E-Dogz is heading to Kansas City!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

On April 6th as part of the Speakeasy exhibition, E-Dogz will collaborate with Pitmaster Bill Emerson to bring you:

Midwestern BBQ Migration

Like hotdogs and pizza, BBQ is one of those foods with fierce regional allegiances. In projects such as the International Hotdog Forum, E-Dogz has set aside such arguments for the sake of celebrating the diversity of all the great working class food traditions. On April 6th as part of the Speakeasy exhibition, E-Dogz will be showcasing the similarities and differences of Kansas City and Chicago styles of BBQ, while charting the history of these great traditions.

In terms of historic documentation, BBQ landed in Kansas City earlier than in Chicago, brought from Memphis by Henry Perry who sold hickory smoked meat wrapped in newspaper from a stand in an alley in the garment district. We can trace certain influences in KC style BBQ back to Memphis, most prominently the use of tomato based, tangy s auce and to a lesser extent the use of pork spare ribs over other parts of the pig. Kansas City, having a major meatpacking industry, offered a wide variety of different meats and cuts. Unlike other styles of regional BBQ, there is not one particular meat favored in KC, though ribs (both pork and beef), beef brisket, and the well-done and charred “burnt ends” of the point end of the brisket are most attributed to the style. Sausages, pork shoulder, mutton and poultry also have their place in the Kansas City canon. A fellow named Charlie Bryant worked for Perry and took over his business in 1940, which was then passed along to Charlie’s brother, Arthur who renamed the shop after himself. Arthur Bryant’s is still in business and considered some of the best BBQ in Kansas City. Another famed BBQ joint was opened by another former Perry employee, Arthur Pinkard who with his business partner, George Gates opened Gates and Sons in 1946. Needless to say, this once- Southern, African American style of slow smoking economical cuts of meat found mass appeal in Kansas City and the Midwest in general. A notable early white- owned BBQ joint was opened by Russ Fiorella in 1957, called The Smokestack. The original shop relocated south to Martin City and then spun off as a chain of restaurants. Now only one Smokestack location, in the Waldo neighborhood, still produces their top tier ‘Q. Russ’ son Jack went on to start a well known mini- BBQ empire, Fiorella’s Jack Stack.

Like Kansas City style BBQ, Chicago style has roots in the south, though less easy to trace. There is no one figure accredited to bringing BBQ to Chicago. There is scant historical reference to street vendors and private BBQ pits as early as the 1920’s, which aligns with the Great Migration from the south to Chicago of Southern Blacks during the first decades of the 20th century. In particular, a strong migration of folks from the Mississippi delta during the second Great Migration in the 40’s and 50’s brought to Chicago great southern cultural traditions both in terms of food and music- BBQ and the blues. Early BBQ joints opened up on Chicago’s south side in the 1940’s, such as Leon’s and Lem’s, both of which still operate today under original ownership. Chicago style BBQ has several distinguishing hallmarks. It is always smoked over hard wood, typically in a glass pit, known affectionately as the “aquarium” smoker. Though occasionally you may find smoked poultry, Chicago style ‘Q is exclusively pork based. Spare ribs are common, cut St. Louis style, with the tips cut off to form a rectangular rack. Thrifty Chicago pitmasters would not just discard the tips though, they offered an economic cut laden with extra fat and juicy meat. The tips are smoked separately and are a foundational element of the Chicago style. Another unique character to the style is the hot link, a highly spiced, coarse ground sausage, which may have been introduced or influenced by central European butchers who immigrated to Chicago with their own traditions of smoking encased meats.

Kansas City and Chicago, along with St. Louis share in a great Midwestern BBQ tradition. Despite regional differences, there is much more in common amongst the styles. BBQ is originally a southern black tradition and arrived in the Midwest during the Great Migrations. Like southern BBQ, the meat is always smoked over hardwood. Sauce is applied after smoking or served on the side and has a common ancestor in the Memphis style.- thick tomato based, sweet, tangy, and often spicy. Midwest BBQ is most often served spartanly on a bed of fries with a slice or two of white bread. These Midwestern cities are hubs of commerce and transportation and have established meatpacking industries, which made them perfect places for the development of BBQ culture. These traditions are vital to the foodways of the Midwest and were developed side by side in America’s heartland.

Midwestern BBQ Migration

April 6th, 6-9 PM

La Esquina 1000 W. 25th St. KC-MO (a Charlotte Street Foundation Urban Culture Project venue)

http://thespeak-easy.org/