Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 39

HERCULES S
SOUTHERN

by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop

BBQ
Smoked favorites in
southeast Missouri

moke fills the air on the back patio as Alfea
Crenshaw tends to the seemingly endless rows
of chicken, ribs and pork steaks. He checks to
make sure the smoked meats are about ready to
be pulled off the heat in time for his restaurant, Hercules Southern BBQ, to open for the day. This is no fast
process; but Alfea and his wife, April, know the juice is
definitely worth the squeeze.
The Crenshaws opened Hercules Southern BBQ in
May 2013 offering traditional barbecue fare for carryout
on weekends from a small location in Piedmont. As time
passed, Alfea's smoked creations grew more popular
and they expanded their hours and eventually into a
full brick-and-mortar restaurant. Today, Alfea and April
serve traditional smokehouse staples alongside delicious
sides and other non-barbecue items.
Alfea had never been in the restaurant business and
tends to the smoking of the meats. April - who previously was the general manager at fast-food restaurants
- handles the kitchen. Alfea's barbecue prowess wasn't
something he developed on his own, but got from his
stepfather, the restaurant's namesake, Hercules.
" He was a big-time barbecue guy, " Alfea says. " He
cooked for masses of people at church gatherings, family reunions and all kinds of things. "
After moving to Piedmont from St. Louis in 2002, the
Crenshaws were asked to cook for different gatherings
here and there and started to develop a reputation.
" We'd be having friends over for the Fourth of July
and people would see us barbecuing and just stop by, "
he says with a smile. " Of course I'm not going to not
offer you something. "

Previous page: Alfea and April Crenshaw have served up delicious barbecue in Piedmont for almost a decade. Below left: The loaded baked
potato comes with your choice of chicken or pulled pork, nacho cheese, sour cream, bacon and barbecue sauce. Below right: The loaded nachos
are a customer favorite and include tortilla chips, pulled chicken or pork, nacho cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, bacon, onions and barbecue sauce.

May21_Eats.indd 2

4/7/21 10:52 AM



Rural Missouri - May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - May 2021

Contents
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - Cover1
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - Cover2
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - Contents
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 4
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 5
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 6
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 7
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 8
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 9
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 10
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 11
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Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 40
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 41
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 42
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 43
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Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 45
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Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 50
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Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 53
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - 54
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - Cover3
Rural Missouri - May 2021 - Cover4
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