Glenn Elder - Lakeside Convenience

Normally, when you think of convenience store food, old hotdogs on rollers and cheap low quality microwave burritos come to mind. Rarely do convenience stores and good barbeque go hand in hand. Except for when you're talking about Lakeside Convenience, overlooking Waconda Lake in Glenn Elder, Kansas- it's one of those rare treats.

This place looks like a typical gas station. In fact, nothing outside the building indicates the delicious food available inside. Had it not been for a tip from Kansas State University Extension Agent Sarah Molzahn, who covers this area of North Central Kansas, I would have never known about this hidden gem.

Don't let this disguise fool you- this is some good grub!

Lakeside Convenience carries a good selection of barbecue supplies including smoking woods and delicious Head County sauces. These are the same sauces served with their pulled pork sandwiches.The also sell Luther’s Smokehouse jerky, the same good stuff covered by fellow blogger Mike.

They have a limited barbecue menu that includes wonderful pulled pork sandwiches seasoned with a homemade blend of spices and served on a butter toasted bun.During my recent visit, I chose seasoned fries for a side and was not disappointed.

Trust me. It's good. 

If you're looking for something different or just something handy while out at the lake, you owe it to yourself to stop in. Just look for the fish out front.

Nice fish.

Until next time, swine and dine!

Chris

Kansas City - Woodyard Bar-B-Que

I feel like I’d be doing you a disservice if I talked about unique places to dine on barbecued pork and didn’t mention “Woodyard Bar-B-Que” in Kansas City, KS. Woodyard is the consummate KC BBQ place as far as I am concerned. Woodyard is located on Merriam Lane, which on the map is just north of the I-35 and Lamar Ave. interchange, so it’s pretty easy to get to, and well worth your time.

Welcome friends.

Woodyard happens to be inside an old house of all places, with large brick smokers outside (pretty much in what used to be the front yard) that do all the cooking. In my mind, it is bare bones BBQ at its finest. I find it’s best to go when the weather is nice, because the majority of the seating is outdoors, but there are a few places to sit inside if need be. They actually happen to be in the living/dining room of the old house!

Come on in and take a seat.

 The place has really grown in popularity lately, as it was featured in 2010 on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” hosted by Guy Fieti. From a humble beginning in the 1950s as nothing more than a place that sold smoking wood, Woodyard slowly turned into a place that also used the wood to smoke meat and sell it too over the years! These days, with the publicity the TV show brought, and a recent concerted effort to cater to the “happy hour” crowd, this unique family-run eatery has really had an upswing in business.

I wish I could include aroma in these pictures. 

On my last trip there, I had the #1 rib platter, with came with two pork ribs, some of the best smoked pork sausage I have ever eaten, a side, and a couple other meats that we won’t discuss right now! The ribs were very tender, and have an outstanding rub on them that is as unique as the restaurant itself is. The sausage, like I said, was some of the best I have ever had. It was lean, but not chewy, and had good moisture without being greasy.

The real deal.

At Woodyard you walk in and order, and they bring the food to you at the table when it is ready, but otherwise this place is all self serve regarding your drinks and sauce needs. There is a roll of paper towels on the table and that’s about it! Just about the way Kansas City Barbecue was meant to be served I would say! If you’re heading down I-35 in Kansas City and are in the mood for something a chain restaurant can’t even begin to offer, make your way to “Woodyard Bar-B-Que” and step back in time for a taste of Kansas City Barbecue’s glory days! 


-Mike

Morland - Mercantile Community Support Part II

If you didn’t make it out to the Morland Mercantile Benefit supper on Friday July 15th,

You missed the best barbeque ribs in northwest Kansas!

Ribs you missed!

The buffet line. There was more, but this is the important stuff.

The event was a fundraiser for the Morland Mercantile, a community kitchen and access to food facility housed in a historic downtown grocery store building. Equipment for the Morland Mercantile will be brought in early this fall and hopefully the doors will open for business soon after.

Looks so good, and they were!

The July 15th barbeque brought in approximately $1700 in donations for the thirty racks of ribs and five gallons of beans that were served.

Chris working hard!

The ribs were expertly prepared by KCBS bbq judge Chris Petty with assistance from community supporters Alice Petty and Alex Leslie. They were slow smoked on three smokers for approximately 8 hours using a combination of mulberry and hickory wood and were hand rubbed with Head Country Seasoning.


Until next time, swine and dine!
Chris