I love the smells of spring – cut grass, flowers blooming, and charcoal on the air. Oh the sweet, cindery smell of charcoal to get my taste buds going! With its time honor tradition of BBQ, I have a lot to live up to while living in Kansas City. If you don’t care to challenge local pitmasters by firing up your grill, you can partake of some fabulous cuisine at these local hotspots:
Backyard BBQ enthusiasts everywhere are invited to show off their BBQ mastery this summer! The Grandview Branch is pleased to invite you and your BBQ team to participate in our inaugural Ribs by the Book BBQ Competition. This year's event will be Saturday, August 27th. The entry fee is only $25 with prizes and trophies to be awarded to our top three finishers in this ribs-only contest. Competitors are encouraged to provide samples for the public to purchase as part of our "Buck-A-Bone" contest, with a prize to the team handing out the most samples.
Calling all BBQ fans (and anyone else who wants to learn a thing or two about BBQ)! Here is a program you will not want to miss. Award winning BBQ chef Wanda Swartz will be at the Excelsior Springs Branch to share some tips on making smoked meats that will make your mouth water, and have your friends wanting more. She will share recipes for rubs, marinades, and Italian sausage, as well as other priceless tips on how to get the best smoked meats you can. There will be free samples, as well.
Henry Perry and Arthur Bryant: The Men Who Made Kansas City Barbecue Central
I lived in the Northwest for about 10 years, and let me tell you this: I missed my hometown KC barbecue. I'm not saying that the Northwest didn't have some wonderful food, but they just didn't do barbecue up to my discriminating KC standards. This Saturday, August 27th at the Grandview Branch, we will showcase our local barbecue traditions by holding the first annual Ribs by the Book BBQ Competition.
For me, the highlight of this coming weekend will be the Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship on May 4 - 5, a collaboration between the City of Grandview and MCPL. Barbecue competitors are fiercely protective of their techniques and recipes. For instance, one might get to read the NSA secret files on Area 51 before a barbecue competitor might divulge the exact composition of their spice rub.
There’s nothing like a mouthwatering barbecue sandwich drenched with spiced up sauce. I’m very fortunate that I live in one of the famous barbecue cities in the nation. I do enjoy most of the franchised barbecue restaurants in Kansas City, but I also like exploring other local barbecue vendors.
May is National Barbecue Month and National Hamburger Month!
So, bring out the grills, dust them off, and fire them up! Besides meat, you can grill many different kinds of food that you may never have thought of, including vegetables and fruit.
Truman Heritage Festival Barbecue Championship: The Results Are In, and They Are Delicious
This past weekend marked the First Annual Truman Heritage Festival Barbecue Championship, sponsored by the City of Grandview and Mid-Continent Public Library. This was a Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned event and drew 26 teams from across the metro area and from as far away as Arkansas.
Brother vs. Brother. Father vs. Son. Uncle vs. Nephew.
Let the battle begin! This Memorial Day weekend, my family will be engaging in our first ever family grill-off challenge. Last summer, there was a little too much smack talk about who was the best griller, BBQ-er, and brew master; so this year, the men in my family decided to put their grilling abilities to the test. Roasted chicken, barbequed-pork steaks, grilled shrimp—all washed down with a home-brewed beer or two. Yum!
As those of you who patronize the Lone Jack Branch may be aware, my book display for August is dedicated to books on grilled, smoked, and barbecued foods. Much as I’d like to feature some of my favorite recipes in this blog, copyright laws prohibit such activity. In lieu of that, allow me to share with you a few of the titles I’ve selected for my display.
