Kansas City Still Barbecue Capital

 Kansas City is synonymous with barbecue. People have come from all over the world just to get a bite of tender smoked and sauce ribs and other meats. Is it still the capital? Yes! It's growing thanks to inclusivity and ethnic influence.

New contributor , Jed Portman, a major contributor of Serious Eats, wrote about tthis in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday's Food section. Kanasa City has a reputation for having a barbecue that is drenched in sauce as opposed to the more preferred  and more sophisticated Texas style barbecue.The city's heartland barbecue with it's wide variety of meats and thick sauce may feel too approachable to be considered cool Barbecue slathered in sauce doesn't fit the "Texas craft aesthetic" according to Robert Moss, the South Carolina based author of Barbecue: The Hisotry Of the American Institution.It's one of the great American barbecue styles and people have moved away from it. Yet all is not lost. More American prefer the large variety  of smoked meats that the city has to offer.It's a style that involves cooking inexpensive cuts of meat low and slow.Kansas City had one of the largest stockyards in the country .Brisket was almost handed to cooks .A Kansas City specialty - burnt ends , the ends of brisket, was given to peoples. It too is  drowned in sauce.

Kansas City has good barbecue joints that are noteworthy. There is Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que that has been lauded by former president Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain. Cheif stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are big fans of the restaurant which has three locations.Owners Jeff and Joy Steffney  felt the barbecue scene was stagnant, especially in the Seventies and Eighties. They brought a competition exactitude to such age old techniques that involved meat sauce , rub and coals., foreshadowing the rise of craft barbecue in Texas in the 2000s.Kansas City barbecue also has ethnic influences too. There are racks of baby back ribs seasoned with jerky seasoning from Lampang. Thailand. Barbecoa, a Mexican barbecue joint has smoked chicken with echeberra while the South Indian eatery Of COurse serves burnt ends with cardomiHome Chefs can also replicate the recipes at home. Mr. Portman gives recipes for sweet chile baby back ribs and burnt ends..

Kansas City will always be the capital of good barbecue. People will go to it and enjoy all sorts of smoked meats. It;s what the city is known for,

A Good Rub

Mostly everyone has spent the last two or three months grilling meats.They also have been soaking those cuts and chops in marinades,thinking that they've doing the meat a favor. They aren't The best treatment for any cut is a good dry or semi dry rub. This is what brings out the flavor of the meat, whether it be beef, poultry  fish or lamb.

It was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section., The piece cowritten by Dining's latest regulars, John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger tells of the minuses of marinades and the pluses of a dry rub. A rub is infinitely better. It brings out the flavor of the meat better along with letting the rub's melange of flavors shine through.A marinade simply doesn't do this .It imparts a kind of washed out flavor. You may taste some of what's left over but it won;t be the robust zing as with the other . The two writers/chefs recommend adding the rub after the grilling for a better , sharper more focused taste

Both Mr. Willoughby and Mr. Schelsinger give very good recipes for meats and even vegetables.They use both traditional and nontraditional ingredients. Baby back ribs have a rub composed of dry roasted peanuts along with chili powder. It is actually a semi dry because again the unconventional orange juice and traditional hoisin sauce are also included into the mix. There is a chicken with a deconstructed pesto where the chicken is grilled first then tossed They also offer a simple lamb kebab with traditional Greek flavorings. What is different is the added twist of tomatoes with a simple salt and pepper rub and then a  toss into curry and minced golden raisins after a yogurt bath.

Put away those marinades. Think rubs, especially a rub after the meat's already been grilled. It means a tastier barbecue and a more flavorful and memorable taste

Easy Sunday Grilling

There’s nothing like barbecue on the weekend, especially on a lazy Sunday. The problem is that a full fledged picnic does take a lot of work. There are marinades to be mixed up along with salads to be tossed. Dessert also figures into this because there’s nothing like ending any meal, indoor or out with sweet ending.

  Luckily there are short cuts to make even the best summer Sunday meal easy. One of the first things to cut back on is the marinade along with the rubs. Sometimes just the most basic ingredients work the best. Try an olive oil one with white wine vinegar or lemon juice. Toss in some rosemary and oregano - and that’s it. An easy marinade that could work well with beef chicken or even lamb, If you want to just try a rub then use this one made from brown sugar cayenne and black pepper along with sea salt. Iit provides , sweet heat and bite . For meats think simple steaks or chicken breasts or a rack of ribs. Forget the more elaborate potato and macaroni salads. Stick to a mayo free slaw made with only oil and lemon juice spiced up with red and white peppercorns .Better yet try a pepper and carrot salad that easy to chop up and easy to serve with any favorite dressing.

  How to end that simple Sunday meal? With a simple slice of watermelon. This is the easiest and most refreshing dessert, All you need is a napkin to wipe up afterwards. You could also serve a bowl of chilled nectarines, plums and peaches .this is not only a delicious but tasty end . For a more elegant spin, cut them up and let them soak in a red wine and sugar bath one half hour before eating. For the kids let them make their own ice cream sandwiches using any store bought cookie and any flavor of ice cream.

   A summer Sunday barbecue doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be as simple with basic ingredients . Keep it easy for a great meal that requires little effort but big taste

SuperBowl Battle Wings Vs Ribs

 There's a big battle that will be brewing this Super Bowl Sunday. No, it won't be Giants beating up Patriots fans or vice  versa. It's wing lovers against rib affectionados. These two football game staples always cause controversy over which is better and which is THE dish to serve.

Both wings and ribs are tasty. They're greasy (if cooked wrong), salty, spicy and  flavorful. Yet which one is better? Calories wise wings are a tad less  healthier for you. One wing is only 94 calories however most people will devour at least twenty or thirty which means close to two thousand calories. A rack of baby ribs are 250 calories however most big eaters will crunch through three or four racks by the time the fourth quarter comes. However the chicken does come with the healthy benefit of celery sticks (albeit they're dripping with ranch dressing).

What about flavor? Chicken wings can be made with a host of different sauces and marinades. The Wing Zone,a fast food joint specializing in them offers at least twelve different coatings , ranging from the  very mild to the very hot.Ribs also can have a plethora of flavors  and also can be either dry rubbed or marinaded.Unlike wings which only comes in chicken (although I'm sure there are turkey ones waiting to be discovered), they can be from  beef or pork cuts . There is the fat factor as well and there is more mess with ribs  than with chicken wings.

What will you have on Super Bowl Sunday. Wings or ribs?Or will you be diplomatic and enjoy both?

A Good Rub

A good rub is essential to any pork or beef rib. I brings out the flavor of th e meat along with imparting a crunchy , crisp coating. A rub also holds in the juices, making the meat moist and melt in your mouth yummy.You can buy rubs or better yet make your own. They're easy to create and store.

One of the best recipes is the Kansas City rub. This town knows ribs ; it lives by them so what the local chefs put on them has to be special . Their rub recipe is a blend of spicy and sweet.It's a mix of paprika , and brown sugar with chili and cayenne thown in for added heat. Onion powder along with garlic is also mixed in for extra flavor. Memphis, another town , known for its' excellent ribs has its' own variety of rub . It employs dried mustard and basil along with the requisite garlic and onion powders for zest and zing. Chicago,a city known both for its' amazing food and meats also has a rub recipe. Theirs is simliar to the other two but also has parsley added for a different, earthier flavor.

The Caribbean islands are known for their rubs too. These can be put on everything from chicken wings to even turkey, from steaks to ribs. A popular one is made with granulated garlic along with brown sugar and a different herb this time - thyme. It also has chili powder and sea salt for added crunch and extra taste.One island, Jamaica, is really the king of rubs. The island produces so many recipes, it's hard to choose which one is the best. Jerk a spicy dish and one of the most popular starts off with a rub that includes white sugar, and native spices such as cinnamon,. cloves and allspice. Of course there is chili powder and garlic to give it heat. Remember that most rubs last up to four to six months in storage. You can make them now and use them even in the Spring. They'll still be good.

Add a good homemade rub to your next batch of ribs for some fire and crunch. It'll turn ordinary ones into a special meal. Make any recipe or create your own for a unique flavor!

Spicing Up The Summer

Even though it's hot out , there nothing wrong with spicing up your summer cooking. There's a variety of ways to go , whether with curry or cinnamon, cardamon or nutmeg. They add a small blastof heat and flavor, giving even the most ordinary foods an exotic flavor. There are many spices to choose form.It just dpeends on what you want and the taste you're looking for.



Spices are used for rubs during the wamrer weather. This makes any grilled meat not only tastier but better looking too. The spice of choice for this is usually paprika. it gives it a peppery zest while tinging the meat a nice orange color. Cumin is another good spice used mostly in Indian cooking and mixed with cinnamon and cardamon.This is good if you;re making any kind of kabob or outdoor curry. marjoram and oregano, herbs considered to be spices, are good in a lemon marinade.



Spices can be used at the end of a meal too. There are many summertime desserts that can do with some flavor enhancement. Add some ground cinnamon or nutmeg to plain vanilla ice cream for a different spin. Another is to sprinkle some on berries such as blueberries or blackberries for a more exotic taste. Spiced apples in whipped cream is another interesting sweet.

Don't be afraid to heat up your meals and desserts this summer. Use spices to bring in a more lively flavor. it's the hot that welcomed.

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