barbeque

Q39 – Kansas City, MO

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Name: Q39
Date: 6/8/21
Address: 1000 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO
Order: Beef brisket plate (with burnt ends), add pulled pork, side of white bean cassoulet (link to menu)
Pricing: $$$

Speedy: I recently embarked on a cross-country roadtrip with my brother (same parents variety, not blog-about-barbecue-with variety), which took us through Kansas City. Of course we had to find a place for ‘cue in the burnt ends capital. After a bit of research, we settled on Q39, a more up-ish-scale restaurant that is (relatively) new on the scene, opening in 2014.

We walked in on a Tuesday night, and the place was packed, but after a short wait, we were seated. Q39 has tables and a wait staff, and a large bar area, as well as outside seating. It’s decorated in a rustic fashion, and overall, was a nice atmosphere.

My order was easy – the beef brisket plate (which comes with burnt ends and slices), but I did add on some pulled pork and the Bro went with the housemade chipotle sausage plate, as well as the onion straw appetizer.

While service was good overall, the wait was a bit longer than normal for a barbecue joint (perhaps due to the crowd), but still, our food was out shortly.

Let’s not bury the lede. In Kansas City, burnt ends are king, and Q39’s burnt ends were the star of the show. Tender but not too fatty, with a nice sauce that had a hint of sweetness, every bite was flavorful and a real treat. At Q39, there is a burnt ends appetizer (which they were not serving that night), but otherwise, you cannot order the burnt ends alone – only with the brisket plate. This is too bad because the slices on the brisket place were not too exciting. They were served with sauce already applied, which was necessary on the lean brisket that was on the dry side. It still had decent flavor, but paled in comparison to the burnt ends.

Monk: Interesting that you can’t get the burnt ends without ordering the brisket. I wonder if this is the norm in Kansas City, or a case where Q39 is looking to save costs.

Speedy: Hard to know, Monk. I assume they’re cooking full briskets, so trying to sell at the same rate. I think this also explains why your brisket just comes lean – the point has already been used. The pork was also served sauced, which I felt was a mistake. The “zesty” sauce does have a vinegar base, but is also loaded with sugar, favoring sweetness over tang. The pork was cooked well and had decent flavor, but the sauce took away from the flavor for me.

Monk: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that a KC barbecue joint uses a sugary sauce on their pork.

Speedy: The Bro’s sausage was my second favorite part of the meal. The homemade sausage had good flavor, nice snappy casing, and was not greasy at all. Overall a good effort. 

The white bean cassoulet is a side I’ve never seen our heard of, but from a taste standpoint, it was basically Brunswick stew. It was very hot out – so not stew weather – but I would order it again. The Bro loved his baked beans (I didn’t try any), and the onion straws (with barbecue remoulade) were really good, and worth ordering.

Overall, I would recommend a visit to Q39 to anyone in Kansas City, especially if you focus your attention on the burnt ends. 

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Burnt Ends – 4.5 hogs
Brisket – 3 hogs
Pork – 3 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

Friday Find: Filipino Lechon in Dallas

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Monk: YouTuber Mikey Chen tries lechon, or Filipino roast pork, at ORC Filipino Asian/American BBQ in Dallas, which was recently featured in Texas Monthly. There, owners Allen and Jho Cook roast the pork in the Filipino tradition over live coals, and that pork is accompanied by sides and other dishes from Jho’s hometown of Abuyog in the Leyte province of the Philippines. The ORC segment lasts from 2:15-10:20.

Description:
Stumbled upon a truly delicious Filipino food experience in Dallas Texas where entire Lechons were roasted in the traditional way. Then went to try some unique Vietnamese fusion food as well as some cheesy Korean Fried Chicken!

Restaurants I went to:
ORC Filipino Asian/American BBQ https://www.facebook.com/ORC-Filipino…
Taste of Philippines 565 W Oates Rd 110, Garland, TX 75043
Cris and John 5555 Preston Oaks Rd UNIT 5, Dallas, TX 75254
Ddong Ggo TX 2625 Old Denton Rd Ste 322 Dallas, TX 75007

Recap: BBQ Brawl S2E3 – “BBQ Hacks”

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Monk: In a bit of a change of pace, I’m going to try my hand at TV recapping for the second season of BBQ Brawl, which airs for *checks notes* 10 episodes *gulp* on Monday nights at 9pm ET on Food Network. 10 episodes? Well let’s see how this goes…

As it goes this season, the loser of last week’s challenge gets to pick the first challenge, and Eddie goes with “Good for You ‘Cue” for a healthier kind of barbecue with the twist of just the captains cooking this week to gain their team a potential advantage in the Team Brawl. And it seems that Eddie is still a bit salty with his favorite chef Max going home last week. I wonder how Christopher feels about that or if he is even aware. I also have to say, it seems a bit early for the contestants to get to take a challenge off.

Bobby wins the challenge with his charred eggplant and grilled shrimp over Eddie’s steak salad and Michael’s grilled halibut. That earns him the advantage of Rodney Scott starting his team’s campfire in the “Campfire Feast” before the timer starts, essentially giving his team a solid 10-15 minute head start. With a fire master like Rodney taking care of that piece (even utilizing bacon fat to get it started), the team can focus on meal planning while the other teams have to play catch up.

Terry gives his team a scare with his fire-tending skills but ultimately gets his sliced brisket seared so he can grind for for his barbecue beans in addition to barbecue chicken. Brendan is making a classic hot guts sausage while Erica decides to do a Mexican corn salad, and pastry chef Taylor takes on dessert in the form of a corn layer cake with blueberry compote. Ultimately, the barbecue beans are scrapped when the texture gets too mushy and Bobby nixes it in favor of some last minute rosemary potatoes which he referred to as “recovery potatoes” during judging, much too Bobby’s dismay.

For Team Eddie, Christopher takes campfire chili made with short rib even though Lu was hoping to be able to make chili and is apparently “very, very good at it.” Instead, she takes jalapeno poppers and Mexican street corn while Megan takes a Dutch baby dessert which is cross between a crepe and a pancake.

The disaster for Christopher that was previewed last week comes when his pot falls into the fire when the rocks apparently shifted but lucky for him his campfire chili avoids falling completely into the fire. Still, not ideal and could play a part in the judging.

Team Michael has Brittani making lump crab and corn fritters while Ara and David tackle a chuck roast and bone-in pork chops and Ara makes a smoked blueberry panna cotta for dessert. Brittani comments to the camera about having to step back to men in this industry, but gets her revenge during judging where she gets “bite of the day” for her crab and corn fritters, and ultimately lifts Team Michael to be the first safe team of the day.

Between the other teams, Team Bobby narrowly edges out Team Eddie in what the judges say was the toughest decision yet. Bobby once again avoids the bottom.

Team Eddie joins the judges in their “Barbecutie Clubhouse” yet again this week. The Mexican street corn and the jalapeno poppers from Lu are called out as favorites, so it comes down to Christopher’s burnt-ish tasting chili and Megan’s Dutch baby that wasn’t quite the right texture. In the end, Megan goes home which she half expects after her her team lands in the bottom.

Bells for Megan, yet another cooking show contestant who “takes one for the team” and ends up going home for a dessert she didn’t want to make.

Christopher Prieto Watch: Christopher narrowly avoids going home for his short rib chili which had a slight burnt taste. He continues to be confident but after a big first impression in the premiere, Christopher has been humbled a little bit the past two episodes. Team Eddie is down to just two contestants, so he and Lu will surely be busy for next week’s tailgate challenge.

What was your favorite part of episode 3 of BBQ Brawl season 2? Leave your response in the comments and be sure to check back next week for a recap of episode 4.

Whispering Pines BBQ – Albemarle, NC

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Name: Whispering Pines BBQ
Address: 1421 US-52, Albemarle, NC 28001
Order: Chopped pork tray with red slaw, hush puppies, Cheerwine (link to menu)
Pricing: $

Monk: After lunch at Log Cabin BBQ and a short hike with the Monkettes at Morrow Mountain State Park, the plan was to hit up Whispering Pines on the way out of town back to Charlotte and maybe get the girls some dessert or ice cream. That is, until we pulled into the parking lot and I sadly realized it was drive through or curbside service only.

Nevertheless, once I realized the situation I got in one of two drive through lines and snapped a photo of the woodpile while waiting in line. That’s right, because while Log Cabin BBQ utilizes a gas assist wood smoker, Whispering Pines is all wood and deserved of their place on True Cue’s list of wood-smoked NC barbecue joints. Read a little more about the family behind both joints in my Log Cabin review linked above.

I ordered my tray, paid for it in cash (no cards accepted here), and headed to a Dairy Queen 20 minutes down the road in the town of Locust, NC. There, I ordered the Monkettes a Blizzard and cone and had some bites in the front seat of my car.

While the pork had less bark than what Log Cabin served, there was definitely a more pronounced wood smoke flavor. I wished I had eaten here first, and that I had been able to eat it inside the restaurant. I feasted off the leftover pork for a few more meals at home over the next few days, putting it on Martin’s potato rolls which made for a fantastic sandwich.

The slaw was a little too coarsely chopped for me, and maybe even a little on the sweet side. The hush puppies were standard.

Overall, a good experience (albeit takeout) from Whispering Pines BBQ. I will definitely try to make it back once they reopen inside dining.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – N/A
Pork – 4 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs