Chicago’s New Kings of Barbecue Reign in Beverly

Welcome to the Scene Report, a new column in which Eater Chicago captures the vibe of a notable Chicago restaurant at a specific moment in time.

Locals can scream to the top of their lungs that Chicago has a distinctive barbecue style, chefs can hold panels, and writers can publish explainers to try to educate and even bridge the North and South Side divide. But Chicago is a city where many are unaware of barbecue history, and it’s not shocking that few outside the 312 and 773 area codes will truly acknowledge aquarium smokers, sticky tomato-based sauces, and tip-link combos.

But a pitmaster must exude confidence without allowing perception or history to distract them from the goal of perfectly smoked meats. The crew at Sanders BBQ Supply Co. have demonstrated their prowess since the restaurant opened in June in Beverly. The restaurant is led by James Sanders, a veteran chef who ran a catering business out of a West Side kitchen and who owned Dirty Birds Southern Kitchen, a restaurant serving chicken and fish.

Sanders pulled Nick Kleutsch off the deck to join the team as pitmaster. Kleutsch soaked up Central Texas’s barbecue culture in Austin before honing his craft in Indiana where he ran a Texas-stye barbecue pop-up called Lucy’s BBQ from a bar in Highland. The Tribune lauded Lucy’s last year. Sanders isn’t a Central Texas operation. They’re an amalgamation of different styles. The team also includes sous chef Nehemiah Holmes and chef Bill Jones. Here’s the scene at Sanders BBQ Supply around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 27.

The wait: Over the weekend, Sanders made an Instagram post apologizing for running out of food. But visit Austin, Kansas City, Memphis, or any barbecue-crazed town and customers risk missing out on specialty items if they show up late. The cure to combat this is to set your alarms or calendar reminders. Sanders opens at 11 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. Parking is a breeze along 99th Street. There’s a slight wait, but it’s fun chatting with customers and sharing ordering strategies. On this particular Saturday, the restaurant wasn’t serving links and that’s clearly communicated on the menu board. It took about 20 minutes from waiting in line, watching staff carve up prime brisket and Texas-style smoked beef ribs, to sitting down and having a food runner drop off an order.

The menu: For all the charm that Chicago’s South and West side barbecue restaurants have to offer, a glance at the food at Sanders shows that diners are in for a different experience. The menu offers both prime brisket and pulled pork by the pound. Chicago barbecue rarely includes so-called beef dino ribs, but for $35 customers can indulge on Saturdays only. These beef ribs are more or less brisket on a bone, and that gives a fattier and more flavorful bite.

The chicken wings are smoked and perfectly charred, glazed with a sticky sweet peach tea sauce. The sauce wasn’t my favorite, but once dunked in the cumin-forward mustard sauce — a concoction Kleutsch brought with him from LeRoy & Lewis in Austin, the wings activate into some of the best in the city. There are two kinds of sausage — cajun and jalapeño cheddar.

A word about the pork ribs — they’re fantastic and might be the best in Chicago. They’re St. Louis-cut spare ribs. They’re not doused with sauce. Seemingly, the team found a compromise between Chicagoans’s love for saucy food and more traditional dry-rub barbecue. The meat is tender but does not fall off the bone. There’s plenty of bark and the sauce isn’t providing the smoke. It’s the post-oak burned from a 4,600-pound M&M1000 rotisserie smoker. It’s a pure wood smoker without a gas assist. What that means is this is a serious and top-of-the-line machine. As I walked out of the restaurant, a neighbor greeted me and gushed about the ribs. I consented: If I lived nearby my cholesterol would be in trouble. These ribs are divine. I think about them a lot.

The sides, like mac and cheese, are also serious. Sanders serves a sweet potato cornbread with a creamy texture inside. If a customer orders one of the two salads, they’ll be treated to a crispy version as the greens are served with sweet potato cornbread croutons. These croutons are outrageous. The smoked burger also looked formidable, but my stomach was full of spare ribs and brisket. Kleutsch insists it’s the best item on the menu.

The verdict: Sanders BBQ ticks all the boxes. It’s a comfortable place to sit down and enjoy smoked meats. There are two patios with live music. I hear whispers of expansion in the future, but I won’t jinx it. In a city where civic barbecue traditions aren’t celebrated very loudly, Sanders finds itself playing an important role in uniting old and new school philosophies while introducing a whole new generation to a world of tasty barbecue. Sanders has a chance to be one of the best casual restaurants in Chicago, one that customers from all walks of life can enjoy. Even vegetarians — the pulled jackfruit sandwich looks awfully tasty.

Sanders BBQ Supply Co., 1742 W. 99th Street, open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. — or until they sell out — Wednesday through Sunday.