Feast Magazine : How C&K Barbecue Became a St. Louis Legend

Daryle Brantley, owner of C&K Barbecue in St. Louis, got an education in local ‘cue at a young age.

Growing up in St. Louis in the late 1950s, his grandfather, a Baptist minister, would take him to Q King at North Kingshighway Boulevard and St. Louis Avenue after church on Sundays. Brantley says Q King was hugely popular, especially after church service, because it was a dine-in restaurant. But in his opinion, the best barbecue could be found down the street from his grandmother’s house at Academy Barbecue.

“I was a little-bitty guy,” he says with a laugh. “About a mile from Q King was a little lady who was making barbecue and selling it out of the window of an old four-family building. She had lines of people. Zero degree weather – lines two blocks. She had the best barbecue as far as I’m concerned. Ever. Then she passed, and along came Mr. King.”