This installment of the infrequent Wannabe Foodie blog
includes a review of LC’s Barbeque in Kansas City, a sticky situation, a rant about fancy barbeque
restaurants, and a fried chicken epiphany.
Restaurant Review – LC’s in Kansas City, Missouri
But first, an admission by the WF, or is it a rant….? I have an inherent distrust of fancy barbeque
places.
There. I said it.
In my ever so humble opinion, the best barbeque in the world
comes from nondescript restaurants (usually they’re more shack than
restaurant). These shacks often share
some characteristics.
There is a large pit behind the counter that looks like it’s
been there longer than you’ve been alive, with smoke stains so thick they have
a texture. There’s a least one large
pitmaster (who can trust a skinny pitmaster?!), who is more often than not
surly unless you respectfully speak the language of barbeque. The windows are stained from years of smoke,
and the menu is on a board on the wall.
This menu usually consists of various meat platters, some
sides, and maybe, just maybe, some sandwiches and a dessert or two. All meats are served with sliced white
bread.
“Do you have any organic whole grain wheat bread?” Uh, no. You need to get back in your Prius
and leave.
Generally, if you walk into a barbeque restaurant and
there’s a hostess with actual menus, cloth napkins (egad), general cleanliness
throughout the restaurant, and no hint of smoke in the air, just walk out
unless you know for sure this restaurant is an exception. Trust me.
You’ll thank me.
These exceptions include places such as Chicago Q and Q39 in
Kansas City. These restaurants are unicorns
in the barbeque world. Fancy looking
places that probably get “A’s” from the health department, have friendly and
helpful staff, and copious amounts of hipsters and moustaches, yet still serve
consistently legit barbeque.
Don’t be fooled. These
are unicorns.
Which brings us to LC’s in Kansas City. LC’s is one of the
‘old school’ barbeque joints in KC, along with Arthur Bryant’s, Gates,
etc. It’s been around.
When you drive up, you see smoke billowing out of the roof
and are engulfed in its luscious aroma as soon you get out of your car. I like this place already.
The outside of LC’s looks more like a convenience store in
the hood than a place that serves food.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think you have a better chance of
getting a 40 in a 1# bag than wonderful barbeque.
If you don’t know what a 40 or a 1# bag is, you should
probably stick to fancier restaurants with hostesses and food safety standards.
Do not be fooled by the outside appearance, though. As soon as you walk in, you see them opening
this beauty to serve customers.
Look at that thing.
Filled to the brim with a veritable cornucopia of smoked meats. Hold me… Just hold me…..
Massive sandwich with brisket and pulled pork? Don’t mind if I do. Also, I’m feeling a little peckish, so
throw in a small rack of ribs too.
I didn’t want to go hungry!
It was in the interests of science…. It’s for the kids! Whatever.
I just wanted to try them.
The review? Heavy
mesquite smoke flavor and a wonderful slightly sweet and piquant sauce which
offsets the smoke flavor. I’m not a big
sauce fan, but this was a good one for this barbeque. The ribs were somewhat overcooked (more fall
off the bone tender than bite away tender), but that’s ok. Not everyone likes the ‘bite away tender’
preferred by barbeque competitions.
Truly great barbeque and the perfect setting for barbeque.
But wait…. How could I forget the floor?! S, my friend who shepherded me through my
first LC’s experience, had previously told me that the floor was often slippery
and/or sticky. Presumably this is from
barbeque dropping on the floor, or something like that.
As I sat there delirious from my smoked meat with a wad of
brisket in one hand and a rib in the other like a fat kid at a church potluck (wait… that was me!), I felt my left foot stick as I moved it along the floor,
and then suddenly free when I hit a patch of cleaner floor.
Did this bother me?
Not at all. Should it? Perhaps.
Did I miss a beat of shoving this deliciousness in my face hole? Not a single one.
It’s all part of the ambiance…..
LC’s is solid barbeque that should not be missed if you’re
in KC.
What am I cooking?
Both readers of this blog may recall that I have a fried
chicken issue. There are few things that
I love more than great fried chicken. Let’s
put it this way. If I had to choose between
fried chicken and barbeque, I’m not sure which I choose.
Let’s hope that day never comes.
Recently I read about Nashville-style hot fried
chicken. The recipe I saw called for a
pickle juice brine with fresh habaneros and had a method for getting the
perfect crust (more on that below). You serve the chicken with pickle chips on
top of each piece of chicken.
I swear I heard angels singing when I read this recipe. Where has this been all of my life?! How does a proper redneck not know of this?!
Here’s the basic recipe: Nashville Hot Fried Chicken
The key to the uber crispy crust? After you rinse off the brine, pat the
chicken down, put it on a rack, and put it back in the refrigerator for an
hour. You’re drying the outside during
this process. Dredge it in the seasoned
flour, and put it back on the rack for another hour. Repeat.
Let the chicken sit out for a bit before you fry it. The result is perfect crust.
Short of Gus’s Fried Chicken in Memphis, this is the best
fried chicken I’ve ever had or made.
Give it a try. You may like it,
you will see.
Unless you don’t like fried chicken, in which case I can’t
help you.
Happy cooking.
