An occasional publication of recipes, music, lore, useless information, shameless self promotion and questionable advice, from the good folks at

Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ of Kansas City and Olathe, Kansas.

George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonHail to the Chief Barbecue Fanboy

smoky crunchy bits of Kansas City barbecue

6no.burnT EndsburnT Ends

Chef Michael Beard, Lawrence’s Duroc Star page 4

All good things come to those who wait page 8

The latest in barbecue tech and toys page 12

I present thee with the Z-Man.

Gadzooks! But that is a fine looking sandwich!

42

IT ’ S HARD TO IMAGINE George Washington ever having any fun at all. ‘Dude always looks so serious—like he’s shouldering the hopes and fears of an entire nation. Even if he is the Father of Our Country and all, Dad needs to chill.

Ah, but appearances can be misleading. Seems Ol’ George was a lot more fun than all the straight-laced, grim-faced, portraits of him would imply. A reading of his personal diaries reveals a real person, a whole man, a fellow who liked having a good time as much as the next guy.

On May 27, 1769, Washington notes in his journal that he traveled to Alexandria, Virginia, to attend a “barbicue.” It must have been quite the party, because he stayed all night. In fact, while he was chowing down on barbecue he was also cleaning up in a card game. His diary says that he won a game of “eights.”

Then in May 1774, Washington went to another “barbicue” with some friends. And here we see a pattern emerge. Each time the future first president attends a barbecue, his journal indicates that for a day or two afterward he lays low and doesn’t do anything worth recording in his diary. Nothing. Then, according to the journal, he goes to church. Clearly, he needs a day or so to recover from his hearty partying, after which he feels the need for repentance.

There’s a phrase that’s long been used to describe George Washington and his role in the history of our nation; “First in war. First in peace. First in the hearts of his countrymen.” Seems he was also first in line for barbecue.

First POTUS liked his Q

43

WE CANNOT TELL A LIE.

THIS SAUCE IS THE BOMB.

In honor of the (probably apocryphal) story of young George Washington chopping down

his father’s cherry tree, here’s a tasty recipe for a cherry-based barbecue sauce that’s especially

tasty on pork. Because there’s some (but not too much) chipotle in this recipe, we call it

Cherry Bomb. It explodes with flavor.

1 yellow onion, chopped fine

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

32 ounces tart cherry juice

32 ounces sweet (black) cherry juice

1 cup red wine vinegar

2 chipotle peppers, stem removed

1 package dried sour cherries (size?)

4 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 tablespoon smoked paprika (pimentón)

2-3 pickled cherry peppers, stems removed

2 tablespoons tomato paste (or more to taste)

1 cup sour cherry preserves

1 (12 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, with liquid

4 tablespoons rye or bourbon whiskey

2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)

Salt to taste

DirectionsIn a heavy saucepan, sauté onion in oil until caramelized. Add cherry juice, vinegar, chipotle

peppers, dried cherries, garlic, paprika and pickled cherry peppers. Bring to a boil. Reduce

heat and let simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

Remove from heat and let cool. Remove chipotle pepper. In a food processor, puree the mixture

together with the tomato paste, roasted red peppers and cherry preserves until smooth.

Push puree through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan. Add sugar and salt to taste.

Add whisky. Return to stove and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for

another 20 minutes or so. Adjust salt and sugar.

NOTE: This sauce probably won't be as thick as most commercial barbecue sauces.

—

44

For Chef Michael Beard of Restaurant 715 in Lawrence, it’s not all about the food. It’s about history and heritage. It’s about identity and integrity. It’s about farming and family. And then it’s about the food.

And though Michael is not a particularly talkative guy, on this topic he has lots to say. “You see these young chefs, fresh out of culinary school, who are so enamored of cutting-edge techniques and the latest flavors that they lose sight of the fact that food is best when it’s the product of a relationship between the cook and the farmer, and it respects culinary traditions, and reflects the culture of a community or a region,” he says. “Those things are critically important to the quality and integrity of what goes on the plate.”

Michael Beard has no room for food fads on his menu at 715. His fare is honest and straightforward, and yet in no way conservative or stodgy.

The emphasis is on ingredients of the highest quality, prepared such that the ingredients themselves are the focus. Nothing distracts from the essential nature of the food. The result is elegant, timeless, and delicious.

As a restaurant, 715 is nothing if not contemporary. But as Michael explains, “Our approach is very Old World. Our ingredients are local. We know where they come from. We have real relationships with the farmers who grow them. When they know what we need and what our

customers enjoy, they can do a better job of raising crops and animals that meet those needs. Which is really satisfying to them. And when we know what’s going on down on the farm, we have a deeper appreciation of the product and a clearer understanding of what farmers can do for us and we can do for them.”

This philosophy is most evident on Thursdays. That’s the day that Michael butchers whole hogs for the various cuts of pork he uses in the restaurant.

Chef Michael Beard goes whole hog

FROM BEARD TO TAIL

45

“The best pigs in the country are raised right here, locally,” he says. “We like the Duroc breed. It’s an older American breed with good fat, and rich flavorful red meat. Definitely not ‘the other white meat.’

“We use the whole animal,” he explains. “Nothing goes to waste. That’s also very Old World. What we don’t use for chops or roasts, we use in sausage, salami, soppressata, and stock. We also make our own bacon and ham.

“My passion for these Old World techniques is deep,” Michael says. “That’s why I love barbecue so much. When you cook using these old, even ancient, methods — like slow smoking, you make a connection to people who came before us. When you think about it, you can trace the genealogy of the human family by studying and practicing these time-honored culinary traditions.”

MICHAEL BEARD

34 years old

Grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma

Studied business at Oklahoma State

University

Graduated from the Apicius Culinary Institute,

Florence Italy

Interestingly, some culinary historians say that the word “barbecue” comes from the French phrase barbe à queue,

which translates to “from beard to tail” and was used by early French explorers in describing the native Caribbean peoples’ practice of cooking whole hogs over hardwood coals. We think the use of the word “beard” in this phrase is especially fitting, given Chef Beard’s propensity to use

the entire pig, from end-to-end, beard-to-tail.

715 Pork Ribs Glaze

By Chef Michael Beard

This recipe is for a glaze som

etimes served on ribs at

Restaurant 715 in Lawrence. It

’s easy to make, but don’t be

deceived, the result is a rich

and complex flavor that’s

perfect on pork.

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 cup shallots, diced

1/2 cup garlic, diced

1 cup tomato paste

2 cup pork stock (or chicken)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 sprig of rosemary

Salt and pepper

In a sauce pot, heat oil and b

utter until butter is

melted. Add shallots and garli

c and cook on low heat

until both are soft. Be careful

not to let them brown too

much. Add tomato paste and coo

k on med cook until paste

has a nice rusty color. Add sto

ck and vinegar and mix

well. Add paprika, rosemary an

d cayenne. Bring to a boil

then simmer until sauce reduc

es by a quarter. Season

with salt and pepper. Brush on

finished ribs.

46

In 1823, a red boar from a litter of ten, whose parents were probably imported from England, was obtained by Isaac Frink of Milton in Saratoga County, New York, from Harry Kelsey. Kelsey owned a famous trotting stallion, named Duroc, and Frink named his red boar in honor of the horse. This boar was known for his smoothness and carcass quality.

His progeny continued the Duroc name and many of them inherited his color, quick growth and maturity, deep body, broad ham and shoulder, and quiet disposition. The Duroc was smaller than the Jersey Red, with finer bones and better carcass quality. Beginning in the early 1860’s, Durocs

were made from a systematic blending of the two very different strains. This produced

a moderate hog that was well suited for the finishing

abilities of the Cornbelt

farmer.

DUROC:DUROC:

The following is from the National Swine Registry (www.nationalswine.com):

47

On August 12, 1929, the Colorado Agricultural College was recognized for having raised the world’s largest Duroc sow. Her name was “Titan Queen” and at 5 years

of age she weighed in at 1,237 pounds. She was 46 inches tall, 112 inches from nose-to-tail and was 88 inches around.

When the U.S. population moved westward, the Duroc and many noted breeders moved west as well. Most of the breed improvement after the formation took place in Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska. Durocs have become a sire of choice to the American farmer. The climb of the breed has been accelerated by many distinguished accomplishments in prolificacy and longevity in the female line, lean gain efficiency, carcass yield, and product quality as a terminal sire. The purebred Duroc is distinguished for breed potency in today’s picture of swine improvement and holds forth inviting promise of future usefulness and value.

48

finallY!It happens every day here at Oklahoma Joe’s. It’s probably

happened to you. A customer finishes his Z-man and in

a state of barbecue bliss thinks to himself ‘Somehow I

must make this last. I must extend this ecstasy.’ And so, on

his way out, he stops at the carry out counter and asks if he

may buy a bottle of Oklahoma Joe’s barbecue sauce. And the

answer is no. You cannot buy a bottle of Oklahoma Joe’s

barbecue sauce.

Sigh.

It’s a long story. And a complicated one. Some

of you have heard it. Some haven’t, but have

maybe wondered about it. It’s the story of our

name—Oklahoma Joe’s—and we’ll be telling it

a lot more—in a lot more detail—in the months

ahead. Suffice it to say, there are reasons why we

haven’t been able to sell our own sauce to our

own customers as long as that sauce bears the

name Oklahoma Joe’s.

But, we’re delighted to announce that your

patience has been rewarded. Our original sauce,

the sauce on the tables at our restaurants, the

sauce on our sandwiches, including the Z-Man,

the sauce you’ve come to know and love, is now

available in retail bottles. With a slightly different

name—Joe’s Kansas City. We love this name. We

love it as much as you love our sauce. You’ll be

seeing this name again.

SAME SAUCE. DIFFERENT NAME.

49

finallY!BARBECUE BEANS WITH JOE’S KANSAS CITY BAR-B-QUE SAUCEThis home recipe comes is from Doug Worgul, our marketing guy (and author of the novel Thin Blue Smoke). These aren’t the beans we serve in the restaurants, but they are rich and yummy and great for family gatherings. The key to this recipe is soaking the beans in water spiked with barbecue sauce. The beans absorb the flavors of the sauce, giving the dish a nice complexity.

1 pound dry navy or Great Northern beans2 yellow onions, finely chopped2 pounds thick-sliced bacon4 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped1 sweet red bell pepper, seeded and diced1 cup Grade B maple syrup (or more to taste)1 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton)1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepperSalt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste 3 bottles of Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que Sauce

Rinse the dry beans and put them in a stockpot. Add a bottle of Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que Sauce and then add about two quarts of cold water. Stir thoroughly. Let the beans soak overnight.

The next day, cook the beans in the soaking liquid until tender. Add water if needed. Drain and set aside.

Remove the bacon from its package and while it’s still cold, and the slices unseparated, cut the bacon into small pieces, about ½-inch wide. In a heavy skillet, over medium-high heat, cook the bacon together with the chopped onion until the bacon is crisp.

Place the beans, the bacon and onion mixture (include the bacon fat), fresh garlic, red bell pepper, paprika, chipotle, and maple syrup in a large oven-proof baking dish or bowl. Add one bottle of Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que Sauce. Stir thoroughly. Add more maple syrup, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que Sauce, and salt and pepper if desired.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes.

410

Kansas City’s contribution to America’s long and deep

barbecue tradition extends well beyond sweet sauce

and burnt ends. We have, of course, pretty much

contributed the entire sport of competition barbecue cooking. And

Kansas City is also home to some excellent barbecue equipment

manufacturers.

An example of the latter is American Barbecue Systems, of

Olathe, which has been making quality smokers grills for the

last six years.

“We’ve been in the steel fabrication business

for thirty-five years,” says company president,

Mark Hillman. “We have the latest technology,

machinery and experienced personnel to offer

the public a excellent cookers built with

professional craftsmanship.”

Dan Hathaway, manager of the Kansas City BBQ Store, agrees that

American Barbecue Systems (ABS) smokers are top notch. “ABS

cookers are first class all the way. The All-Star, in particular, is a great

high capacity backyard cooker that will hold several slabs of ribs, a

couple briskets or butts, or even large turkeys. And ABS smoker require

very little fire maintenance, which is a real benefit.”

ABS smoker/grills feature a full length firebox across the back of

the smoking/cooking chamber, which make for more consistent

temperatures and smoke circulation throughout. The firebox has grill

grates above the charcoal and wood grates giving cooks the flexibility

to grill or smoke.

The American WayH QUALITY COOKERS MADE IN KC H

411

THE KANSAS CITY BBQ STORE11946 Strang line RoadOlathe, Kansas 66062

Ph. 913.782.5171www.thekansascitybbqstore.com

All ABS models are fabricated with new heavy gauge steel and have

stainless steel cooking grates. And the ABS internal ash removal system

makes removing ash from the firebox easy with little mess. Some ABS

models are equipped with rotisseries.

“Our customers appreciate

the high quality, superior

craftsmanship, unique design

and features they find in our

products,” says Hillman

“Our goal is always to

meet or exceed their

expectations. We appreciate

being a part of Kansas

City's rich barbecue

heritage. We like to

think we’re helping to

carry on that tradition.”

The Thermapen is the fastest, most accurate cooking thermometer on the market. We swear by them here at Oklahoma Joe’s, as do championship competition barbecue cooks on the contest circuit. There are cheaper instant-read thermometers, but none better.

Many cooks like to monitor the internal temperature of their meat throughout the cooking process. The Maverick RediChek Remote Wireless Smoker Thermometer provides continuous real-time digital readings from as far as 100 feet away. Its wireless receiver beeps and flashes when meat temperatures exceed your pre-programmed temperature. The RediChek can also monitor smoking chamber temperatures.

Finally, there’s the DigiQ DX, made by BBQ Guru, a thermostatically controlled blower fan that is mounted inside your smoker and linked to your laptop or home PC. When the cooking temperature in your smoker dips below the pre-programmed level that you’ve chosen, the fan kicks on to stoke your wood or charcoal fire, bringing it back up to temp.

Barbecue is the product of a decidedly low-tech process — a process

that has evolved little over hundreds of years — involving three of the most

rudimentary of all elements; fire, wood, and meat. Barbecue is stubbornly

analog in a digital world. That said, for backyard cooks who lean more toward

the science of barbecue and less toward the art, here are some high-tech tools

we feature at the Kansas City BBQ Store that you’ll find helpful and handy.

THE KANSAS CITY BBQ STORE11946 Strang line RoadOlathe, Kansas 66062

Ph. 913.782.5171www.thekansascitybbqstore.com

B B Q T E C H

Pigs in Pop Culture

B B Q T E C H

Though we like them best tucked into a toasted bun,

covered in spicy slaw, pigs are pretty popular in all kinds of

other contexts.

a CHARLOTTE’S WEB & WINNIE THE POOHWilbur, from Charlotte’s Web, and Winnie the Pooh’s pal, Piglet, are two of the most cherished characters in all of literature. These two pig are so beloved, in fact, it’s a wonder that we’re not all vegetarians.

b PENELOPEIn the 2006 movie “Penelope”, Christina Ricci starred as a young woman cursed with a porcine snout.

c SPIDER PIG/SIMPSONSFirst appearing in “The Simpsons Movie”, Plopper the pig, later known as the superhero Spider Pig, has became a pop culture phenomenon. Spider Pig’s theme song made it all the way to #23 on the UK’s pop music charts.

d PINK FLOYD FLYING PIGPink Floyd’s flying pig on the cover of their 1977 classic “Animals” is probably our favorite of this particular collection.

“You know that I care what happens to you,And I know that you care for me.So I don't feel alone,Or the weight of the stone,Now that I've found somewhere safeTo bury my bone.And any fool knows a dog needs a home,A shelter from pigs on the wing.”

e ARNOLD ZIFFELOnly Baby Boomers will remember Arnold Ziffel, the pampered pig on TV’s “Green Acres”. The best bit of Arnold Ziffel trivia, however, comes from the 1994 film “Pulp Fiction,” in which the character Jules—played by Samuel L. Jackson—refers to Arnold, saying a pig would have to be “ten times more charming” than Arnold for him to eat it.

f PORKY PIGTh-that, th-that, th-that’s all, folks!

a

d

eb

c

Pigs in Pop Culture

415

BBQ&AQueen with a Capital Q

Carolyn Wells has done as much as any other

person alive to advance the growing sport—

and, yes, it is a sport—of competition barbecue. She is one of the founding

members of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, and is its executive director.

We caught up with her to ask her about the state of the Barbecue Nation.

Burnt Ends: You know as much about barbecue as anyone, Carolyn.

How important is America’s barbecue tradition?

CAROLYN WELLS: Barbecue is America’s cuisine. Its roots are deep and as old

as the country itself. Barbecue is a common thread in the patchwork quilt of

American life. It crosses all socio-economic sections of American culture. Barbecue

is all about food, family, friends a fun, and an all American activity.

BE: What accounts for the dramatic explosion in popularity of competitive

barbecue over the last few years?

CW: Competitive barbecue has done much to advance the popularity of

barbecue and those who cook it. The logical outgrowth of competitive barbecue

to the media was inevitable. National print media, radio interviews, and now

cable TV series have catapulted competition barbecue to a whole new level.

BE: The flavor profile in competition barbecue seems to be getting a lot

sweeter. Thoughts?

CW: Competition barbecue is definitely in a “sweet cycle.” Sweet, stick-to-your-

fingers glazes are the order of the day. The flavor profile is much more complex

and sophisticated than the old salt, pepper, vinegar, spices profile. The layers

of flavor from the first bite to the back of the mouth are pretty incredible.

BE: You probably don’t have time to make much barbecue yourself anymore,

but when you do make barbecue, what’s your specialty?

CW: In the very rare instances that I cook barbecue, my specialty is ribs.

I haven’t competed in about fifteen years, so the edge has definitely worn off.

My real specialty these days is eating barbecue.414

NAMES: Jacque and Dan Hathaway

POSITIONS: Jacque is Executive Assistant to Oklahoma Joe’s owner Jeff

Stehney. Dan is Manager of The Kansas City BBQ Store

Family comes first here at Joe’s. And not just because we’re a family owned

and operated business, but also because within our company we employ lots

of folks who happen to be related to one another; siblings, cousins, in-laws,

and spouses.

Take the Hathaways for example. Jacque has been a part of the Oklahoma

Joe’s family for almost as long as she’s been married to Dan. “We’ve been

married for six years and I’ve been working here for five and a half,” she says.

Dan has worked for the company for nine years, having been the manager of

the old company-owned liquor store (at 47th & Mission) before it was closed.

He’s been manager of the Kansas City BBQ Store since it opened in 2006.

“The thing I like best about working for Oklahoma Joe's is that it is constantly

getting better,” Dan says. “We take something as simple as a slab of ribs and

make it the best. No gimmicks, just the best damn barbecue in the world.

That’s what makes this such a special place and I am proud to be a small part

of that.”

Jacque has her own perspective on the satisfactions of working here. “I love

to watch the growth of the business and the individuals that work hard to

grow with the company,” she says. “There are many people who have been

with the company for years and are very passionate about their jobs.”

As important as barbecue and Oklahoma Joe’s are in Dan’s and Jacque’s lives,

even more important are their daughters Grace and Annabelle. After all,

family comes first.

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.

Someone's in the Kitchen

Meet Jacque and Dan Hathaway

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.

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

— OKLAHOMA JOE'S BBQ 2 LOCATIONS —

WWW.OKLAHOMAJOESBBQ.COM

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Jeff and Joy Stehney,

Owners & Proprietors

Steve Querrey, Ryan Barrows

Directors of Operations