LCs Barbecue (7/10) - 5800 Blue Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64129

After consuming a Gates' double-decker pork sandwich a few bites into the burnt end sandwich, Matt and I continued on our course towards LCs Barbecue.  The esthetically pleasing area where we ate at Gates Barbecue quickly turned for the worse, and shuttered businesses peppered both sides of the street.  Despite a lack of appetite, Matt and my optimism remained high as LC's came recommended from a colleague who has significant experience travelling the country eating barbecue.

The smoke from LC's smoker permeated throughout the double-hinged steel doors throughout the entire restaurant and constantly filled my nostrils.  The heavenly smell re-awoke our appetites, and we fought continue ordering barbecue.
The pitmaster pulled out a beef brisket from the smoker and start slicing it on the deli-slicer (second time in a row I witnessed a meat-slicer being used).  The pitmaster must have felt some compassion because he filled our outstretched and open palms with some of the newly sliced meat.  The brisket was delicious.  Matt and I still opted for the short-end ribs and a side order of fried mushrooms after surveying the menu and eclectic variety of meats filling the racks in the smoker behind the counter.

The ribs came out and looked absolutely impeccable.  They had a nice blackened bark, and it was easily visible to notice that the meat was pulled back off the bone.  The convexity of the slab created a deep enough inlet for a nice amount of sauce to remain and seep into the meat.  Finger into sauce then into mouth confirmed a delicious flavor, spicy with a good concentration of tomato and vinegar, and good consistency.  Matt and I raced to be the first person to try one of the ribs.  And in simultaneous fashion, we bit, chewed, then both expressed a look of disappointment.  The meat tasted like we were chewing on a smoldering piece of wood.  Perhaps we timed our trip poorly, but the ribs were definitely over-smoked.  We saved four ribs to try later that night to ensure that our taste-buds were not effected by the copious amounts of barbecue we had already eaten that day.  Barbecuing is extremely delicate, and I would definitely revisit LCs on an alternate visit to Kansas City to confirm that LCs typically has better tasting ribs.