Burnt Ends #4 by Doug Worgul

The Delta

IF YOU COULD TASTE THE BLUES They’d taste like barbecue. Illustrations by Sam Cangelosi

Barbecue and the blues are branches of the same tree, tributaries of the same river, brothers of the same mother. Born of African slaves in the American South, the blues and barbecue originated as practical solutions to everyday problems. When all you’ve got is heartache and despair, you make a song out of it, and somehow you can not only bear the pain, you can transcend it. When all you’ve got is a tough ol’ piece of meat, you cook it low and slow, and somehow you get something better than edible, you get something sublime. America’s various regional blues traditions can be defined by roughly the same geographic boundaries as the nation’s distinct barbecue regions, which is surely no coincidence. Let’s explore.

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The Mississippi Delta stretches from Memphis in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the south, from the Yazoo River on the east to the Mississippi River on the west. This fertile bottomland gave rise to the Delta Blues; the earliest, most primitive, blues form. Delta Blues emphasize solo performances over ensemble work. Its primary instruments are acoustic guitar, slide steel guitar and harmonica. Its style is passionate, intimate, introspective, confessional, often haunting, and sometimes humorous. Delta Blues giants include Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Son House. In Memphis, B.B. King rules. The primary barbecue tradition in the Delta is Memphis-style ribs — wet or dry. Dry ribs are rubbed with seasonings, cooked over hardwood coals, then dusted with more dry rub just before serving. Wet ribs are rubbed with seasonings, cooked over hardwood coals, then mopped with sauce just before serving. The debate among locals over which style is best is also passionate and humorous. GO HERE: Legend has it that bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads where Highway 49 intersects with Route 61. This also happens to be the presentday location of the legendary Abe’s BBQ, at 616 State St., Clarksdale, MS. They make sinfully good barbecue. www.abesbbq.com. 3 4

The Piedmont

Texas

The Piedmont region of the United States is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Coastal Plain and on the west by the eastern face of Appalachian Mountain Range; stretching from New Jersey in the north, extending through the Carolinas, to central Alabama in the south.

If Kansas City put a jump in the blues, then Texas put a swing in them. Texas Blues are rooted in the Lone Star State’s plenitude of early Twentieth Century juke-joints and roadhouses. They evolved from both country blues traditions and the regional swing bands of the Twenties and Thirties. After World War II, Texas Blues electrified themselves, and a lead guitar-driven style emerged, featuring jazz-influenced, improvised, single-string solos which are at least as important, if not more so, in performances and recordings than are vocals.

Piedmont Blues are characterized by a syncopated fingerpicking style in which the melody is played on the treble strings while an alternating thumb pattern plucks out the bass line. Piedmont Blues are mostly performed on acoustic guitar. BLUE NOTE: Piedmont Blues artists include Robert “BBQ Bob” Hicks, Blind Willie McTell, Rev. Gary Davis, and Josh White. The Carolinas are the birthplace of American barbecue and it’s all pig, all the time. Eastern Carolina barbecue is typically chopped pork from whole hogs cooked over hardwood coals. The traditional eastern Carolina sauce is vinegar, water, salt, black pepper and finely ground and crushed red pepper. In the western Carolinas, barbecue is traditionally pork shoulder, chopped or pulled (into chunks or shreds). Western Carolina barbecue sauce is called “dip,” and is sweeter than its eastern cousin, inasmuch as it includes white or brown sugar and frequently ketchup. Both styles of Carolina barbecue are frequently ordered on sandwiches topped with coleslaw. (Thus, the “Carolina Style” sandwich on Oklahoma Joe’s menu.) In the far southern part of the Piedmont, Alabama’s barbecue tradition includes a unique white barbecue sauce, which is mayonnaise-based and heavy with black pepper. GO HERE: Southern culinary scholar, New York Times columnist, author, and TV personality, John T Edge, recommends Scott's BBQ in Hemingway, South Carolina. “It’s just off Cow Head Road, where Rodney Scott chops his own wood, cooks his pigs for the better part of a day, and drenches those beasts with a vinegarsoaked mop.” www.thescottsbbq.com. 4 4

BLUE NOTE: Texas Bluesmen include T-Bone Walker, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Bobbie “Blue” Bland, ZZ Top, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Not surprisingly, given its Cattle Country identity, Texas barbecue is beef-centric — almost exclusively brisket — though there is a strong sausage tradition arising from communities of German and eastern European immigrants who settled in East Texas in the early Twentieth Century. For the most part, Texas pitmasters like to let the smoke do the talking. They are minimalists when it comes to seasonings and largely reject sauce as unnecessary or even detrimental. GO HERE: Robb Walsh is Texas’ best food writer and scholar. On his popular blog, Texas Eats (www.robbwalsh.com), Robb singles out Gil’s Bar-B-Que Shack, in Fayetteville, Texas, mid-way between Houston and Austin off Highway 71, as an exceptional and uniquely Texas barbecue experience. Gil’s is open only on Saturday and Sunday and specializes in homemade Czech sausage and brisket. 5 4

Chicago Chicago is the only region of the United States north of the Mason-Dixon Line with a significant blues tradition. And significant it is. Some of the most important blues performers and performances of the last fifty years have come out of the Windy City. Chicago Blues started out as Delta Blues on steroids. Like the Delta Blues, Chicago Blues are guitardriven with a heavy dose of harmonica, only louder; amplified, electrified, and intensified. Also characterized by a muscular rolling bass, Chicago Blues have evolved over the last few decades, to incorporate soulful, improvised, single-string lead guitar solos. BLUE NOTE: Chicago Blues greats include Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Luther Allison, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, and Buddy Guy. There are no American cities or regions outside of the South (or its orbit) with authentic barbecue traditions. (Though Missouri was not part of the Confederacy, it was a slave state and a political/cultural cousin to Old Dixie. Kansas City’s barbecue tradition can be traced directly to the Deep South and to Texas.) Historically, Chicago has not generally been known as a barbecue town. However, it is home to some mighty fine rib joints, and over the last few decades a Chicago-style barbecue has begun to emerge. The signature item on the Chicago barbecue menu is rib tips with fries; consisting of the tasty (cartilage-filled) trimmings left over when making St. Louis-style ribs, served on a bed of French fries, covered in barbecue sauce. GO HERE: Chicago native, TV personality, and celebrity barbecue cookbook author Ray Lampe (see page 19) recommends Smoque, at 3800 N Pulaski. “I think it’s Chicago’s best barbeque joint.” www.smoquebbq.com.

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Kansas City Neither barbecue nor the blues were born in Kansas City. But once they got here, we perfected them. We put a jump and a shout in the blues and we put a crunchy smoky burnt end on our barbecue Jump Blues is an up-tempo, jazz-inflected blues form that first emerged among horn-driven swing bands in the mid- to late Forties. Jump Blues typically feature a powerhouse vocalist, a hard-driving rhythm section, and honking tenor sax solos. Jump Blues is a direct ancestor — perhaps even the daddy of — rock ‘n’ roll. The two most famous and important pioneers of the Jump Blues were Kansas City’s own Count Basie and Big Joe Turner. Count Basie’s “One O’Clock Jump” was the first hit record in the Jump Blues genre. Big Joe Turner — a seminal figure in American popular music whose role in the birth of rock ‘n’ roll has never been fully acknowledged and appreciated — was a huge and direct influence on rock ‘n’ roll giants James Brown, Little Richard, Bill Haley and the Comets, Fats Domino, and Bo Diddley, whose impact on subsequent generations of performers is incalculable. BLUE NOTE: Practitioners of Jump Blues include Count Basie, Jay McShann, Louis Jordan, Pinetop Perkins, and Big Joe Turner. All of America’s original barbecue traditions migrated to Kansas City after the Civil War, and in the early Twentieth Century. They each found a second home here and flourished. To these traditions, Kansas City added its own — burnt ends and sweetish tomato-based sauces — and in so doing became the Barbecue Capital of The World. GO HERE: Truth is, Jump Blues aren’t played much around these parts anymore. But for a great all-around Kansas City barbecue and blues experience we highly recommend B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ, 1205 E. 85th Street. www.bbslawnsidebbq.com.

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TEST YOUR KC BBQ IQ A Kansas City and Barbecue-Themed Crossword for Your Puzzling Pleasure 1

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15 16 17

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Proprietors Jeff & Joy

State known for vinegar sauce and chopped pork barbecue

Spicy slaw on top of pulled pork

Arthur ___________, whose world famous joint is at 17th & Brooklyn

Jack Stack

10. “Standing at the corner of 12th Street and _______.”

12. KC Blues wailer, Big Joe _________

14. Sausage maker on Strawberry Hill

13. Home city of original Oklahoma Joe's (abbrev.)

17. "Man vs. Food's" Adam Richman's "meat s'mores"

15. Second topper on the Z-Man

19. Home city of Oklahoma Joe's second restaurant

21. First topper on the Z-Man 22. Kansas City's premier coffee bean roaster

Oklahoma Joe's famous sandwich

18. Award-winning brand of sauces and rubs, including "Night of the Living Bar-B-Q"

Originally known as the Dallas Texans, in the American Football League

17. Pork cut smoked for barbecue

16. Barbecue Capital of the World

Down 2. Gas sold at Joe's KCK joint

11. BBQ joint home of pink pig on Southwest Boulevard

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Across 1. Slab

23. Big state known for brisket and sausage barbecue 26. Abbreviation for Kansas City's food

28. Joe’s favorite music

20. Kansas City barbecue and hot sauce maker 21. Henry _______, owned Kansas City's first barbecue enterprise 22. Dry mix of spices applied to meat to make barbecue 24. Spicy, sweet, tomatoey 25. Brewer of Bully Porter 27. Bestselling barbecue sauce in grocery stores 29. Boulevard's Wheat Beer

30. Mr. Gates

31. Kansas City’s Negro League baseball champs

32. Charlie Finley’s team, before the Royals came to town

33. Legendary leader of Kansas City big band

33. Anthony___________, who named Oklahoma Joe's "One of Thirteen Places to Eat Before You Die"

34. American ___________, world's biggest, baddest, barbecue contest

36. City known for ribs

35. Magically turns meat into barbecue

37. You’ll probably have to stand in one at Oklahoma Joe's Answers to this puzzle will be posted on the Oklahoma Joe’s website and Facebook page.

38. Oklahoma Joe's-based championship barbecue team (and Vonnegut novel) 39. Beef cut smoked for barbecue

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The Best Wurst. For three generations the Krizman family has been handcrafting the finest Old World-style bratwurst, knockwurst, kobasa, Croatian blood sausage, salami, and summer sausage, all from its tiny plant at 6th and Elizabeth in KCK. And, for years, many of the city’s top barbecue restaurants, including Oklahoma Joe’s, have teamed up with Krizman’s to create unique sausages for their respective establishments. The Krizman House of Sausage was doing the artisanal thing decades before anyone had even heard the word “artisanal.” Joe Krizman Sr., the family’s patriarch, emigrated to the United States from Croatia in 1914. He settled in the Strawberry Hill district and took a job in one of Kansas City’s thriving meat packing plants in the West Bottoms, as did hundreds of Croatian and Serbian immigrants in the early years of the twentieth century. In 1939, Joe and his cousin, Matt Grisnik, opened a small grocery store on The Hill. Joe made sausage by hand for the store’s meat case and the Krizman family’s reputation was soon established. It continues to this day. Joe Krizman III (pictured above), grandson of the original Joe, runs the place now. We recently sat down in the cluttered back room that serves as the House of Sausage’s office to talk with Joe about his family’s recipe for family’s success.

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“Well, it’s a seventy-two year old recipe,” Joe said. “That’s how long we’ve been making sausage. And that’s also how old our recipe for Polish sausage is — seventy-two years. That was our first product and it hasn’t changed in all these years. Sausage is the only thing we do. All our creativity, energy, and commitment to quality, is focused on crafting the best possible product. There’s a lot of artistry and craftsmanship in making our sausage. The other important reason we’ve been successful is our relationship with our customers and our community. Strawberry Hill is an integral part of our identity. Folks here have been buying from us for generations. They get their sausage from us for all their family special occasions and holidays. We know them by name. That’s what it’s all about. Relationships.”

Sarma

Joe Krizman was kind enough to share this recipe for sarma — Eastern European cabbage rolls — which comes from Ljubitza Maracic, a Bosnian employee at the House of Sausage. “Ljubitza is an awesome cook,” Joe says. • 1 large whole head pickled cabbage (These “sauerheads” may be purchased at Krizman’s House of Sausage where they are made weekly.) • One pound ground chuck • One pound ground pork • ½ cup rice (Do not use “minute”style rice.) • 1/2 cup chopped onion • 1/4 cup Fant brand seasoning mix (for “sarmu”)* • 3/4 tsp of Vegeta brand seasoning mix* • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper • 1/2 tsp garlic powder • 1/2 tsp paprika • 1/2 tsp kosher salt • 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper • 4 cups beef stock • 4 oz. tomato purée stirred into stock

Form egg-shaped meatball using about 1/3 cup of meat mixture for each. Place each meatball on the thick end of a cabbage leaf and roll it up burrito-style. Skewer with a toothpick to keep it wrapped, if necessary. Repeat until all the meatballs are wrapped and rolled. Shred or chop the remaining cabbage. Spoon half of this cabbage into the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the cabbage rolls (sarma) on top of the shredded/ chopped cabbage. Cover with the remaining shredded/chopped cabbage. Cover sarma with beef stock with added tomato purée. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-½ to 2 hours. YIELD: 16-17 cabbage rolls

* Fant and Vegeta seasonings may Combine meat, rice, onion, and be purchased at specialty food seasonings in a mixing bowl, Season markets that carry Eastern European with salt and pepper. Set aside. and Mediterranean groceries, such as European Delights at 95th & Remove stem and core from the Antioch, and Mediterranean Market cabbage head. Remove the outer at 75th & Metcalf in Overland Park. leaves and rinse with cold water. Ljubitza buys hers at the Stop Let dry on paper towel. ‘N’ Go convenience store at 7th & Central in KCK. 11

Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe is Big Green Egg’s ambassador to the barbecue world. (See interview on page 19.) Ray’s bigger-than-life persona and out-of-this world cooking skills have made him a bona fide barbecue celebrity. Here’s a tasty recipe from one of his many cookbooks.

Big Green Egg Ancient Asian design. High-tech American product. In advance of his return home from the Korean War, a young soldier sent a letter to his family in Kansas City with instructions regarding his arrival. Specifically, he wanted his new Corvette Stingray waiting for him at the airport, and in the passenger’s seat he wanted — not his girlfriend or his loyal dog, but — his beloved Korean ceramic barbecue cooker, which he’d had shipped home ahead of him. This kind of devotion may leave some mystified. But it’s a barbecue thing. Kansas Citians understand. For millennia, humans on every continent and in every culture have used earthen vessels for cooking. In southern Japan, the mushikamado, a round clay pot with a removable domed lid has been used for centuries to steam rice for ceremonial occasions. Over time, these pots evolved to include a damper and draft door for better heat control, and charcoal replaced wood as the primary fuel source. This ancient design now serves as the template for modern barbecue cookers made in America, manufactured with Space Age ceramics. The best of these is the Big Green Egg. Made in Georgia, these cookers are as simple and elegant as they are efficient, versatile, and durable. The high-tech ceramic holds heat incredibly well, optimizing temperature control, and greatly enhancing moisture retention. The Big Green Egg’s ability to maintain a consistent internal temp also makes it an ideal year-round allweather cooker. Dan Hathaway, manager of the Kansas City BBQ Store, is a big fan of the Green Egg. “It’s not only the most unique looking smoker we sell it is also one of the most versatile. We have cooked everything from burgers to sourdough bread on the thing and it has come through every time. The amount of air that moves around inside the cooker makes it easy to control temperature and allows for a moist flavorful finished product.” 12 4

The Kansas City BBQ Store has a complete inventory of Big Green Egg cookers and accessories. Stop in to take a look and to chat with our experienced staff about these fine products. www.thekansascitybbqstore.com

Dr. BBQ’s Kansas City Barbecue Sauce • 2 tablespoons butter • 1 medium onion, chopped fine • One 12-ounce can of beer • 1 cup brown sugar • 1 cup ketchup • 1/2 cup cider vinegar • 1 teaspoon celery seed • 1 teaspoon hot sauce • 1 teaspoon salt Yield: About 2 1/2 cups Heat the butter in a medium saucepan, add the onion, and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion is soft, about four minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until thickened. From Dr. BBQ’s Big Time Barbecue Road Trip, by Ray Lampe (St. Martin’s Press, 2007) 13 4

However you cut ‘em, pork ribs have taste to spare! Spareribs come from belly-side of the hog’s rib cage. Loin back ribs — as the name implies — come from the top of the rib cage, where the ribs connect to the backbone. Spareribs are meatier than loin backs, though not as tender. Spareribs are also fattier than loin backs and therefore more flavorful. A slab of spareribs may weigh from 2-5 pounds. Loin backs will typically weigh less than 2-¼ pounds. The terms “loin back ribs” and “baby back ribs” are often used interchangeably. However, according to pork industry specifications, baby back ribs are loin backs weighing less than 1-¾ pounds per slab. Loin back ribs are very tender, but because they are leaner and not as meaty, they are less flavorful than spareribs.

Pork ribs are a sacred part of the Holy Trinity of Barbecue, together with brisket and pulled pork. In some parts of the country, ribs and barbecue are practically synonymous. Yet some folks, even here in Kansas City, don’t know their long-ends from their short-ends. Here’s a pork rib primer:

There are two basic styles of pork ribs commonly sold in restaurants and grocery stores; spareribs and loin back ribs. So-called “country style ribs” are not really ribs. These are actually split pork chops from the blade end of the loin, or from the shoulder closest to the loin. 14 4

Spareribs are typically marketed in two primary cuts or styles; whole and St. Louis-style. Whole spareribs will include part of the hog’s sternum (breast bone) still attached, as well as a strip of meat and cartilage along the belly-side edge of the slab. There is usually a small flap of meat — called the “skirt” — attached to the bone side of the slab.

St. Louis-style ribs are cut from spareribs to create a more uniform, rectangularshaped slab. Consistency in both size and weight is important in a restaurant setting. ��

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To prepare St. Louis-style ribs, the butcher or pitmaster will cut through the costal cartilage (see diagram) along the belly-side edge of the ribs. The trimmings removed in this process are sometimes called “rib tips,” which may be cooked separately, and are sometimes featured on barbecue restaurant menus. The “skirt” flap is also removed. For more about pork ribs visit www.virtualweberbullet.com, which was used as a source for this article. Oklahoma Joe’s has recently begun serving St. Louis-style ribs in its restaurants. This switch from traditional spareribs will provide our customers with a more consistent product. You’ll find our St. Louis-style ribs to be meatier, and more flavorful. The only problem with these new ribs is the name. St. Louis? Really? Everybody knows that St. Louis doesn’t have any good barbecue!

Chef's Corner In the seventeen years since he arrived here to take the helm at the American Restaurant, chef Michael Smith has raised the standard by which dining is defined in Kansas City. His straightforward, yet innovative, approach to food is refreshingly unpretentious. His two restaurants, Extra Virgin and (namesake) Michael Smith, are appropriately located at 19th & Main among the galleries in the Crossroads Art District. Michael frequently travels to South America in search of new tastes, and graciously shared this wonderful recipe with us. It’s perfect with ribs, and also with pork loin, and pork chops. It is, however, something of an ingredient-hunting challenge, which Oklahoma Joe’s owner, Jeff Stehney, gladly accepted. “A few of these items had to be ordered online,” Jeff says. “But the end result was totally worth it. It was fabulous — rich, complex, and memorable. You just have to plan ahead and allow time for the ingredients to arrive in the mail.” 16 4

Michael Smith’s Guava Barbecue Sauce (gently adapted by Jeff Stehney)

• 4 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil • 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced • 3 ancho chilies, toasted, stems removed • 4 cups ketchup • One 16 ounce can guava marmalade (This product is not like the sweetened jamlike marmalade spread used on toast or bagels. It’s more like a purée. Jeff used Conchita brand, which he ordered on Amazon.com.) • 16 ounces guava juice • 1/2 cup aji Amarillo paste (Peruvian yellow chili paste.) (Also may be

purchased on Amazon.com) • 1 1/2 teaspoon achiote paste (May be purchased in the Hispanic food section in many area grocery stores) • 4 teaspoons freshly ground coffee beans (use finest grind setting on your coffee grinder) • 1 bunch cilantro, stems included • Freshly squeezed juice from two oranges • Freshly squeezed juice from one lime • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin • 1/2 stick cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon dried leaf oregano • 1 Serrano chili

Sautee onions and garlic in a large soup pot with the vegetable oil. Cook until caramelized. Combine all remaining ingredients with the onion/garlic mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for three hours over low heat. Remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool just a bit. Remove cinnamon stick. While still warm, purée mixture in blender, until smooth. Adjust the acid level with apple cider vinegar if the glaze is too sweet. Season with salt and pepper. Brush on ribs 30 minutes before they’re finished cooking.

www.michaelsmithkc.com • www.extravirginkc.com

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Someone's in the Kitchen

Meet Jeremy Tawney NAME: Jeremy AGE: 33 POSITION: Kitchen Manager, Oklahoma Joe’s, Olathe, Kansas TENURE: Three years

Barbecue is simple food. But don’t mistake simple for simplistic. And though one of the things that makes Kansas City such a cool place to live is that it is populated with tens of thousands of excellent amateur barbecue cooks, we here at Oklahoma Joe’s care too much about our barbecue to leave it to amateurs. That’s why we’ve hired some of Kansas City’s finest professional chefs to prepare our food and supervise our cooking staff. One of those professionals in Jeremy Tawney, Kitchen Manager at our Olathe restaurant. Most of Jeremy’s thirteen years of professional experience have been in fine dining restaurants. “I’ve had the opportunity of working with several award winning chefs from around the world,” Jeremy says. “Food is my passion. I love to cook. It allows me to use my creative and artistic talents in the work place.” Jeremy’s passion for food is perhaps matched only by his love of the outdoors. His ancestors arrived in Kansas territory as homesteaders in the mid-1800s, and he was raised on the family farm, where he still spends much of his free time working with his father and nephews. The farm is also where Mr. Tawney acquired his work ethic, which he applies to his supervision of the restaurant’s kitchen staff. “The secret to a smooth running kitchen is no secret at all,” he says. “It takes dedication and discipline. Every employee is trained and taught to respect the food, the customers, and the team they are a part of.”

Wanna work 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 Ray Lampe is probably the most recognized barbecue cook in the world. Since he left his job as a truck driver in Chicago eleven years ago to become a full-time barbecue man, he and his trademark white crewcut and goatee have been featured in scores of magazine and newspaper articles, and appeared on dozens of television shows, including several Food Network programs. Ray has authored five popular cookbooks and has served as Executive Chef at Justin Timberlake’s New York restaurant; Southern Hospitality BBQ. We caught up with Ray in between gigs for a little Q&A. Q: You used to be a truck driver in Chicago, right? Now you’re a celebrated barbecue cook, TV personality, and cookbook author. How’d you get here from there? A: The trucking thing had just run its course, but luckily I found myself at a point in my life where I could roll the dice for my next career. And since the only other thing I knew how to do was cook barbecue it was an easy decision. I moved to Florida and began selling food out of a trailer at a produce stand. The real break came when that enterprise failed and I had to find a better path. I hit the road teaching barbecue classes and promoting products. Then came a book deal and the rest is history. Your cookbooks reflect a great love and respect for America’s barbecue traditions. What makes barbecue so special? For me the history and lore of barbecue usually outweigh the actual food. The cooking is the magic and the food is just the by-product. The stories and characters are endless. Every town I go to has at least one old barbecue man with a story and they are revered more than the finest chefs. You’ve cooked on all kinds of barbecue equipment, but you seem to have settled on the Big Green Egg. Tell us about the BGE and why you like it. My favorite thing about the Big Green Egg is its versatility. It’s a great steak and burger grill, a great smoker for butts and briskets, and a great pizza oven. Some grills can smoke and some smokers can grill, but nothing other than the Egg can do all of these things with such a high level of excellence. If you have an Egg on your deck you don’t need anything else. Oh yeah, the food tastes really great off of it too!

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— 2 LOCATIONS — 47th & MISSION 3002 West 47th Ave. Kansas City, Kansas 66103 913-722-3366 Monday-Thursday: 11 am - 8:30 pm Friday & Saturday: 11 am – 9:30 pm Closed Sundays OLATHE 11950 S. Strang Line Road Olathe, Kansas 66062 913-782-6858 Monday-Thursday: 11 am - 9 pm Friday & Saturday: 11 am – 10 pm Closed Sundays

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WWW.OKLAHOMAJOESBBQ.COM BURNT ENDS was created, written, and edited by Doug Worgul, Oklahoma Joe’s Writer-in-Residence,www.dougworgul.com AND Kelly Ludwig, Queen O’ Design, www.ludwig-design.com.