Ol’ School Smokehouse opens in South County

Meat lovers in Mehlville and beyond have a new place to get their fix. Co-owners Wes Smith, CJ Baerman and Shawn Orloski opened Ol’ School Smokehouse at 7565 S. Lindbergh Blvd., on Monday, Jan. 25. Focusing on fresh meat and side dishes prepared daily, the smokehouse offers traditional takes and less common twists on one of St. Louis’ most popular cuisines.

Pulled pork and chicken wings (smoked for 36 hours) are featured as is beer sausage, a house-made sausage blended with spices and local brew then smoked and cured onsite. Ol’ School Smokehouse also opted to switch out ubiquitous beef brisket with a smoked beef chuck for what Orloski said is tender, juicier result. Two sauces are available now (a sweet, thick sauce and a spicier whiskey sauce) with a hot sauce and Asian-inspired varieties on the way.

“We make everything from scratch,” said Orloski, who started at Bandana’s BBQ in 1997 and has also owned Bully’s Smokehouse in Columbia, Illinois. “We believe in giving the public a fresher product. Fresh meat is better than frozen meat but it’s hard to locate. We source from a variety of local sources and meat markets.”

Ol’ School Smokehouse is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. or until they sell out. “We cook to sell out,” he said. “We don’t want to carry over our smoked meat. People want to eat what was made today, not what was left over from yesterday.”

The dining room currently seats only a dozen diners, but Ol’ School Smokehouse plans to add an additional 60 seats in the adjacent space pending approval from St. Louis County.