Delano Barbecue Company, Wichita KS

I am no stranger to Delano Barbeque Company, I have eaten lunch there periodically over the last few years. Knowing I would be leaving for central Texas in a couple of days I switched up my order. I chose the two meat dinner with sweet heat pulled pork, and sloppy joe (chopped brisket). It comes with two sides, I selected smoked Mac and cheese and fries. It comes with a drink, and my total was around $13, not bad at all.

Food was ready quick, and I was ready to eat. Lets start with the sides. the fries are hand cut, and seasoned with what I am guess is some of their rub. That is a nice touch in my opinion, it is a great way to incorporate the bbq flavor into the sides. They crispy and were very good dipped in the mild sauce on the table. The smoked Mac and cheese was your typical Mac and cheese, nothing really stood out about it. There was no smoke taste to it, which was kind of disappointing.

Now lets get down to business, the meats. The sweet heat pulled pork had a unique flavor. There was a little heat in the pork, it was tender, and flavorful. Overall it was good, and nice change from the usual pulled pork. The mild sauce paired well with it, and balanced out the heat in the pork. The chopped brisket sloppy Joe mixture was good, but it belongs on a bun. The brisket was very finely ground and is hard to tell that is brisket. This would make a very good sloppy Joe, but it was a little much for me on its own. I will say this was an usual order for me, I would usually order sliced brisket so maybe that is why it really didn’t do it for me.

Overall I would give my meal that day a 3.5. Good overall, but nothing that made me think I have to get this again. If you find yourself in the Delano district shopping, or going to a game at riverfront stadium stop at Delano Barbeque Company and give it a try for yourselves and let me know your thoughts.

The Traveling BBQer

March 19, 2022 0

Station 8 BBQ, Wichita KS

Station 8 BBQ is new to the restaurant scene in Wichita, and a place I could not wait to try. They opened to the public a few weeks ago and have been receiving great reviews. Their hours are limited, 11-2 Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I had tried to coordinate a lunch date with my wife at Station 8 a few times so we could share the yeti platter, but it hasn’t worked out yet. Our busy schedules and their limited hours make it difficult. I decided since it was just me I better not get the yeti, but man I wanted to! I chose two meats and two sides which comes with bread, onion, and pickles.

Photo from Facebook, I love the interior decoration and atmosphere at Station 8

I had to try their brisket that they slice right as you order it, and hot links. Slicing brisket in front of you when ordered is unique in Wichita, and something I wish more places did. I chose smoked Mac and cheese and bbq beans as my two sides, and added a can of Diet Coke. I think my total was $22 for my meal. A little more expensive than other places in town, but with meat prices the way they are now it is understandable.

Station 8 offers two sauces, a sweet and hot when you order, none on the table. I chose the hot. The sauce was not a standout, and not anything that makes or breaks the barbecue. Maybe that is a good thing though, the meat should stand on its own. I think next time I will try the sweet just to give it a try. The brisket had good bark on some spots, and other spots it had fallen off. The brisket was tender, moist, and had good flavor. Overall a good brisket. The hot links were good as well, but seemed very similar to other links offered at spots in town. The beans were very good, had a good smokey flavor and what I think was some chopped brisket mixed in there. One of the better bbq beans in town. The Mac and cheese was good but I was wanting something more from it. Maybe another cheese thrown in the mix or something, but it is worth ordering it again. The sliced bread which we were told they make everyday was a good complement to all on the tray. Overall a good barbecue lunch. I wouldn’t put it as the top spot in Wichita yet, but it is up there. Station 8 has a bright future in Wichita. Overall I would give it a 4 out of 5. I have heard great things about the pulled pork so it is at the top of my list to try on my next visit, and I have got to give their ribs a try. Has anyone else tried Station 8 yet? What are your thoughts?

Traveling BBQer

March 15, 2022 0

Bite Me BBQ, Wichita KS

Bite Me BBQ is one the cities highest rated barbecue spots. It is located in downtown Wichita at 132 St Francis, on the edge of old town. I have been there for lunch and dinner and the quality remains consistent throughout the day. I have taken many trips there over the last couple months and tried various meat combos, and they have all been well executed.

When ordering brisket I always go for the sliced. It is smokey, tender, and well seasoned. I think it pairs better with the original sauce, but their spicy sauce is good too. Pulled pork is always moist, and not overly pulled. They leave it longer pieces to give it more texture, and I really like that. Sausage is good, with just the right of spice. I have ordered ribs there a couple of times and they have been well cooked, tender, and moist. They do very minimal trimming on their ribs, if any at all. I understand that for restaurants, no waste, and quicker preparation, but I wish they did a little more trimming and gave me a cleaner rib. They offer a variety of sides, so far I have only tried the fries, Mac and cheese, and baked beans, and green beans. All have been very good. The thing that makes me Bite Me stand out for us is not something you would expect. It is their self serve pickle bar. They offer a variety of pickles, from normal to spicy, and I can tell you the spicy live up to their name. My wife loves the pickle bar, and always comes back to the table with a variety for us to share.

It is easy to see why Bite Me is one of top rated barbecue places in town. The staff is always friendly and helpful. The building is unique with a good atmosphere (and really neat old bar) and the food is delicious. I highly recommend you check it out. Order a Bloody Mary, your choice of barbecue and enjoy a good meal with family or friends. Barbecue is always better when eaten with others. Check out their menu… http://biteme-bbq.com/index.php/menu

The Traveling BBQer.

August 30, 2021 0

When Pigs Fly BBQ, Wichita KS

When Pigs Fly Bar-B-Que is one of the top rated barbecue spots in Wichita, and one I frequent semi regularly. My day job requires travel all over town, and anytime I am in the area around lunch I try to stop at When Pigs Fly. They are located on Wichitas west side, Central and ridge area. There are a couple of other BBQ options in at the area, but if you can only get to one, When Pigs Fly is the place to go. The service and food have always been top notch.

Brisket and sausage. Beans and corn for sides.

I always get some brisket when I am there. I have had fatty and lean (point, and flat) on multiple occasions and it has always been good. The brisket is moist and tender. I like that you get sliced brisket. Sliced brisket requires more skill. You could take the easy way and cook it til it is ready to shred and throw a mound a plate and call it a day, but sliced brisket requires knowledge, and a feel for the meat. You need to cook it just long enough to get it maximum tenderness, but not too long it falls apart. The brisket comes with a decent bark, and good flavor. Both smoke and their rub. This particular trip I got fatty brisket, and jalapeño cheddar sausage with baked beans and cream corn. They have two sauces on the table to choose, a regular and a spicy. I like them both, the regular a bit more. The jalapeño cheddar sausage is very good. I like it the with regular sauce. the sides are great complements to meats. Some barbecue spots need the sides to bring the meal up notch, When Pigs Fly does not. The meats are good enough on their own to make the meal memorable.

I am always looking out for my next chance to stop in for lunch, and maybe next time I will try a different meat to accompany my brisket. When Pigs Fly is a standout in the Wichita barbecue scene in my opinion. Good people serving good food. Please check it out for yourself and let me know your thoughts. I will leave a link to their menu. https://www.whenpigsflywichita.com/menus

The Traveling BBQer.

June 30, 2021 0

Wichita Kansas barbecue

Recently an article was published by the Chefs Pencil ranking americas best bbq cities. It stirred up quite the controversy around here listing Wichita Kansas as the third best barbecue city in the United States. Some defended their city and its ranking, and others were outspoken in their disagreement. Having lived in, or relatively close to Wichita my entire life I have eaten a lot of barbecue around town, and have never considered Wichita a great barbecue city. The barbecue culture in Wichita is still in its infancy. There are a few long time establishments that serve barbecue here, but nothing like what you find in other parts of the country. Skylight inn bbq in Ayden North Carolina established in 1947, Big Bob Gibsons in Decatur Alabama established in founded in 1925, or Kreuz Market in Lockhart Texas established in 1900 for example. Barbecue is more of a fast food option, then an experience in Wichita. There are no lines at opening, no 1000 gallon offset pits pumping out blue smoke from a well run fire. No one doing it the hard way for that perfect bite of barbecue. There isn’t that special barbecue spot that you can put in the elite category with places in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Carolinas to name a few. But does all that mean Wichita isn’t a great barbecue city? A week ago I would have definitely said it wasn’t, but maybe it is time I take a fresh look.

There are few places I have been to enough there is no need to make a special trip to again, like Hog Wild, and Crutch BBQ. Hog Wild is basically a fast food bbq joint, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Nothing special, but it wild is quick and convenient with multiple locations across town. Crutch BBQ is relatively new, but after a couple of trips there and trying different menu items I hate to say I am not a fan. There are other places I prefer to go. This is just my opinion, and honestly I hope if you have the chance you give Crutch a try for yourself and see what you think. I am going to start visiting the local bbq joints again, but with fresh eyes this time. I plan trying to get to at least one a week, and post a review. I will reference trip advisor and yelps rankings and post them in my review. Maybe this can be on going thing? I know of at least one new barbecue spot scheduled to open in the next few months, and the food truck scene around town usually has a new barbecue option to track down and try. I travel to eat barbecue why not keep it local and try what is close to home. Maybe after visiting these places again, and writing out my thoughts my mind will be changed. Maybe Wichita is a great barbecue city, but I was too accustom to it to notice. Only time and sampler platters will tell. Traveling Bqqer.

May 20, 2021 0