the best of the best. Of course, there’s the chance that I’ve overlooked something, but in my current pregnant and constantly hungry state, these are the items that immediately came to mind.

Sadly, of these five items, only two of them are remotely accessible to me, (and I’m not supposed to be eating cheesecake right now, so that leaves me with just the cheeseburger–no fries). Of the remaining three items, two of the restaurants were a.) In Suburban Chicago, and 2.) Have closed anyway, so are no longer even an option. And the third item…well, Copper Harbor, MI is 750 miles from here, so that’s not happening anytime soon. But when I’m hungry in the middle of the night, I console myself by remembering some of the best things I’ve had the opportunity to eat!