{"id":17239,"date":"2014-12-20T15:56:03","date_gmt":"2014-12-20T23:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=17239"},"modified":"2014-12-20T15:56:03","modified_gmt":"2014-12-20T23:56:03","slug":"lillies-q-award-winning-bbq-comes-to-brea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/lillies-q-award-winning-bbq-comes-to-brea\/","title":{"rendered":"Lillie’s Q Award-Winning BBQ Comes to Brea"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Barbecue<\/a><\/p>\n

You don’t have to be from the South to crave authentic smoked BBQ – it’s my belief that humankind carries an undiscovered chromosome responsible for the primal desire to sink one’s teeth into charred proteins infused with smoke and tenderized by a slow-burning wood fire. If there is one place where cultures collide in a good way it is in their mutual love for grilled, smoked, fire-roasted meats. It’s elemental! From Korea to Brazil, every country has its own version of barbecue. Whether it’s chicken satay in Southeast Asia, yakitori in Japan, char sui in China, bulgogi (Korea), churrasco (Brazil), tandoori (India), braii (South Africa) or a whole pig roasted on a spit; barbecue takes many different forms, and we love them all!<\/p>\n

\"Chef<\/a>Executive Chef Charlie McKenna and slow-smoked barbecue baby back ribs.<\/p>\n

For Americans, the South still reigns as the barbecue capital of the U.S. We won’t get into the regional differences or go out on a limb and declare any one the BEST. That, like so many other bests, is purely subjective, but fortunately, Southern-style barbecue has infiltrated every corner of the country and you can find some pretty dang good barbecue joints in the East, West, and Midwest. While these restaurants sate our cravings for down-home ‘que, I’ve read that the best barbecue is is not found in restaurants, but on the competition circuit. Now that I’ve been exposed to competition cooking at the World Championships of Food in Las Vegas this year, I’ve a real hankering to go to a qualifying barbecue competition – the competition barbecue circuit is huge, and in many ways patterned after golf, with the Kansas City Barbecue Society<\/a>, or KCBS, playing the role of the USGA.<\/p>\n

“…unlike barbecue, most foods don\u2019t have a highly organized series of competitive events that have been perfected over decades solely for the purpose of identifying the very best that can be made. Even owners of the most famous barbecue restaurants in America will concede (usually off the record) that what they cook for competition is markedly better than what they serve in their restaurants. And unlike most cuisines, many of the best barbecue masters don\u2019t even have restaurants \u2013 there is no huge hobbyist group of ultra-passionate sushi cooks who devote all their time and resources to traveling around preparing sushi for competition judges. The world\u2019s best brisket or ribs are more likely to come from a retired dentist or a schoolteacher using summers to smoke competition-worthy meat than from someone you\u2019ll see on Top Chef.” {Source: The World’s Best Barbecue, Forbes.com<\/a>}<\/p>\n

\"Red<\/a><\/p>\n

Kody Havener – Chef de Cuisine<\/p>\n

With the opening of Lillie’s Q<\/strong><\/a> in Brea on December 6th, Orange County gets a big, bold taste of the South from award-winning grill master and chef Charlie McKenna in partnership with Joe Manzella. Joe Manzella is one of Orange County\u2019s most successful independent restaurateurs, with three restaurants\u2014TAPS Fish House & Brewery<\/a> in Brea, a second TAPS in Corona and The Catch<\/a> in Anaheim. When Chef McKenna opened the first Lillie\u2019s Q in Chicago in 2010, he brought award-winning competition BBQ and timeless Southern cooking to Chicago and garnered critical praise and awards from both Chicago-based and national media. He also co-owns a Lillie\u2019s Q in Destin, Fla., with his parents, who operate the location. Chef McKenna and his father, Quito, have won numerous awards on the competition BBQ circuit.<\/p>\n

\"Fried<\/a><\/p>\n

Fried Pickles at Lillie’s Q! Best ever.<\/p>\n

Lillie\u2019s Q specializes in slow-smoked pork shoulder, tri-tip, baby back ribs, hot links, and chicken cooked in custom-built smokers over peach wood and lump charcoal. The a la carte menu is organized into six categories. Starters for the table include oysters with eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce, fried pickles, pimiento cheese, hush puppies with sweet potato dressing, and pork rinds. Now I have somewhere to go for hushpuppies – this Southern girl is super excited that they passed the taste test – crunchy, not greasy, with a proper stone-ground cornmeal center. Fried pickles are something you don’t eat every day and Lillie Q’s are the best I’ve had in a looooong time. Beer-battered and fried, the delightfully crunchy exterior is the perfect foil to the fresh tartness of the\u00a0pickle inside. Sandwiches on brioche buns include tri-tip, hot link and pulled pork and may be served \u201cSouthern-style\u201d with coleslaw for a nominal charge.<\/p>\n

\"Lillie's<\/a><\/p>\n

Puled Pork on Brioche Bun at Lillie’s Q<\/p>\n

At the media event, we tasted sliders of Lillie’s Pulled Pork and could choose from the smorgasbord of Lillie’s Q BBQ Sauces<\/strong> that range from tangy to sweet, smoky to spicy; each sauce pays homage to the deep-rooted BBQ traditions of specific Southern regions. Featured on the Today Show<\/a>\u00a0as a top mail-order gift on December 7th, Lillie’s website temporarily crashed from the surge of traffic to order the 3-bottle ($40) or 6-bottle ($60) gift box.\u00a0McKenna\u2019s renowned Lillie\u2019s Q sauces include Smoky, Hot Smoky, Carolina, E.N.C., Ivory, Carolina Gold, and Hot Pepper Vinegar. Seasonings of Q-Rub and Carolina Dirt are also available. Every few months, McKenna creates a limited edition bourbon-barrel aged sauce. Sauces and rubs are available for purchase in store, online <\/a>or at select retailers such as Crate and Barrel.<\/p>\n

\"Lillie's<\/a><\/p>\n

Non-Q entrees at Lillie’s Q include shrimp & grits, smoked fried chicken with Tupelo honey, crawfish roll, cornmeal batter Pacific snapper and Memphis tacos with smoked pork, coleslaw, housemade tortillas and hot smoky salsa verde.\u00a0Stews and salads consist of Brunswick Stew\u2014tomato, smoked pork and chicken, corn and lima beans\u2014Q Salad and Southern Caesar with crawfish tails.<\/p>\n

\"Shrimp<\/a><\/p>\n

Shrimp & Grits at Lillie’s Q. Heavenly!<\/p>\n

To round out the southern menu, sides include cornbread with Tupelo honey butter, Southern-style coleslaw, baked beans, green beans, collard greens with ham hock, mac & cheese, sweet potato or seasoned fries and stone-ground grits with housemade bacon. Try to save room for dessert because the Banana Pudding with Nila wafers is old-school scrumptious!<\/p>\n

\"Banana<\/a><\/p>\n

Banana Pudding tasters – with Nila wafers, just like mom used to make!<\/p>\n

Party planning for the holidays? Keep in mind that Q meats are available by the half or whole pound with several seasoned with Caroline Dirt, Grandma Lillie\u2019s sugar-based barbecue rub.\u00a0McKenna recommends a Taste of LQ\u2014a pick of three meats. Coming up in January after the holiday hoopla, Lillie Q’s will start serving its famous \u201cWhole Hog Dinner\u201d<\/strong> in January. This meal comes with eight starters and sides, feeds six to eight and requires a 48-hour notice. It is priced at $325.<\/p>\n

Lillie\u2019s bar carries American spirits exclusively, specializing in American small batch, craft liquors. I’m excited because they pour my favorite bourbon – Buffalo Trace Whiskey (Frankfort, KY). Whistle Pig Rye Whiskey (Shoreham, VT); Angel\u2019s Envy Bourbon (Louisville, KY); Tito\u2019s Vodka (Austin, TX), and Amethyst Gin (Ellensburg, WA) are also proudly poured.\u00a0Lillie\u2019s signature cocktails are Moonshine-based (corn whiskey that has not been barrel-aged) and served in old-fashioned Mason jars. The Apple Hooch & Ginger, M&M&M (McKenna Bourbon, Moonshine and mint syrup) and McKenna\u2019s take on the classic Bloody Mary, the Morning Lillie are among the most popular.<\/p>\n

\"Craft<\/a>
\nNaturally, barbecue calls for beer and Lillie\u2019s Q has a decent selection of craft beers and not-so craft beers. Featured on draft is Hog-Tied Amber, a beer expressly brewed for the opening by TAPS brewmaster David Huls. The American-style ale, crafted with Spalt hops, is medium bodied with a slightly sweet malt finish. It has been fermented with a yeast strain that was chosen to complement the flavors of BBQ and has an ABV of 5.3%. A selection of American craft beers with a focus on local breweries will be available as well as four highly-regarded TAPS beers on tap, in addition to a selection of bottled and canned beers.<\/p>\n

Chef McKenna is a proud Florida State University alum and a graduate of New York\u2019s prestigious Culinary Institute of America. He cooked under legendary chef Norman Van Aken in Florida before becoming sous chef at two of Chicago\u2019s four-star, fine-dining landmarks: Richard Melman\u2019s Tru and Avenues, previously in the Peninsula Hotel. McKenna\u2019s love of his family\u2019s culinary tradition brought him full circle to develop a restaurant based on the simple, savory cooking of his grandmother Lillie and his father\u2019s years of BBQ tradition.<\/p>\n

\"Patio<\/a><\/p>\n

Lillie’s Q<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

240 S. Brea Blvd., Brea, CA<\/p>\n

(714) 482-2001<\/p>\n

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