Saveur chicago

Low and slow cooking this is not, but the direct wood fire adds a pronounced smoky bark to the meat that is worth crowing over. The product of a unique set of circumstances at a single point in history, Chicago barbecue is now starting to disappear. A reversal in migration flows, the rising popularity of national fast food chains in black neighborhoods, and skyrocketing ingredient costs and rent have all made it harder for the old guard to stay on.

But it still thrives in a few camps. But Robert Adams Sr. Maybe Atlanta will get an aquarium smoker joint soon. When pitmasters of this caliber smoke meats, there is little fussing or second-guessing.

Their fingertips are equipped with X-ray vision that can see through solid hunks of meat. Which makes finessing the finer points of South Side barbecuing difficult to articulate. The way Kennebrew and McClinton teach barbecue sounds less procedural and more like abstract wisdom. McClinton invited me to stick my hand into the smoker over the hot zone.

I could hold it there without recoiling from the heat. Controlling the fire is a manual process using oxygen and water to achieve the desired conditions. Say the fire gets too hot.

If the temperature gets too low, he might crack open the two doors at the base of the smoker, which helps circulate oxygen and fuels the fire. We had arrived.

We could put out consistently good product that can stand up to anybody. So upon receiving the order, immediately tear a corner from the Styrofoam box to create a vent for steam to escape. For that reason, it is necessary to always request sauce on the side. The next problem arises: The majority of these barbecue restaurants are takeout only, typically with transactions made through a bulletproof carousel. The answer is almost certainly no. South Side barbecue is best experienced moments after payment, with a fistful of napkins, on the hood of your car.

Once you unbox the rib tips, cast the two slices of white bread aside. Why waste precious stomach real estate? Opt first for a thick, fatty hunk of rib tip, preferably one studded with cartilage. As with crabs or wings, the high effort-to-food ratio of rib tips is half the point.

Now spit the bonelike knobs into the paper bag. It is one of the essential tactile experiences of Chicago dining, alongside dislodging caramel-cheese popcorn from your molars and dripping Italian beef jus down the front of your shirt. Hot links enjoy a longer shelf life than rib tips. Is it subtle? The team recently received a grant to initiate their project, Systems Approaches for Vulnerable Evaluation and Urban Resilience SAVEUR , which aims to more accurately predict extreme weather events and reduce impacts at the neighborhood level.

SAVEUR will combine natural science, social science, data science and engineering to not only more accurately predict weather events such as heat waves, air quality and flooding, but also assess vulnerabilities within neighborhoods and cities and propose sustainable, adaptive infrastructure changes. Must-eat deep dish, sterling Mexican food, a killer bar scene—the Windy City has it all. Xoco There are tortas and then there are Tortas.

Xoco N Clark St. Enter on Illinois , Chicago, IL Birrieria Zaragoza Chicago is home to some excellent Mexican food, a fact often overlooked by visitors. The dining room is no-frills—bright lights and spare tables—so your eyes naturally fall on the gentleman behind the counter, chopping up hunks of goat meat with a fat cleaver on a well-worn butcher block.

The bright, sun-lit interior makes for the perfect cafe to while away an afternoon while drunk on pastry. The giardiniera here principally pickled celery and peppers with a dose of chile heat is a refreshing rejoinder to the meat, and the soft, pliant hero bread, once soaked with jus, holds its shape just long enough for you to down one with gusto.