Congrats to Sanders BBQ on being chosen as Chicago’s best barbecue restaurant by the Chicago Tribune’s food critics! We are excited to see Sanders BBQ continue getting recognition for their amazing food.
“It has a little bit of a Kansas City flair with a little Texas with a little Chicago,” owner James Sanders said in the article. “We really try to integrate all the flavors together.” The restaurant’s Texan sour, Midwestern heat and Chicago spicy sauces reflect that diversity.
The team of pitmasters, prep cooks and meat cutters are encouraged to experiment. Pitmaster Nick Kleutsch recently contributed a smoked brisket reuben with a marble rye bun, miso Russian dressing, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese—a funky fermentation and smoke combination. Sanders, who also operates Fuze Catering, contributed best-selling items such as peach tea smoked wings and collard greens with smoked turkey.
It may take that extra step beyond a typical barbecue place, but Sanders expressed a shared core philosophy that you find in all the best barbecue spots. “We make food with love,” he said. “Even if it is a little different.”
Photo credit: E. Jason Wambsgans