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Restaurant review

New arena for BBQ title bout

Champions' BBQ gets into the game in Largo. But only the name is new; the owner is a BBQ veteran.

By JIM WEBSTER
Published February 1, 2007

Champions BBQ is owned and operated by restauranteur Fred Fleming. A star entree is the St. Louis-cut 2.25-pound BBQ smoked ribs.
	[Times photo: Douglas R. Clifford]

The champion has moved to Largo.

Fred Fleming is no longer associated with the restaurant on St. Petersburg's Fourth Street that bears his name. But he got to take the long list of awards, and the know-how that earned those awards, to his new bastion of barbecue on Seminole Boulevard in Largo.

Champions' BBQ has the feel of a smokehouse merged with a sports bar. The decor is dominated by photos and banners of notable sports champs. I was immediately drawn to the banner celebrating my Pittsburgh Steelers, until I realized it was just part of the theme. But it still made me happy.

Photos of tennis stars, boxing legends, Olympic heroes and auto racers line the walls, the place mats, even the restrooms.

But the championships that matter here are Fleming's awards as the two-time winner of "Greatest Ribs in America." The St. Louis-style ribs are slow smoked over hickory and, without much effort, end up as a pile of clean bones on the platter.

The well-seasoned ribs don't really require additional sauce, but you can choose from five house versions. To start, there is the original sauce and its "sassy" cousin. (Our server suggested mixing the two to give the original a little kick, a fine suggestion.) A vinegar-based sauce, a honey barbecue sauce and a mustard-based sauce round out the options.

The rest of the menu will be familiar to fans of the Fourth Street location, and that's a good thing. The main ingredient throughout is smoke, used to good effect. The smoked turkey is so juicy, it's hard to believe that it spends hours and hours cooking. The pulled pork deserves its own list of awards, with or without any combination of the sauces.

It was fun pairing the different sauces with the different meats.

I liked the mustard sauce on the turkey, though the meat had so much flavor it almost seemed a shame to put sauce on it. And the beef brisket - mine was pretty dry - really benefitted from the Carolina vinegar sauce.

We also tried the catfish sandwich. Nice and crispy, the fish was lighter and flakier than I expect catfish to be. We decided not to do any DNA tests, but attributed it to the fact that the fish was farm-raised. We ate it with hush puppies, of course.

One significant change in the sides from the original location is the addition of jalapeno to the spoon corn bread. It has a kick.

The hot sausage dip appetizer, similar to everyday spinach dip, is enhanced with tomato and spinach. Very original, very spicy, very tasty.

The chili is fine, but pretty standard.

We tried the butter rum cake mainly because it said "Wow!" next to it on the menu. Turns out, that's a reasonable description. I'm surprised they didn't ask for ID. The rum soaks deeply through the top layer; below the visible rum line, the cake is moist and buttery.

Speaking of booze, a long list of brews is available to accompany the 'cue, but I was drawn to the list of regional soft drinks. I had to have the Big Red I drank too much of as a kid, but other memories in a 12-ounce bottle include Cheerwine, Nehi and RC.

In addition to his duties as a Times copy editor, Jim Webster is a culinary tourist and amateur caterer. Until a replacement for former food critic Chris Sherman is named, Weekend is featuring guest critics.

Champions' BBQ

12150 Seminole Blvd., Largo

Phone: (727) 585-4900

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.- 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Details: No smoking; major credit cards accepted.

Prices: Appetizers and small plates, $2.99 to $6.99; sandwiches, $6.29 to $8.29; main dishes, $7.89 to $17.99; desserts, $2.99 to $4.49.

[Last modified January 31, 2007, 09:55:03]