When we flew into Kansas City last week, getting in just in time for dinner, we were sorely tempted to go back to our favorite BBQ joint, Oklahoma Joe’s. In the pursuit of knowledge, however, we felt that we really needed to try somewhere new – you know, so we can say with authority where our favorite KC barbecue is. We’ve tried Gates, Smokestack and Joe’s, but we had never made it to one which is often touted as the best in the city: L.C.’s Bar-B-Q.

Located on the corner of Blue Parkway and Sni-a-Bar Road, just off of the eastern curve of 435, L.C.’s isn’t hard to find – there are even signs on the freeway to get you there. It’s not much to look at, and they don’t serve beer, so I would suggest getting takeout – that’s what almost everyone else was doing when we stopped in. If you eat in, though, you get a big bottle of extra sauce and plenty of paper towels.  We also got to eavesdrop on a really interesting conversation L.C. was having with another guy at the corner table.

I knew the servings would be generous, but we ordered plenty anyway: burnt ends, a sliced beef sandwich, fried okra, and baked beans. The sandwich came with fries as well, which were obviously cut in-house.

The burnt ends were fantastic, fatty and rich and doused in L.C.’s tart, cuminy sauce. They were served piled heavily on plain white bread, and pretty much needed to be eaten with a fork.

The beef sandwich was awesome, almost too big to bite into. The smoke ring on the beef was brilliant pink, and the meat was tender and flavorful. It was modestly sauced, which really gave the flavor of the smoked meat a chance to shine.

We love fried okra, and can hardly ever get it on the west coast. This was blazingly hot and crisp. The only thing I wished for was a dish of mayo or ranch dressing to dip it in.

And the baked beans! They were thick, sweet with molasses, and well studded with shredded beef. Some of the best beans I’ve had. I could easily make a meal of a bowl of these and some cornbread.

We ate about half of all this, and took the rest home to my in-laws’ house, where it all got eaten for lunch the next day. L.C. does not skimp on his servings. I would love to come back and get a vast amount of takeout from here, especially ribs, and have a proper feast with Boulevard beer and lots of napkins.

By the way, this post marks the end of NaBloPoMo! Posting may be a bit less frequent for a while, but I guarantee I won’t stop talking about food anytime soon.