MISSOURI STATE SYMBOLS   STATE RIB CITY   Dexter

 

Originally proposed in 2026 as HB1651 by Rep. Steve Jordan, who represents District 151 including Dexter, this state symbol was added to the omnibus bills SB1544 and HB2576 after HB1651 failed to receive a floor vote. Both omnibus bills passed, making this a doubly-approved state statue.

Dexter is a small town in Stoddard County (southeast Missouri) with a population of approximately 8,000. Its connections to barbecued ribs goes back to at least 1949 with the opening of its first rib-themed restaurant. According to a 2023 Southeast Missourian article, each of the four main restaurants offers a different style sauce, which is key to why so many similar restaurants can coexist. Moreover, one restaurant reportedly has a helicopter pad frequented by St. Louisans and others, “flying in to eat barbecue, or those who want to grab it to-go.” Dexter Municipal Airport deliveries are also available.

Dexter’s Commerce Executive Director Alisha Trammell stated in 2023, “That’s how people know us. A lot of times when I travel…and say I’m from Dexter, [people say,] ‘Oh my, you all have the best barbecue.’ I get it almost every time.” In his 2026 House testimony for HB1651, Dexter City Administrator David Wyman wrote that St. Louis Cardinals announcer Jack Buck would talk about eating spareribs at a restaurant in Dexter.

Wyman stated that Dexter hosts the Rib City Shootout basketball tournament, a featured event of the Rib City Classic for high school volleyball and basketball players, indicating the designation “Rib City” has been used locally for some time. (The Shootout tournaments began in 2010 and the Rib City Classic dates back to at least 2002.) Finally, the local Parks and Recreation Department hosts the annual Grille It Up! event showcasing a car show (grilles) and a barbecue cooking contest (grills).

 

---

---

Revised Statutes of Missouri (RSMo)

§10.282. City of Dexter, official rib city. – The city of Dexter is selected for and shall be known as the official "Rib City" for the state of Missouri. (L. 2026 H.B. 2576 merged with S.B. 1544)

approved 13 July 2026
effective 28 August 2026

 

---

---

Photo Gallery:

Click on an image below to enlarge and read a caption. This will open a new window in the Missouri State Symbols Flickr album.

 

---

---

Additional Resources:

City of Dexter’s Rib City website.

Jones, Jasmine. "Rib City: How Dexter Became Missouri's Barbecue Capital," Southeast Missourian (Cape Girardeau, MO). 13 September 2023.

Marcano, Nyah. “Bill Proposes Declaring Small Town the ‘Rib City’ of Missouri,” Fox 2 St. Louis. 11 December 2025.

Rib City Shootout website

Witness Appearance Form, HB1651 (2026). Missouri House of Representatives. 27 January 2026.

 

Back to State Symbols Main Page