Over the last few years, Southern Girls BBQ – a catering company Keith Davis started back in 2003 – has participated in festivals and events in Madison County, Ill. Eventually, the company earned enough of a following to prompt Davis, who has been fine-tuning his barbecue techniques and competing in ‘cue competitions for more than 25 years, to expand his business to include a sit-down barbecue joint.
Last month, Davis did just that, opening Southern Girls BBQ at 130 Front St., in downtown Alton. The restaurant specializes in Southern-style barbecue, featuring slow, apple wood-smoked meats seasoned with Strawberry’s Shake-on Bar-B-Que Seasoning: a dry seasoning Davis developed with his business partner. “We do a basting process with our ribs, but for the most part, our meat has a dry seasoning on it,” he said. “We don’t put any sauce on until the customer asks.” The menu includes standard barbecue offerings, and many of the dishes stem from recipes courtesy of Davis’ mother and grandmother. In fact, Davis added, the restaurant was named in honor of “all the Southern women that helped me with my cooking.”
Southern Girls BBQ is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. until the restaurant sells out – typically around 6 p.m. According to Davis, business has been so brisk at the new restaurant that he expects to add another location within the next 90 days. While the current location offers a clear view of the Mississippi River (They keep binoculars handy for bird-watching.), Davis has his sights for restaurant No. 2 set on Broadway, also in downtown Alton.
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2011.