Stern's Famous BBQ in Culver City

Anyone remember this restaurant?

Does anyone have a recipe for their BBQ sauce. It was brown, not red, and had a lot of meat and smoke flavor.

I have searched for years for that recipe. It was the all time WORLD'S BEST!!!

We ate Stern's every single Sunday night when it was open.

Sad that the kids closed the restaurant.

My family would go to Stern's often during my fond childhood memories. We were so disappointed when it closed.
My sister and I have been trying to find the recipe for their BBQ sauce. We miss it so much! It was the best BBQ sauce ever! Nothing can come even close to that! It was great to put that sauce over white rice! yum!
I even had sent a letter to the LA Times to see if they had the recipe in their achieves.
Wonder if one of the Stern's off-springs has the recipe. Would love to get that!!!

Oh how I miss Stern's!

I drive by that building almost every day.

I used to pull out the inside of my roll and fill it with sauce before layering the brisket and cole slaw on the sandwich.

We were told that the sauce was made with all of the day's trimmings.

Our Sunday to go order was usually the same...

A dozen rolls, 2 pounds of brisket (sliced lean and thin), a pint of sauce and a few pickles. I always wanted more sauce.

My mother and aunt were known as the lean and thin sisters by the man behind the counter. Every week they asked for lean and thin!

Nothing like Stern's and that's just sad!

(Did you eat at Woody's on Sepulveda, putting peanuts on your hamburgers?)

I also grew up eating at Sterns and miss that famous sauce!!!

Several years back I tried to track down the family and was given an an address and phone number in Arizona. But no luck.

We must find a recipe. Please help!!

Thanks

Mike

mike@pentrex.com

They must not have any idea how many unhappy people are out there!

OK we all miss STRERN's!!!
Me and my mom think that the problem with other BBQ joints is that they BBQ!! Stern had a giant rotisarri and slow cooked the meat...no grill. Real smoke flavor. The drippings made the sauce great.
We are going to try to duplicate the sauce...by trial and error! Anyone else interested in discussing this.
Anyone know a cook at sterns?

Jamie Garcia Playa Del Rey

Drooling with anticipation!

If I remember correctly.......

Didn't Sterns have a place in Westchester for a while toward the end?
And didn't they sell their sauce in a bottle also for a while?

I remember always taking home a big bag of sandwiches and the sauce was in a round white cardboard container.

It's lunchtime and I'm getting very hungry......

Mike

At one time you could access an old Sterns memu on the LA Public Library website.

I happened to come across this forum and was excited to see that there are others out there that remember the good ol' taste of Stern's bbq and sauce. I've been messing around for the last 3 years trying to duplicate the Stern's sauce. I've come close after slow cooking up beef brisket, gathering the drippings, adding mustard, a little ketcup and some spices. I am able to get the lumpiness I remember which comes from the meat drippings but still trying to duplicate the unique orangish color. Texas bbq sauces are usually pretty simple as opposed to other parts of the country so I am going to keep experimenting. In the meantime, if someone does come across this awesome recipe, let me know! I'll fire up the Weber bullet and get a brisket going!!!

I am so happy to find others that can feel my pain! I still have a postcard and business card from Stern's. I use to drive 40 miles for their sauce. Please let me know if anyone finds or creates a recipe. Thanks!

I,too remember Sterns! The best food on the planet! On Mother's day the line went down the block!

A few days ago I was in B&B hardware also in Culver City. When it came time to check out who should be attending the line but the man who used to slice the roast beef at the take out counter!

We talked about Sterns and the great food. He was one of the cooks there and told me that the reason why the food was so good is that they had a brick oven and would cook the meat all night. Slow cooking did the trick!

He also told me that they made everything, the bread was baked there every day, the beans (I loved those!!) were cooked daily, they even made their own pickles! Those were the quality days!

In any case, if you want to talk to him that is where he is. We even spoke about opening a new Sterns, but the costs are very high, alas.

I hope this helps.

Hans

quote:

Originally posted by Hans Schieder
A few days ago I was in B&B hardware also in Culver City. When it came time to check out who should be attending the line but the man who used to slice the roast beef at the take out counter!.... In any case, if you want to talk to him that is where he is.... I hope this helps.
Hans

Dearfolk,
Hans or someone, PLEASE go ask him about the BBQ sauce! He may be the only one who knows what made it so special (he might even have the recipe!)!! And maybe, just maybe, he can guide someone to the remaining family in Arizona... or wherever. It sounds like y'all are onto something gooood!
Taking A Bow, Sternless Ort. in Seemingly-Near-Rudderless Athens, Georgia.

The next time I need to go to B&B,if he is there, I will ask him about the sauce and let you folks know what he says.

Hans

Here is the latest update...

I returned to B&B hardware and looked for the man but was told that he had quit.  I found out where he had gone and then went there.  Unfortunately he was not in.  (He now works in the field for the new company).

So, I will just have to return there again until I catch him in. I am not giving up on this as I like that sauce too!!

Hans

I'm still waiting.

Stern's still holds the #1 place for the best bbq'd brisket sandwich EVER!

That sauce!

I just found out about this website.  I remember Sterns BBQ. We would eat BBQ sandwiches there or my dad would order the sandwiches to go. The BBQ sauce was to die for. I have tried to replicate it but it wasn't the same.  There is something very special about the sauce.  I miss it.  It was a family tradition.  It would be wonderful to find the family and see what the secret ingredient is.

Last Tuesday (2/17) we returned to Backwoods BBQ near Interlachen, FL for a taste of their great BBQ. This time we shared a rack of very large meaty juicy falling-off-the-bone pig ribs.We had sides of green beans, baked beans (with a hint of cinnamon), terrific cole slaw, and potato salad. 

The service provided by our very attractive young blond waitress was warm prompt and professional. This place is a gem hidden in the backroads of north central Florida. If you find yourself in that area, make a detour and favor yourself with some excellent BBQ.

Cheers, John  

Another Stern's lover, me. Best dad gum brisket EVER!!! Sauce was wonderful. Their BBQ beans were wonderful, too. I remember my family getting sliced brisket, a ton of their crusty rolls, sauce and coleslaw for special occasions. When the meat was all gone, I used to like to split the rolls and fill them with the beans. Mmmm....On a side note, does anyone remember Pickle Bill's BBQ on Pico in Santa Monica? They had great brisket as well, and a similar sauce, more like a gravy with meat in it. And THE BEST macaroni & cheese.

Yes, yes, yes, add me to the list of those who fondly remember Stern's bbq. I just wish somehow, some way we could get that sauce recipe! There is simply nothing else like it (at least in So Cal as far as I know).

7echo, I also remember Pickle Bill's.

Mar52, I know this is off topic, but I LOVED Woody's (although I didn't put peanuts on my burgers, I did put them on my sundae). I think that was probably the first burger place my parents took me to, and definitely the first place where I could add my own condiments (a big deal for a little kid).  Loved the food and the "alpine" decor! :-) Yet another great place, like Stern's, that is now just a fond memory.

Woody's was wonderful!!! The first char-broiled burger I ever ate was there, mmmm! I remember all the toppings, including peanuts, and an ice cream bar as well, with more ice cream toppings. I used to like the little salads with the pickled beets on top with bleu cheese dressing. There was a whole chain of them at one point, I assume they're all gone now?

Our first RF get-together in 2004 was at a "Woody's BBQ" in a strip mall in Rancho Cucamonga (on Foothill near the Quakes Stadium). I am not sure if it was part of the original organization or not.  We had a great time at that initial meeting of about a dozen Roadfooders ! yeah, The BBQ was pretty good too!!
 
Here is the front of the place to help in recognition if you visit it. Note that my bride hasn't changed a bit since this photo, while McDuff has grown a bit grey around the muzzle, as has his master !
 

I remembered after looking at another site that it was "Woody's Smorgasburger", which was a big chain in CA at one point. The last one in Westchester went out of business in the 90's sometime. It had a wood panel Swiss Alps lodge kind of decor if I remember right.

"Woody's Smorgasburger" and Stern's Famous BBQ

It would be wonderful if Woody's BBQ was a combination of the two, but alas it's not.

Both the best.  

If ever a Stern's BBQ topic gets posted I will be there.

Stern's BBQ sauce and Woody's tomato paste salsa are the two recipes I'll ALWAYS want.

Maybe this will help with the recipe. My grandfather had heard that, in addition to the meat drippings, the bbq sauce had the "XLNT" brand of chili con carne in it. You can find "XLNT" chili con carne in most supermarkets.

Thanks, but nothing like it.  

Still the best.

Stern's was founded by my great-grandfather Isadore and was passed on to sons Eddie, then to my Uncle Max, then finally to Max's son Hal. If anyone would have the recipe (alas I don't) it would be Hal, who, last I heard, is a horseman and real estate broker in Flagstaff, Arizona. Just before The Barbeque was closed they were selling bottles of sauce which I remember my grandmother having in her closet. I pray sometimes that one shows up on ebay. I know if Max were still around he'd appreciate all the kind words. I miss it too.

Hi jmudrick,

It was indeed the best!

My mother and aunt were known at Stern's as "The Lean and Thin Sisters"

They were not!  Every week when standing at the counter placing their to go order, they always said.... one or two pounds of brisket.... lean and thin, please.  Every week!!!

We lived on Tilden Ave in West Los Angeles way back then and heard the new neighbors up the street were Sterns kids.  

We never asked because as much as we missed the restaurant it was nice knowing that the family lived up the street from us, true or not.

May your grandfather RIP and hello to you and the rest of your family.

THE BEST!

For those interested in Stern's BBQ I googled Hal Stern, then sent him the following email.

Hal, I frequent a web site called Roadfood.com. There is a post on the forum about Stern's BBQ. This post has been active for a long time with inquiries about Stern's BBQ sauce. A relative of yours referenced your location and occupation so I googled you. I thought it might be of interest to you. There are some folks who sure miss your BBQ and particularly the sauce. There are requests for the recipe but no one seems to know the ingredients. The relatives post said if anyone knew the recipe it would be you. I thought you might enjoy reading the posts from some old fans of you BBQ.

Below is Hal's reply....

Bob, THANKS for your inquiry, but the key to this product was the
meat trimmings that were ground up fresh each day to make it!
No preservatives were used and so there was a very limited shelf life.
I do have the ingredient list but I would be very reluctant to reslease it
as it would not really be possible to replicate it!
 
     Your sincerely,

Hal Stern

Exactly!  That's what I said in post #4.

It was the trimmings and it was THE BEST!

nosepicker


Maybe this will help with the recipe. My grandfather had heard that, in addition to the meat drippings, the bbq sauce had the "XLNT" brand of chili con carne in it. You can find "XLNT" chili con carne in most supermarkets.

I think you may be onto something. I grew up eating XLNT chili brick, my mom used it to make tacos. I can picture the texture of Stern's sauce, and I can see XLNT being used as a thickener. Maybe XLNT with brisket drippings and debris?? I may have to do some experimenting....Also, I remember Stern's had a more traditional BBQ sauce which they sold in bottles. The kind I am thinking of was hot, and came in a white cardboard container to be served with the brisket. It was more like a gravy I would say, but that's just my memories of it. For anyone not familiar, XLNT chili is sold in a frozen block and has no beans, just chili gravy with some meat in it.

Boy does this thread sound familiar.

I grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas, where we had what sounds like the spittin' image of Stern's. I'm referring to a place called Underwood's BBQ.

Best sauce I ever had and the meat was also not true BBQ.

There is one Underwood's remaining in Brownwood, Tx. I drove out there recently in the hope that the kids had stuck to the original recipes and qualities, but I am sad to say they have not. The old Underwood's is just a memory.

Anyway, I searched for years for the recipe and finally came across one in the Wichita Falls online newspaper, a few years back.

I heard mention on this thread of Stern's using the trimmings which was Underwood's basic secret, chilli powder, yep its got that too, coca-cola for a darker color and unusual flavor, on and on.

Anyway, I experimented with this recipe and found that the drippings do indeed need to be the base, not and additive. Get your trimmings and drippings the way you want them, then add the sauce until you get there. (and don't dare use diet Coke :))

So, as a salute to Stern's and all you Stern's Sauce lovers, I thought I'd share this recipe in the hope you might be able to alter it to fit your memories.

SAUCE RECIPE SAVED: Even though I couldn’t find the copycat Underwood’s barbecue sauce recipe that ran in this column long ago, alert reader Steve Litteken sent a copy of the original clipping he says he has “been making since this recipe came out in the paper.”
Although similar to the version that appeared July 1, this recipe was shared by a former Underwood’s employee who knew its secret. The cooking time is loosely described but I’d recommend simmering the mixture for about 30 minutes to let the flavors blend.
Thanks also to Paula Tucker who also hung on to her clipping. Thank goodness some people keep up with things better than I do.
ALMOST AS GOOD’ UNDERWOOD’S BARBECUE SAUCE
Ingredients
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
6 ounces (3/4 cup) Coca-Cola (regular or diet)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until blended.

Good luck!

I too remembers Stern's with great fondness. I went with my parents and later took my own family. My father owned a joint on the old Ocean Park Pier called the Pronto Pups. He made his chili with XLNT also. Everything that I remember from Stern's was superb. Thanks for all the posts.

I love seeing this thread bumped up.
 
Still the best.

I remember Stern's BBQ fondly. when I was about 13 years old. My family rarely went to restaurants back then but we got take-out from Sterns once a week...I remember the beans the most..there were bits of meat in them and raisins I think too...yum! I don't remember it being in Culver City though..More like West LA but I could be wrong. Regarding XLNT chili..I just bought some today!

Anyone had any success with the Underwood's recipe?

Stern's sauce wasn't sweet so although I read the recipe, I wouldn't give it a try.
 
I can still taste Stern's sauce.  Just wish it were for real.

There was an Underwood's BBQ in Sherman, TX and we used to eat there quite a lot.  I'd give the recipe a shot.  An old man who had a catering business in Texarkana once said adding a can of coke to any barbq sauce makes it better.  I've tried that and it's true.

I worked for 2 years during high school at Stern's Famous Bar-B-Que while Max still ran the place along with Hal.  It was not only a pleasure to work with this fine family, I had the opportunity to eat here daily.  While the bbq chicken was great, the bbq brisket sandwich was to die for.  I had the honor to work as a busboy, kitchen helper with Frenchie (head cook) and as a food server with the catering crew.  I can't honestly say I remember the ingredients of this great sauce, but I do remember that the drippings from the brisket was the main ingredient of the sauce.  I apologize to all of you out there for now remembering more, but this was in 1966/67.  I hope Hal reads this site as it is truly an inspiration to read so many positive words about a fine family and place to dine.  Hal, how about marketing your sauce?  Perhaps you would be doing the U.S. a service!!  It truly was the best!!  The only better sauces known to me is South Carolina mustered base sauce and North Carolina vinegar base sauce, but this is like comparing apples to oranges. 
I also worked across the street from the DesiLu Studios at another fine restaurant called the Culver House owned and operated by Bill Lane!  It was a dining experience to eat their prime rib, but their entire menu was fabulous.  Curly was the chef and his soups were delicious.  Do any of you fellow Culver City diners out there remember this establishment?
Doug Sagrillo 

Doug!  I was there every Sunday with my mother and aunt picking up sliced brisket, rolls, sauce and cole slaw.  Occasionally I could talk my mother in to a pickle.
 
That sauce was so good that we pull out the soft bread from inside the rolls and rill it with sauce before loading up the meat.  I put my cole slaw on the sandwich which is something that now carries over to the closest thing I can find at Phillipe's (which isn't close at all)
 
Do you remember the guy at the take out station calling two women "The lean and thin sisters"?  My mom and aunt!
 
Where did you go to high school?  (Hamilton for me)
 
Where did you live?  Me... near Sepulveda and Venice.
 
I don't remember The Culver House, but I do remember the name.  Was Bill Lane the brother of Dick Lane, the voice for the Olympic Wrestling Auditorium  (Now a Korean Church)?
 
I presently live on property where Dick's brother Jim Lane (I think) was a golf pro. I might have been murdered. 
 
Memories are starting to jumble.  Maybe they even had something to do with the Lennon Sisters. 
 
Mumbling on...
 
Here is my Stern's:
 

 

Woops!
 
I'm mixing up Lanes and Lennons.  Both Dick Lane and Jimmy Lennon were announcers at the Olympic Auditorium.
 
Sorry for the interruption. 

Hi Doug, me again obsessing.  I didn't realize that was your first post.
 
WELCOME TO ROADFOOD!
 
Join us in all of the other threads.  This is a great place with lots of nice people who have lots of interesting things to share.

mar52


I presently live on property where Dick's brother Jim Lane (I think) was a golf pro. I might have been murdered. 

 
But apparently you weren't, as the existence of your post proves...
 
Is there a story here?
 
Brad

I had the names mixed up.  Big story.
 
Jimmy Lennon was the announcer at the Olympic Auditorium, the home to wrestling and the Roller Derby.
 
William Lennon was the father of the Lennon Sisters.  He was a golf pro at the Marina del Rey Golf Course.  My condo is built where the golf course stood.  He was murdered at work.
 
I think William and Jimmy were brothers.
 
Dick Lane is not Bill Lane although he was also an announcer.  It's easy to confuse me.
 
 
 
 

I have been watching these messages for years hoping someone would come up with at least some of the ingredients.  There has to be someone here who has come close.  My Mom and Dad when ever they went to Culver City would bring back Stearns Brisket. That sause was just amazing.  I have searched for years without any luck.  Hopefully someone will at least come up with some of the ingredients. I can actually make a great brisket, I just need the sause.

I think I found the ingredients. It's complicated.
  I found it under trademark for Stearn's Famous Barbecue Sause and it's last application owner was Harold Stern. 
   

Found this info on the
Stern's BBQ - Uncle Phaedrus, Finder of Lost Recipes
hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m0212F10.htmCached - Similar
From: "MARGIE & BOB"  To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Subject: stern here Date: Friday, June 03, 2011 1:58 AM  Hi margie stern here.stern's famous barbq ..i hear everyone is looking for us.we are not had to find.Bottom line.we are considering marketing a sauce over the internet that might be loved.  The original cannot be created without my grampa or me. cannot give the recipe as we are working at it.I know you understand!  Blessings, margie stern

I don't think that they can bottle the sauce.  It was that different.
 
It also took a day's worth or week's worth of smoking briskets.  There was meat in the sauce.
 
Salivating just thinking about it.

I sincerely hope that the message from Margie Stern is real and not a web hoax.  I've been trying to find the recipe for Stern's BBQ sauce for over half my lifetime!  All I ever find are other people looking for the recipe too!  I have never had a bbq sauce that has even come close. You're right that the sauce could not possibly come in a bottle, but it could be frozen.  My dad used to buy several quarts of it at a time and and stick it in the freezer.  I sincerely hope "Margie and Bob" come through with a sauce that can be purchased over the internet!

Hi dmastalski and welcome to a fellow Stern's Sauce Lover.
 
If you've searched half your life we must have crossed paths some way, somewhere.
 
Frozen!  What an idea!
 
There are several generations that would stock their freezers with Stern's Sauce.  If I didn't have a second freezer, I'd buy one... it's that good.
 
Here's to hope and remembering!
 
 

mar52
Stern's had two kinds of sauce. If you went to the sit down part of the restaurant, they had a pretty normal kind of sauce they served. To my recollection, it was a lot like Chris & Pitts' sauce that you can still get in the grocery store. The sauce everyone wants the recipe to was a thick, hot (like from the stove, not cayenne) sauce that came in white cardboard containers. It was almost like a gravy and had a lot of meat in it. The closest thing to it that I know is the bbq sauce at Pickle Bill's BBQ in Santa Monica, CA, which was also more of a gravy with meat concoction. Pickle Bill's needs it's own section, as it was fantastic. I can still taste their mac & cheese, nice browned crust on top...yummmm

I don't think that they can bottle the sauce.  It was that different.

It also took a day's worth or week's worth of smoking briskets.  There was meat in the sauce.

Salivating just thinking about it.

According to Phineas, Finder of Lost Recipes, the Sterns are in talks to market the sauce!

I just signed up for this link as I would LOVE the Stern's Barbecue Sauce available. The recipe would be GREAT BUT I would even rather be able to PURCHASE it!  If you need help in SELLING to major retail/distributors in Grocery - please contact me. I went there as a little girl until they closed! They were THE BEST!  My mouth is watering...and truthfully it was one of the few GREAT memories growing up. I am speaking about the incredible  meaty sauce -not the counter one. From what I am understanding frozen block would be best! Please let me know the progress for purchase or recipe. Thanks so much, Lynne

I'd much prefer that Hal and Margie (my cousins) publish a recipe rather than a sauce. Fans will recall that in its last days Stern's did bottle sauce for sale. It wasn't close to the sauce we were all so fond of. I understand Hal's reluctance but I honestly believe the Sterns' legacy would be best served by that recipe no matter how difficult to prepare than by a bottled sauce that could never compare. Just my two cents. Reading all this I sure do miss my uncle Max. What a great guy he was.

The bottled table sauce was ordinary and nothing like their fresh sauce.
 
It would work frozen but what would you ever do with all of the briskets? It was all the trimmings that made it what it was... spectacular.
 
As a weekly customer (and sometimes more) of Stern's I can almost taste that sauce.  Just wish it was real.
 
In another thread I basically said there weren't any decent barbecue restaurants in California.
 
I must amend that statement and state that there was one...  The very missed Stern's Famous Barbecue in Culver City, California.

Stern's had a traditional red bbq sauce which they served on the table and in bottles to purchase for home use. It was ok, but just bbq sauce. The one everyone here longs for was served hot, and came in a cardboard container to take out. I cannot imagine any way it could be bottled, maybe frozen like and XLNT chili brick. I remember my grandmother having a big backyard bbq and sending grandpa to Stern's just for the sauce and beans. I was checking back here hoping for success, I guess the search for the Holy Grail of sauces is still on. I'm hungry just remembering the food there....

Exactly, 7echo.  The table sauce was ordinary.
 
You called it right... The Holy Grail of sauces.
 
Those that had in only once... would know.