Burnt Ends #8

A Fictitious Film History page 2 Howard Hanna; Kansas City cuisine at the Crossroads page 6 Joe’s Game Day recipes page 10

‘Tis the season for 24 hour marathon showings of the classic holiday movie “A Christmas Story” on TBS, which is fine by us, because as far as we’re concerned there’s no such thing as too much fudge, Farkus, or fra-jee-lay.

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It is well known that the story of Ralphie and his family is set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, a fictionalized version of Hammond, Indiana, the hometown of Jean Shepherd, the film’s writer. It is less well-known that some of the scenes in the movie were actually shot here in Kansas City in the winter of 1981.

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Originally, instead of pink bunny pajamas, Ralphie received a gift of pink pig pajamas from his Aunt Clara, which was part of a barbecue-themed sub-plot that was eventually deemed too convoluted and was deleted from the movie.

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Though most of the Kansas City footage was eventually edited out, a few of the Kansas City scenes were included in the film’s final cut. For example, the scene in which Ralphie asks Santa Claus for a Red Ryder BB Gun was filmed at the Jones Store in downtown Kansas City. The actor playing the role of Santa Claus was not actually a professional actor at all, but was in fact beloved TV news anchorman Larry Moore, who was, at the time, considering a career move to the movie biz in protest over his TV station’s decision to cut its blow-dryer budget. “Kicking that kid down the slide was even more satisfying than winning an Emmy,” Moore later told The Kansas City Star.

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Related to the ultimately discarded barbecue storyline was a scene in which Darren McGavin’s character goes to Fritz’s at 103rd and State Line to pick up a smoked turkey for Christmas dinner. Though this scene was trimmed from the movie, the Fritz’s turkey played a major role in the final version of the film, much to the enjoyment of the Bumpus hounds.

Keen-eyed Kansas Citians will notice that the Chinese restaurant scene was filmed at Bo Ling’s on the Plaza.

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Perhaps the most famous scene in the film is the Triple Dog Dare You scene in which Ralphie’s friend, Flick, foolishly puts his tongue on the frozen flagpole. This was filmed in Brookside, in front of Southwest High School. Unfortunately, Scott Schwartz, the young actor who played Flick, had to have his tongue surgically removed by Kansas City paramedics in order to separate him from the freezing flagpole. Happily, the tongue was successfully reattached at Saint Luke’s Hospital and Mr. Schwartz’s resulting speech impediment is said to be barely noticeable.

Finally, who can forget the scene where Ralphie eagerly opens the package containing his Secret Society decoder pin, only to find that the decoded secret message was “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine”? However, as originally scripted, the message was “Be sure to eat your Wonder Bread” — an even crummier commercial.

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KANSAS CITY CU ISI N E AT T HE C R O S H OW ARD HANNA IS IN THE THICK OF

IT.

From his Rieger

Hotel Grill &

Exchange, at the corner of 20th & Main, the innovative chef and restaurateur is not only helping lead Photo courtesy of Pete Dulin

the renaissance of Kansas City’s food culture, but also its Arts District; the Crossroads. Hanna, 37, a native of Manhattan, Kansas, wasn’t the first of Kansas City’s new wave of bold, smart, highly-skilled new chefs shaking up our restaurant scene, nor was he the first restaurateur to locate in the Crossroads, but he has elevated Crossroads cuisine to new heights of excellence, and has, in the process, brought even more attention to the Arts District. Howard spoke with us recently about the Rieger, the Crossroads, and his sources of inspiration.

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“There is nowhere else in Kansas City where I would rather be than the Crossroads” says Hanna. “This neighborhood has such a rich history, with beautiful old buildings, and one of the most vibrant art scenes in any midsized city in the country. Just in the last few months we’ve added Affaire, The Jacobson, Frank’s, and Anton’s to the culinary landscape — all within a few blocks of here. We have great bars, galleries, coffee shops and all types of restaurants within a short walk of our location, as well as the Sprint Center and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. This is the most happening part of the metro right now. I knew when we opened that I was going to have to be at the top of my game to be able to hang with what my neighbors are doing. There’s James Beard Award winning chef Michael Smith at the end of my block, and internationally known restaurateurs Peter Grunauer and Lidia Bastianich just a block in the other direction.

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“But we have more than just fine dining restaurants here in the Crossroads.

There is a strong and emerging food culture in this region. We have great farmers and ranchers, and more and more people are trying to connect with them and learn about where their food comes from. We have bakers, butchers, chocolatiers, brewers, cheese makers, wine makers, and of course pitmasters who are all pushing to make excellent, authentic, Midwestern food. In the ten years that I've been cooking in KC we've seen a boom in farmers’ markets, food trucks, urban farms, supper clubs, farm dinners, food writing, food photography, pop up restaurants, wine stores, craft cocktails, and many other related phenomena that are evidence of our burgeoning food culture.

“Barbecue is the richest and most unique part of Kansas City’s food culture.

It is something that we do differently and better than anyone in the world, and we are rightly famous for it. The blending of styles, cultures and traditions that go into Kansas City barbecue couldn't have happened anywhere else. Barbecue is the true American regional cuisine, and I love being at the very center of it. When any of my chef friends have out of town friends here, we don't take them out to fancy fine-dining places, we take them out for barbecue. I think a unique challenge for chefs like me is to learn how to embrace and learn from our barbecue traditions without turning our places into barbecue restaurants. At the Rieger we are exploring the use of smoke in everything from butter to whiskey with great results and in the last six months we have put two actual barbecue dishes on the menu.

Both are unique meats — first rabbit, now goat — so we’re not competing directly with places like Oklahoma Joe's (which would not end well for us.), but instead we’re trying to put our own unique touches on a dish while still keeping it pretty straight forward barbecue. It's something that we are evolving into, and I'm excited about it. We're at the beginning of the journey.”

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THE RIEGER PORK SOUP I created the base for this soup for a pork-centric competition called Cochon 555, which travels the country giving whole pigs to local chefs and turning them loose with them. I wanted to do a really simple, but delicious, pork soup by just making an amazing pork stock, reducing it down a bit, and enriching it with some trotters. For another dish I made some pork confit and I had several heads of garlic that I had cooked with the confit left over. I decided to puree them into my pork broth and call it “Pork and Garlic Soup”. I garnished it with nettle pesto and it was really deep and satisfying.

While I was still just dreaming of opening the Rieger, I amassed some small wares and other restaurant equipment that I picked up here and there on sale, that I thought would come in handy someday. One such item was a set of footed lions’ head bowls that the French use for onion soup. When I was writing our opening menu, I knew I wanted to use them, but I didn’t want to do an onion soup since there were other local independent restaurants here that make awesome versions of onion soup. So my mind went back to the pork and garlic soup. But with French onion soup in mind, I decided to add shredded up pork confit which would mimic the traditional onions, and to float a crispy pork skin on top in lieu of a crouton to hold up the oozy, melted Gruyere. Thus the Rieger Pork Soup was born.

While it is extremely rich and hearty, the bitters and the vinegar balance it out and cut the fat, and the Gruyere smoothes it all out. It was a smash hit the first winter we opened, but I thought I might take it off the menu in the spring. But now we’ve been through two long hot summers, and the sales haven’t slowed and people continue to rave about it when they come in. It really has become one of our signature dishes and it will definitely stay on the menu. I hope you like it as much as we do!

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— Howard Hanna

Executive Chef, Owner The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange

Ingredients

rk stock* 2 qt. rich po shredded** rk shoulder, po d se ai br p 1 cu 15 whole garlic (about 1 cup roasted d with a fork heads), smashe vinegar 1/2 cup sherry tters Angostura bi 1/2 tablespoon to taste Kosher salt, , to taste black pepper nd ou gr y hl Fres es*** 8 chicharron ed e cheese, grat ounces gruyer 8

chopped esh parsley, fr s on po es bl 2 ta -----------------

g the pork to 400F. Brin en ov t ea eh Pr sized, il in a medium stock to a bo over high ed stock pot heavy bottom and add heat to medium heat. Reduce oroughly rlic. Whisk th the roasted ga to taste e, then season at or rp co in to d pork, er. Add braise pp pe d an lt with sa s, and whisk and the bitter the vinegar the pork. up and mix in k ea br to n agai s to allow r ten minute Let simmer fo taste mingle, then the flavors to g as needed. just seasonin again and ad 8 soup ur soup into To finish, po king sheet. eet pan or ba bowls, on a sh each icharron into ch e on up k Brea and place the Gruyere, bowl, top with . Cook for into the oven n pa t ee sh e th e cheese or so until th five minutes brown. d starting to is bubbly an parsley, oven, top with Remove from and serve.

NO TE S *At the Rieger, we use pork bone s and pork trim from other preparations along with carrots, onions, celer y and herbs to make a nice stock for the base of this soup. We also add in some pigs’ feet, or trotters, which give a rich, gelatinous mouth feel and a grea t body to the stock. If this isn’t possible at home, just use chicken stock to brai se the pork shoulder and then use that stock for the soup and you will still have a great result. **On our menu, we call the meat in this soup “pork confit”, and it is actu ally pork shoulder that we cook sous vide with aromatics and a good dollo p of lard sealed in a vacuum pouch. We poach it in a water bath at 185 degr ees (just below a simmer) for twelve hours and it becomes incredibly juicy and tender. At home, you can simply use braised pork shoulder that has been cooked until it is fall-off-the-bone tender, and shred that up for the soup.

Leftover carnitas or even smoked pork shoulder will also work well. ***We use whole animals at the Rieger, we like to make our own chicharr ones with pork skins. To do this we boil pork skin in salted water for an hour and a half, cool it completely, carefully scrape every bit of fat from it, and then dry it in a dehydrator overnight. At that point it is brittle and glassy and can be stored for weeks. Before service, we break off a few pieces of the dried skin and fry them in the fryer, whe re they puff up magically, turn a beau tiful clean white color, and become light , airy and amazingly crispy. As an alternative, you can buy chicharr ones at your local Mexican market or at a lot of convenience stores or superma rkets.

Just look for the chicharrones with the least artificial ingredients because we just want them for the texture, not 9 for a lot of chili/lime or other flavors.

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Joe’s game day snacks W E F I R M LY B E L I E V E T H A T O K L A H O M A J O E ’ S B A R B E C U E tastes best when it’s served fresh in one of our three restaurants. But we admit, it also tastes great at home in your kitchen or dining room. Or even in front of the TV, especially when watching football or basketball, the season for which is upon us.

We asked our top kitchen dude, Jeremy Tawney, to put together some recipes for game day, using Oklahoma Joe’s barbecue as the main ingredient. We think you’ll agree, these snacks are game changers.

Pigskins (These bacon-wrapped beauties are great for football-themed parties) 2 pounds bacon (par cooked still flimsy and cut in half)

Smoked Pork Quesadillas

1 pound each Oklahoma Joe’s Smoked Chicken (cubed), Sliced Sausage, and Burnt Ends

1 pound of Oklahoma Joe’s Smoked Pork

1 pound smoked provolone cheese (cubed) 6 – 8 pickled jalapeno peppers (sliced)

1 fresh red bell pepper, sliced 1 fresh green pepper, sliced 1 fresh yellow pepper, sliced 1 red onion, sliced 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 teaspoon cumin Salt & pepper to taste 2 – 3 cups of shredded cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar, or pepper jack) 24 flour tortillas In a hot sauté pan add one tablespoon of oil and sauté the peppers and onions with the garlic. Once the peppers and onions start to get aromatic gently break up the Smoked Pulled Pork into the pan. You may need to add a little water to help steam the pork and keep it from drying out. Season the peppers and pork with cumin, salt, and pepper. Once the pork and peppers are hot remove from heat. On a sheet pan with parchment paper, lay out the flour tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the tortilla and place the pork and pepper mixture on half. Fold the tortilla in half and place in a pan standing upright. Repeat the process till desired amount of quesadillas are made.

Pre- heat a non stick pan over a medium to low flame. Place two to three quesadillas in the pan and brown the tortilla approximately 10-15 seconds then flip and repeat the process. Place in a pan and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve with your favorite salsa, sour cream or pico de gallo (see recipe on next page).

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Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet pan place the half pieces of bacon and bake to the half way point. This should take about 15 – 20 minutes; the bacon should be partially cooked and flimsy. Once the bacon has cooled take a half slice wrap it around one piece of meat, one cheese cube, and one jalapeno slice. Then take a second piece of bacon and wrap the opposite way tightly so that the meat, cheese and jalapeno are secured in the middle. Skewer the bacon bite on wooden skewers alternating between the different meats. Once all the meat has been wrapped and skewered pre-heat fryer or pan with grease. Cook the skewers until bacon is crispy and the insides are melted and delicious. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ Sauce, BBQ Mayo, Ranch, or just by themselves.

Pico de Gallo 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, and diced 1 jalapeno, diced 2 tomatoes, diced ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1 lime, juiced 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon cumin 2 tablespoon white vinegar For best results the pico de gallo should marinate for 12 to 24 hours.

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Smoked Chicken & Tortilla Soup

Gorditas

8 carrots, diced

Filling:

5 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

5 stalks celery, diced

4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

3 carrots, diced

2 jalapeno peppers, sliced

½ red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

4 tablespoons butter

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

½ cup chicken or pork stock

1 green bell pepper, sliced ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 pound Oklahoma Joe’s Smoked Pork or Oklahoma Joe’s Smoked Chicken (skinned and de-boned)

3 quarts chicken stock

1 tablespoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon cumin ¼ teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon cumin 2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 Oklahoma Joe’s smoked half-chickens, skinned and de-boned 6-12 corn tortillas; yellow, white, red, and blue In a medium stock pot over medium heat sweat the carrots, celery, and onions. Stir the vegetable mixture (mire poix) every few minutes and cook until carrots are tender. Add the three quarts of chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil. In a separate sauté pan start the garlic, onions and mixed peppers on medium to high heat. Cook the peppers and onion until they are tender then add the de-boned chicken. You may need to add a little water to help stem the peppers and meat. The reason for cooking the peppers and onions separate from the broth of the soup is so the color doesn’t fade. This will give you a soup that looks fresh and tastes great. Once the peppers, onions, and chicken are hot and ready to add to the soup remove from the heat and combine with the broth. Season the soup with fresh cilantro, cayenne pepper, cumin, and salt.

When serving this soup take several corn tortillas (any color will work, but multiple colors will make the dish stand out) and cut into thin strips. Then fry the strips in hot oil until they are crisp. Remove the tortilla strips and let dry on paper towels to remove excess grease. Dish the soup into bowls, and top the soup with the tortilla crisps. Garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro and a tablespoon of pico de gallo (see recipe on previous page).

In a medium sauce pot sweat carrots, celery, onion, and garlic with butter. Add the chicken or pork stock and let simmer until carrots are soft and tender. Remove from the heat and let cool until it reaches room temperature. Place the vegetable mixture (mire poix) into a food processer with the pulled chicken or pork. Puree until the meat and vegetables become a minced paste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Dough: 2 cup masa corn flour 1 ½ cup warm water or chicken stock 2 tablespoons lard (optional) 2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Place flour and seasoning into a mixing bowl. Slowly add the water and mix until smooth dough is formed. The dough should be firm but pliable and should not stick to your hand.

The dough must have enough moisture so the cakes don’t crumble or fall apart. Once the dough is mixed wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This will force the dough to bind together. Before use, remove the dough and bring to room temperature. This will make the dough easier to use.

Take a 1-2 oz ball of dough and flatten with your hand. Place a ½ ounce portion of the gordita filling into the center of the flatten dough. Fold the edges up and over the stuffing, covering the filling. Then gently press the cake down patting the edges and sides until you have a perfect round and flat disk. Place the gorditas on a sheet tray with parchment paper and continue process until all the dough and filling are used. The filling and the dough will last for several days if wrapped air tight. In a large sauté pan, flat top griddle, or electric skillet heat a little oil. Use just enough oil to cover the bottom and cook over medium high heat. Place the gorditas in the hot oil and cook on each side until golden brown. Depending on temperature of the oil this should only take a minute or two per side. Once they are golden brown remove the gorditas and place on a sheet tray with paper towels to remove excess oil. Top the gorditas with pickled cabbage, pico de gallo, salsa, or guacamole.

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Someone's in the Kitchen

Meet Nicole and Greg Vette

Oklahoma Joe’s is a family business in more ways than one. Not only are we family-owned and operated, but, as we’ve mentioned before, there are lots of family connections among our employees; husband and wife Greg and Nicole Vette being prime examples.

Greg, 30, a front line manager at our original location at 47th & Mission, has worked at Oklahoma Joe’s since he was a kid of seventeen. Nicole, 32, a front line supervisor and a catering assistant, has worked at the same location for more than ten years. They met each other through mutual friends who also happened to worked at Oklahoma Joe’s. Maybe it was the artful way Greg built a Z-Man, or the melodious way Nicole shouted “One fry! Two all day!” that attracted them to one another, because soon they fell in love and were married.

Greg and Nicole are the proud parents of six-year old Daniel andtwo-anda-half- year old Elly. And when they’re not on the line making barbecue sandwiches, they enjoy taking Daniel and Elly swimming and fishing.

“Working here gives me a real sense of pride and accomplishment,” says Greg. “We have high standards and high expectations. But it’s really satisfying when we achieve those. It takes a lot of teamwork to make a quality product and deliver quality service.”

“The thing I like best about Oklahoma Joe’s is the family atmosphere,” says Nicole. “Family is important here.”

Which brings us full circle. Back to being a family business.

Interested in working at Oklahoma Joe’s? Drop us a line at jobs@oklahomajoesbbq.com and tell us a bit about yourself. We’ll get back to you.

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BBQ & A Dave Baldin is not going to win any Grand Championships for his brisket or ribs any time soon, but his importance in the world of competition barbecue is very likely going to grow in the years ahead. Baldin is the founder of and driving force behind WiredBBQ.com, a popular new website that creates and webcasts videos of barbecue contests in the Kansas City area and across the country.

Baldin, 51, grew up in Columbus Park in downtown Kansas City, graduating from Northeast High School, then enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. Ultimately, he found his way back to Kansas City, where he now works as a news video editor for KCTV5.

Burnt Ends: What got you interested in barbecue generally, and filming barbecue events, specifically?

DAVE BALDIN: While taking media classes and working as an assistant at UMKC in the year 2000, the concept of live webcasting became our focus.

I was assigned to cover jazz and barbecue. I started shooting as much footage possible for our stories. The jazz was easy, I knew a lot of musicians throughout Kansas City. The barbecue was something I had to investigate further, and found that a lot of people around me were quite good at it, and there was an actual culture of folks involved. So I went to the American Royal BBQ in 2000. The stories I heard these folks tell were simply amazing, and I felt cheated that I hadn't known about it before. I started going to more competitions as I learned of them. The rest is history.

BE: What are some of the stranger or funnier things you’ve witnessed while out there filming in Barbecue World?

DB: Well, I've seen smokers burst into flames, and turned the camera away because you just feel bad for the person. I was almost assaulted for carrying a camera at a contest in Paola. Good thing Marc Grieco was there to keep the guy from throwing a punch. Having said that, the one thing I witness day in and day out at every contest, is the genuine welcome that I receive from the barbecue community. I can't say enough about how receptive everyone has been to what I am doing, and how much fun it is to do.

Check out www.wiredbbq.com to see some of Dave’s barbecue videos.

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— OKLAHOMA JOE'S BBQ 3 LOCATIONS — Original “Gas Station” Location 3002 West 47th Ave. Kansas City, Kansas 66103 913-722-3366

Olathe 11950 S.Strang Line Road Olathe, Kansas 66062 913-782-6858

Leawood 11723 Roe Avenue Leawood, Kansas 66211 (913) 338-5151

WWW.OKLAHOMAJOESBBQ.COM Be our Facebook friend and fan Follow us on Twitter @OklahomaJoesBBQ

Jeff and Joy Stehney, Owners & Proprietors Steve Querrey and Ryan Barrows Directors of Operations

BURNT ENDS was written and edited by Doug Worgul, Oklahoma Joe’s Writer-in-Residence, www.dougworgul.com, and designed by Craig Bissell, who happens to be the last human being on the face of the earth without a website.