Burnt Legend
Burnt ends are a part of every Kansas Citian’s DNA — they are iconic, and incredibly tasty. While beloved by many, the true story has remained obscured by a screen of smoke and hidden under the piles of hickory used to stoke the pits. KCPT, Flatland and Recommended Daily are joining forces to tell the real story of Burnt ends — one delicious bite at a time.
Let us guide you through this mash-up of food, travel and behind-the-scenes access into the pits where it all began and is still being mastered today.
Chapter 5 | Is This The Ends?
Singers have Broadway. Aspiring pitmasters? They come to Kansas City because if you can make a burnt end that makes Kansas Citians sit down and take notice, you can make barbecue anywhere. Our city’s esteem for barbecue — combined with pitmasters’ desire to perfect their craft — means that even our iconic barbecue dish is…
Chapter 4 | The Quest for the Best (Remembering L.C. Richardson)
Magic in Kansas City doesn’t involve cards or top hats. True magic is what happens to brisket when smoke and fire are applied in the correct ratio and for the right amount of time. True magic is burnt ends. In Chapter 4, we dive into how and why we chase and crave that magic in Kansas…
Chapter 3 | Making Ends Meat
The popularity of burnt ends created an unusual problem for pitmasters in Kansas City. Even with a ready supply of briskets, there wasn’t enough of the ends of those briskets to make the menu item known as “burnt ends.” Briskets taper at both edges — it’s the thinner parts that get crusty and crispy and deliciously charred….
Chapter 2 | Demand, The Myth, The Legend
Arthur Bryant’s has been luring folks, like James Beard Award-winning chef Colby Garrelts, to the counter for years with the siren call of smoke. Garrelts, the co-owner of Rye and Bluestem, has been coming to Bryant’s since he was a child, just like writer Calvin Trillin (who famously shined a light on burnt ends four…
Chapter 1 | From Discard to Destiny
Kansas City is often called a melting pot of barbecue. The idea is that we’re willing to cook a lot of different meats, and that we’ve taken the time to understand how to do each one right (here’s a hint: it’s almost always low and slow). But Kansas City isn’t just an aggregator of barbecue,…