Mary Horton turns ribs on the smoker while Sistah's owner Donna Sales holds a plate of ribs, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, baked beans and collard greens.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Donna Sales loves the annual Ribfest South Charleston, even though she doesn't cook for or attend it.
"Everyone has ribs on their mind, and they stop by here if they don't go there," said Sales, owner of Sistah's Rib Shack, 1717 Seventh Ave. The self-proclaimed "Queen of Ribs" sometimes wears a tiara as she smokes ribs over a wood fire in front of her restaurant in the former Domino's Pizza building. The enticing smell wafts to drivers on their evening commute.
After a rocky start in her rib-smoking career, Sales says she has the process down to a science. Twice a day, she fills the smoker with racks of ribs rubbed with her special seasoning. She's so sure of the cooking time that she can leave them unattended to run errands and return in time to flip them.
Most of the ribs are pork, but she offers beef ribs for people who don't eat pork. None of the side dishes are cooked with pork, not even the collard greens or green beans, which she seasons with smoked turkey.
Her red beans and rice and rich macaroni and cheese are popular side dishes for the smoky meat. Her cousin, Mary Horton, bakes a sweet cornbread daily and mixes up her special barbeque sauce, a tangy, slightly sweet variation that isn't too thick. Customers carry it out by the bottle.
"I like for people to try the ribs without the sauce first. The flavor is so good. They can add sauce later," Sales said.
Sales, 49, cooks the way she, her four sisters, their mother and grandmother cooked when she grew up in Rand. And, no, her sisters don't own the business with her. She named a short-lived restaurant she owned in Rand Sistah's because her sisters originally planned to join her. They opted out of the arrangement, but she kept the name.
Ribs were on the menu at the original Sistah's, where she built a brick grill to cook them, but she never quite got her recipe right. When she opened the current Sistah's last year, she still hadn't perfected her technique.
"At first, customers told me the ribs were tough," she said. "They loved everything else. I learned from my mistakes, changed the brand of ribs I was using. I tell those people to try me again."
Located just beyond a busy curve before Seventh Avenue, Sistah's didn't attract many customers at first. Sales counted 500 cars whizzing around that curve during rush hour one evening. Only four stopped by her carryout restaurant to pick up supper.
To catch their attention, Sales moved the smoker from behind the restaurant and placed it prominently out front. She saved her money, $50 a week, until she had enough to order a large eye-catching sign.
"Smoke in the air stops traffic," she said.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Donna Sales loves the annual Ribfest South Charleston, even though she doesn't cook for or attend it.
"Everyone has ribs on their mind, and they stop by here if they don't go there," said Sales, owner of Sistah's Rib Shack, 1717 Seventh Ave. The self-proclaimed "Queen of Ribs" sometimes wears a tiara as she smokes ribs over a wood fire in front of her restaurant in the former Domino's Pizza building. The enticing smell wafts to drivers on their evening commute.
After a rocky start in her rib-smoking career, Sales says she has the process down to a science. Twice a day, she fills the smoker with racks of ribs rubbed with her special seasoning. She's so sure of the cooking time that she can leave them unattended to run errands and return in time to flip them.
Most of the ribs are pork, but she offers beef ribs for people who don't eat pork. None of the side dishes are cooked with pork, not even the collard greens or green beans, which she seasons with smoked turkey.
Her red beans and rice and rich macaroni and cheese are popular side dishes for the smoky meat. Her cousin, Mary Horton, bakes a sweet cornbread daily and mixes up her special barbeque sauce, a tangy, slightly sweet variation that isn't too thick. Customers carry it out by the bottle.
"I like for people to try the ribs without the sauce first. The flavor is so good. They can add sauce later," Sales said.
Sales, 49, cooks the way she, her four sisters, their mother and grandmother cooked when she grew up in Rand. And, no, her sisters don't own the business with her. She named a short-lived restaurant she owned in Rand Sistah's because her sisters originally planned to join her. They opted out of the arrangement, but she kept the name.
Ribs were on the menu at the original Sistah's, where she built a brick grill to cook them, but she never quite got her recipe right. When she opened the current Sistah's last year, she still hadn't perfected her technique.
"At first, customers told me the ribs were tough," she said. "They loved everything else. I learned from my mistakes, changed the brand of ribs I was using. I tell those people to try me again."
Located just beyond a busy curve before Seventh Avenue, Sistah's didn't attract many customers at first. Sales counted 500 cars whizzing around that curve during rush hour one evening. Only four stopped by her carryout restaurant to pick up supper.
To catch their attention, Sales moved the smoker from behind the restaurant and placed it prominently out front. She saved her money, $50 a week, until she had enough to order a large eye-catching sign.
"Smoke in the air stops traffic," she said.
The menu isn't limited to ribs. Fried chicken and fish, pork chops and chicken wings are all available as baskets with fries and coleslaw or as a dinner with two side dishes and homemade cornbread, bread or a roll.
The Sistah Dog, a Polish sausage with mustard and fried green peppers and onions is a holdover from her original restaurant's menu.
"We called it the Chow Dog then, and the first customer I ever had ordered it," Sales said.
Sistah's location in a reputably rough neighborhood might cause some customers to shy away, but Sales said she hasn't had any trouble. Neither have her customers.
A self-taught cook, Sales isn't afraid to try new dishes. She recently learned to make peach cobbler. It's on the menu, along with banana pudding.
She's thinking about adding pulled pork to her menu after she saw how popular it was at a recent event she catered for 300 people. Customer requests for Texas-style brisket might prompt her to give that a try.
"I listen to my customers. If you don't like it, I want you to tell me," she said. "If you want something that isn't on the menu, call ahead and ask about it."
Calling ahead is a good idea anyway. Meals are carryout only, unless customers dine at the red umbrella-topped tables and chairs out front. The tables and chairs are made from cable spools donated by Frontier after she spotted them when she catered an event there.
On occasion, Sistah's offers free lemonade and iced tea. Kids always get a free Freeze pop.
"I think I do that because it reminds me of our neighbor growing up. They always had popsicles or watermelon," she said. "I guess that's what I do with my food, too. I try to have food that makes people reminisce about good family food."
Sistah's Rib Shack, 1717 Seventh Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Call 304-346-7427.
Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.
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