As a Southern Californian I seldom get to sample “great barbecue” from a restaurant. This is a drawback when you are trying to learn how to cook great barbecue, as you have no “standard” to judge your results against. I had an opportunity to spend two days in Kansas City this week. My original plan was to eat at as many noteworthy “Q” places as possible. I was held back somewhat by the hours I had to work and by the fact that I was located out by the airport and most of the places I had on my list were located from downtown to south of town. My first goal was to eat at Arthur Bryant's. Time did not allow me to go to the downtown "shrine of barbecue" so I had to settle for the other location at the casino. The staff was friendly and I thought the prices were inexpensive to moderate. What to try, what to try, what to try? I had a half slab of ribs with french fries. The ribs were very good if somewhat fatty. They were well smoked and had a nice spice rub. To my surprise they were served "dry" with a choice of two sauces at the table. The french fries were greasy and not hot out of the cooker, as they should have been. The two sauces were both very good and distinctively different. After my ribs I felt compelled to try something else. My first choice would have been a pork sandwich but they had run out of pork. Instead I tried the burnt ends sandwich. I was surprised to be served chunks of meat rather than the shreds I end up with when I cook burnt ends. The meat was swamped with sauce and overall I thought it was a disappointment. I shouldn't be too critical however because after the ribs I was not really hungry and this may have colored my impressions. The only other stop I was able to fit in was Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue at their downtown location. This is "Q" gone fancy. Very pretty room, good service and a vast menu that includes much besides traditional "Q". I had a burnt ends appetizer that was excellent. Again chunks of flavorful beef in a really good sauce. The only false note was a few chunks of fat that had not been trimmed away. I followed this with a short-end rib plate. The ribs were fall off the bone tender, smoky and well spiced with an excellent rub. Again the only false note was the remaining fat at the riblet end of the ribs. The ribs were served with coleslaw (good but that's all) and two large onion rings (also good but that's all). This may not be the best barbecued ribs anywhere but it is the best barbecued ribs I have ever been served. I will have to get back to K.C. to sample some of the other items on this very impressive menu as well as about a dozen other “joints” on my list. This leads to a question: The question (for anyone of the K.C. persuasion) has to do with the burnt ends issue. Per Smoke & Spice, and per my limited personal experience, burnt ends should be cooked to the point of becoming shreds of twice cooked very tender, beef blackened on the ends and redolent of smoke. What’s with the chunks? Is there something I am missing here or are the chunks just a way to get more “burnt ends” out of a brisket? As always inquiring minds want to know. SBD
Kansas City, MO
Kansas City and the Pursuit of Great "Q"
NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 17:45:08 PDT Organization: Excite@Home - The Leader in Broadband http://home.com/faster Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu alt.food.barbecue:34071 I've always had burnt ends as chunks as you describe them. There are many great places in KC to eat. If I might offer a suggestion try to go to some grocery stores and buy some of the local sauces. Boardroom BBQ has some of the best smoked sausage I have ever eaten. I also like Winslow's in the Farmer's Market area. Jack Stack BBQ in Martin City is very good also. Haven't been to Arthur Bryant's. I have tried their sauce and wasn't fond of it. Too gritty for my taste. But I will still go their at least once sometime. Try this link for some opinions and reviews Gastronomical Appreciation Society (G.A.S.) http://www.johnco.cc.ks.us/~rmoehrin/gas.htm
NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 11:58:34 PDT Organization: Excite@Home - The Leader in Broadband http://home.com/faster Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu alt.food.barbecue:34194 Sbdenton wrote: > As a Southern Californian I seldom get to sample "great barbecue" from a > restaurant. This is a drawback when you are trying to learn how to cook > great barbecue, as you have no "standard" to judge your results against. > > I had an opportunity to spend two days in Kansas City this week. My > original plan was to eat at as many noteworthy "Q" places as possible. [snip] I am just back from a similar trip, though I merely drove in from Peoria. Got some great suggestions from this board before going. On the drive in we went a little out of our way to check out The Filling Station in Lee's Summit. It is an old Texaco station that remains fairly devoted to that theme. Tiny, it seats 34 if you count the tall "bar" tables and the two baby seats. No alcohol on the menu. My problem with ribs is that I always expect a religious experience, and those just don't happen very often. It didn't happen here, even though they got an awful lot of things right. The ribs were moist, meaty, and tender. Three sauces were offered: Regular, which was sweet and a bit like chutney, Premium, which had a nice bite to it, and High Test, in which the pepper flavor overwhelmed everything else. I like heat, but not when it is all by itself. Wound up buying a jar of the chutney. Fries were hot and crispy. Beans were also served hot, in a vinegar dominated base. Tasty. The only problem in all of this was that the ribs just weren't flavorful enough. All the ingredients were there, but without a sauce there wasn't enough of the smoke or rub flavor to make them really memorable. I'd happily eat there again, but I certainly wouldn't wear my church clothes. Arthur Bryant's is the KC Q shrine. Some on this BB suggested it might not be the best place to be after dark, but my wife and daughter were comfortable there. Of course, a pitcher of the local KC Boulevard Pale Ale didn't hurt matters at all. I guess you know you are white when the menu is smarter than you are. I found no choices resembling a "half slab and choice of sides." Near as I can tell, the choices are either carry out by the slab or pound, or a variety of "sandwiches" and sides to eat in. I ordered a short end "sandwich" which consisted of a little less than a half slab and one slice of white bread. My wife had the "burnt ends" and got the same thing Denton got, but she liked hers. Too much to eat. French fries of the unpeeled variety were served hot and greasy, and were very tasty while still hot. Someone said the sauce was an acquired taste. It was defintely one I did not acquire. The ribs had much more of the flavor I'd hoped for at The Filling Station. Had they been as lean and tender as those, I'd have camped happily indeed. I should not overstate the problem, but when you visit a shrine you expect religion. Not only did I not see God, I ddn't even see where they had a chair reservfed for Him. Still, these were very good ribs. Our last night in town found us with too much beer in the cooler, so we carried out a slab from Gates on Main, a truly plastic looking building. Rings, beans and slaw completed the meal, and all were excellent. The rings were dropped to order, and were still crisp and hot when I got them back to the hotel room. They weren't as good as those from White's Chicken in Saline, Michigan, but they came mighty close. The beans had a molasses sauce so thick you could almost chew it. Even the slaw, which I usually merely tolerate, was good. Even though the ribs came pre-sauced (maybe that is to be expected for carry out) they stood out as clearly the best of the trip. Lots of smoky flavor and a peppery rub. Parts of the slab were a bit dry, but so chewy (not tough, but chewy) and tasty that I wonder if maybe all ribs should be cooked that way. Small parts of the ribs were a bit gristly, but that was a small price to pay for the rest. A Marriott hotel room is not the place to expect a religious experience, but this meal came close. Had I never sampled the wares of the 17th Street Bar and Grill in Murphysboro, Illinois, I could easily have been persuaded that this is as good as it gets. Thanks to everyone for all the advice. Phil
NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 05:40:06 PDT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net X-Received-Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 05:38:43 PDT (newsmaster1.prod.itd.earthlink.net) Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu alt.food.barbecue:34247 I love AB's original sauce. Since leaving KC I but two or three bottles to take with me. we go to KC twice a year. I also stock up on Dorothy Lynch salad dressing and Sylvia's taco sauce. We winter in Texas and I have yet to find as good of a taco sauce as Sylvia's and I can't make a good mac salad without Dorothy Lynch. We also make two places a must hit to eat in KC. Bryant's and Funhouse Pizza on 350 hiway. Susan Sbdenton wrote: > > Phil A. wrote: > > > My problem with ribs is that I always expect a religious experience, and > >those just don't happen very often. It didn't happen here, even though > they > >got an awful lot of things right. > > Perhaps the problem with "non-religious" ribs (and other Q) experiences is > that we are all, including the people that run the commercial enterprises, > dealing with art and not science. > > Smoking is mostly variables and as such requires a lot of compromises if you > want to eat (or serve your food) on time and in the quantities required. > Compromises prevent "perfection" and repeatability, both of which are > required if you are going to provide paying (or even non-paying) guests with > a "religious experience". Clearly the odds are against finding "perfect Q", > even in KC. > > However, the search is far from drudgery. All the Q I ate on my recent trip > was good and it all was part of the experience of developing my own Q. My > only regret is that I was not able to visit another three or four places > while I was there. > > Incidentally, I appear to be one of the few people who actually like Authur > Bryant's original sauce. Go figure. > > SBD > > >