A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"Barbecue: Behind the Scenes" is from the August 2007 issue of Southern Living.
Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all
information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.
EDITORS' CITY GUIDE:
Get our editors' seasoned picks in our city guides. It's too easy - just make your selections, print, and go!
• Kansas City, MO
I am in Kansas City, Missouri, on a mission--to get into the kitchen of
the world's most famous barbecue stand, Arthur Bryant's. This place
serves straight up heaven on white bread, and I can't wait to sop up its
secrets.
It reigns as the high holy temple of K. C. barbecue, yet the decor won't
inspire a sonnet. Don't go late at night. Don't expect friendly service.
But there's something special about Bryant's, a restaurant that's woven
into the fabric of this city's consciousness. How do they do it?
Secrets, Secrets
The knife cuts through the beef, carving out the
perfect brisket for a rush of diners who will arrive in a few hours. I
turn the 14-pound bad boy over, trim off an end, and place the raw cut
on a baking sheet. "Not bad," says pit master Ray Echols. Then in a
flash of steel and blur of hands, Ray trims five briskets in the time I
took to complete one.
Clues to the mystery begin to bubble up. First, all great barbecue
starts with the wood and the quality of the meat. Arthur Bryant's
selects gorgeous cuts of ribs and giant briskets and uses fruitwood and
hickory that you'd want to build furniture out of--not burn. Second,
Bryant's uses double-strength pickling vinegar in the sauce, which makes
for one hell of a punchy tang.
The Barbecue Laboratory
As I leave at the end of the day, splattered with sauce and reeking of
smoke, I pause to take one last whiff of barbecue and overhear two
patrons discussing Bryant's new menu items. That gets me to thinking. I
believe Bryant's biggest secret lies in their willingness to experiment.
The city lives under a great cloud of hickory; men and women fire up
their imaginations and create culinary flops and masterpieces side by
side. That inventiveness fortifies Arthur Bryant's and perhaps even
Kansas City as the King and Queen of 'Cue. Long may they
reign.
Arthur Bryant's: 1727 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64127;
www.arthurbryantsbbq.com or (816) 231-1123.
Do-It-Yourself Grilling
Don't miss the Southern Living Ultimate Grilling & BBQ Guide, on newsstands now.
