Kansas: Burnt Ends

Sandwich served: October 27, 2013

Being an east coaster who has uprooted to the midwest I've had some difficulty finding people to invite over for a few neighboring states. The remaining sandwiches were on my mind as I was on my way to meet my friend Laura's new boyfriend, Mike. I'm pretty sure that within ten minutes of meeting, I had whipped out a list of 15 states and, without any context, asked about his connection to each them. It turns out Mike grew up in Kansas, so I penciled him in for burnt end sandwiches.

Earlier in the year, my friends Mick and Melissa tied the knot with a beautiful ceremony, complete with the best mother son dance I've seen. Amidst the dancing and merriment Mick's brother, Fran, made a point to let me know he graduated from Kansas and noticed I hadn't made the sandwich yet. With the Enrights on board, we had quite the Sunday night gathering for burnt ends!

Kansas also wins for introducing me to my new favorite beer: Velvet Rooster by Tallgrass Brewing Co.. Not only is it a fantastic brew but the packaging should win design awards. I was poking around the website and noticed the ABV is 8.5%, which might have influenced my new found love, but either way you should absolutely order it if you see on a menu anytime soon.

After smelling the brisket cook all afternoon I was quite eager to dig in. I wasn't the only one, judging by the abrupt silence around the table after we got our sandwiches. If you ever find yourself in Kansas, please eat a burnt end sandwich and wash it down with a Velvet Rooster. If you don't, I'd say you're doing it wrong.

The making of sandwich #37: