KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Barbecue and baseball are two of Kansas City's favorite pastimes. For many, stopping at one barbecue restaurant on Blue Parkway is a tradition.
When the smoker door closes, serious BBQ business begins.
"This is really fresh hand BBQ hot off the grill. We never slice it up until we're ready to make your sandwich or your burnt ends or whatever," L.C. Richardson, the restaurant's owner, said.
Richardson, of L.C.'s Bar-B-Q at 5800 Blue Parkway, hasn't always had professional smokers to work with – he started backyard barbecuing as a kid.
"We would pick hickory limbs, maybe some oak limbs, and start our fire like you would in the backyard," Richardson said. "It started that way."
Back when he was a kid was long before L.C.'s became the game day pit stop for Royals and Chiefs fans city-wide, as well as guests nationwide for those in town for the All-Star Game.
"I enjoy people enjoying the barbeque, it makes my day. I sit up and smile look at them eat. It's really fun for me," Richardson said.
L.C.'s award-winning meat spends four to eight hours in the smoker, but Richardson will only let escape minor secrets about why people love it so much.
"The sauce there…it has on the label what ingredients are in it. That's about what I do," he said.
Richardson is a sports fan himself and is often seen wearing team colors on his shoes.
"I had to scramble around and find my shoes for today. We're talking baseball, but a lot of times I have Chiefs shoes and hats, so I have to keep that separated from the Royals outfit," he said.
For those who have trouble finding where L.C.'s is located, Richardson recommends just looking up and they can most likely find the smokestack putting Kansas City's smoke signal into the air.
L.C.'s is usually closed on Sundays, except for game days. Richardson is a sports fan himself and restaurant visitors will find him sitting at the table seen in KCTV5's story every day.
L.C.'s Bar-B-Q can be reached at (816) 923-4484.
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