The Microquewery
Parked by the patio of Callsign Brewing, Fox & Fire Barbecue has been serving up highly sought after small-batch barbeque since July, 2020.
Published March 24, 2021
In 1908, Henry Perry set up a pushcart selling smoked pork ribs, mutton, and wild game in a Garment District alleyway and began the tradition of Kansas City barbeque. Two years later, he opened this city’s, and by some accounts the nation’s, first barbeque restaurant. Today, nothing in Kansas City bears his name or likeness.
Please, consider taking 30 seconds to SIGN THIS PETITION to name the new Kansas City International Airport terminal in honor of Henry Perry.
When Aesop quipped that “good things come in small packages”, he wasn’t talking about barbeque. However, when it comes to Northtown’s Fox & Fire Barbecue, he might as well have been.
Fox & Fire opened their doors windows on July 11, 2020. Operating out of a 150 square foot trailer that is permanently parked on the north side of Callsign Brewing in North Kansas City, the restaurant had been set to open Snake Saturday Weekend. The opening was delayed four months by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At this point, you may think you already know the story. “LOCAL MAN OPENS NEW BBQ JOINT.” “RESTAURANT OPENING DELAYED BY CORONAVIRUS.” We have all seen these headlines before. Sure, they are accurate but they don’t even begin to scratch the surface. There is nothing typical about Andy Fox and his day-glo orange trailer.
“I am just a backyard barbeque guy.”
Unlike many BBQ newcomers of the last decade, Fox & Fire was not born of the competitive circuit. As opposed to others who have burst onto the scene, Andy is not a renowned chef. In fact, his only restaurant experience to speak of is a job at McDonald’s in his teenage years. Instead, Fox spent much of the last fifteen years working in the pharmaceutical industry. Work-related travel frequently took Fox to the Southeast and more importantly, to Texas.
Andy Fox says that these trips, “opened my eyes to different food outside of Kansas City.” When he traveled to Texas, the pharmaceutical reps he worked with would routinely take him to their favorite local spots. Fox recalls that, “Coming from Kansas City I thought I knew everything about barbeque. They had something different going on down there and I really liked it. We don’t have [the Texas style of barbeque] in Kansas City.”
Andy Fox’s attention was captured by beef brisket in Texas and takes a lot of pride in his own version of the signature smoked meat.
These trips sparked an interest in Andy. The low-temperature, slow-cooked meats, with simple, straightforward dry rubs appealed to his taste. Him and his brother began to experiment with different cuts and techniques for family and friends. “I was just a backyard barbeque guy,” says Fox. He would watch instructional videos on YouTube to teach himself how to prepare and smoke the meat. It was a lot of trial and error. Fox, who spent a lot of time perfecting his beef brisket, told me, “I am really proud of my brisket because that’s what opened my eyes in Texas.”
Andy Fox long had aspirations of entrepreneurship but had never been sure what form that would take. For Fox, it kept coming back to food, “To have a stranger taste your food and say, ‘Wow! That’s really good.’ That’s a good feeling. It’s addictive.” Much like he had crafted his own curriculum on barbeque, Fox sought out opportunities to learn more about the food industry. He enrolled in seminars at the Kansas City Public Library on small business. He engaged with restaurants in Kansas City and Texas through social media. “All along the way,” Fox explains, “I made friends around town, worked in their kitchens, trying to figure out what I wanted to to do.” Fox found seminars and resources on operating food trucks. While the idea of a food truck greatly appealed to Fox, he did not necessarily like the idea of having to chase business or secure permits for different municipalities. So, Fox decided that if he was going to do Texas-style barbecue in Kansas City, he would bring another Lone Star staple to the Paris of the Plains as well - the food trailer.
After nearly six years of planning, and wIth a concept in mind, the Fox’s purchased their trailer in October of 2019. Fox and his wife had no idea where they would end up. They had planned to go door-to-door, so to speak, to try and find a partner where they could park their eatery. Fortunately, they never had to. A friend who happened to know Steve Sirois, the owner of Callsign Brewing, introduced him to Andy Fox.
Much like Andy Fox and barbeque, Steve Sirois began his journey as a backyard brewer. I was there when Callsign Brewing had their soft opening in the summer of 2018. Sirois invited the twenty or so of us there back into the tank room to tell us the story of Callsign Brewing. He explained how the gift of a homebrew kit years earlier sparked an unexpected passion. An Air Force veteran, Sirois briefly shared about his military service. He explained that the brewery was so named because every single beer on the menu was named in honor of a fallen military aircraft. He shared his vision for his brewery to not only pour great pints but to give back to the community. Today, that mission continues as Callsign will remind you that it’s “Founded by a Veteran to Honor Heroes*”.
As the namesake implies, every beer on the Callsign Brewing menu is named in honor of a fallen military aircraft.
Fast forward to the fall of 2019, Sirois, with no restaurants within walking distance of Callsign Brewing, was eager to offer a food option at the brewery beyond their limited snack offerings. An introduction was made, and soon it was clear that a partnership between the two made sense. Sirois’s future plans for an outdoor patio (which has since been constructed) meshed perfectly with Fox’s concept of a BBQ trailer. It was small-batch barbeque paired with small-batch beer. It was a marriage of microbrew with microque^.
“It just worked out,” Fox noted. When opening day came at long last, Fox made as much food as his 500 gallon smoker could handle. He sold out in two hours. Personally, I can understand why.
When I first visited Fox & Fire on Super Bowl LV weekend, there were three things that immediately stuck out to me before I had even taken a bite. First of all, the personal touch of Andy Fox and the unparalleled level of service you receive when you order from Fox & Fire. Secondly, the flexibility of the menu. There are few qualities I appreciate more in a BBQ joint than the ability to mix and match meat and sides as I see fit. When it comes to the plates, no meat is off-limits or requires an upcharge. And third of all? The ‘que may be micro, but the portions are most assuredly macro. Knowing now the quality of the food, this might be the single best BBQ value in the city when you consider the price, quality, and portion sizes. The three and four meat platters are definitely a two person meal.
Fox & Fire offers microque in macro portions. The first time that I ate at Fox & FIre, I really assumed the tray of food being carried into the brewery was my table’s entire order - not just my meal! Pictured is a Four Meat Plate with Tex-Mex cheddar sausage, beef brisket, pulled pork, pork belly burnt ends, mac-n-cheese, and beef brisket chili (seasonal).
The first meat to typically sell out, the pork ribs are very unique among Kansas City newcomers. Fox & Fire actually keeps the rib tips on the bone which is not typically seen among contemporary smokers. The salt and pepper rub gives the chewy bark a nice, coarse texture. Each bone has a gorgeous smoke ring and the right balance of firmness and tenderness. Everything about the look and feel screams Texas, but then the honey glaze on each bone provides a sweetness that is purely Kansas City.
Usually the first meat to sell out, the pork spare ribs have a Texas dry rub and a honey glaze. Pictured above, a half slab with a side of agave-lime slaw and pinto beans.
The pork belly burnt ends are simply glorious - the ultimate meat candy. They melt in your mouth and the bark has a satisfying glaze. The caramelized shell has a sweet flavor that reminds me of sarsaparilla (I later found out it was actually Dr. Pepper and brown sugar). This is as good of pork belly as can be found in KC.
The brisket, of which Fox is especially proud, is served in nice, thick slabs that have a beautiful black rind and that ideal bend-but-don’t-break tenderness. Fox was right about one thing, until he came along we did not have brisket quite like this in Kansas City. The pulled pork is the exact moisture that you want with a ton of flavor. And best of all, it is not sauced. Though the robust, smokehouse style, sauce that is served on the side is a nice complement if you so desire.
“I get the most questions about the sausage”, Fox told me. This was hardly a shock as, I too, had the most questions about this meat. The blackened links have a nice, crackly skin. The meat within is dense and flavorful. A mixture of beef and pork, Fox actually utilizes the trimmings from his briskets and pork ribs in the sausage. Billed as a “Tex-Mex” variety, each link oozes with cheddar. Cinnamon and cloves in the meat give each bite just a kiss of sweetness before building to a hearty flavor with just a tinge of spice.
Braised with Dr. Pepper and brown sugar, the pork belly burnt ends exemplify well-made “meat candy”. The Tex-Mex cheddar sausage is among Fox & Fire’s most popular items.
Among Fox & Fire’s sides, the mac-n-cheese is made with rotini noodles. It is creamy, rich, and somehow complex in its simplicity. The potato salad is unique as it is a whipped salad with chunks of potato hidden within, closer in texture to the best Thanksgiving mashed potatoes. The mustard, black pepper, and what I can only guess is a pinch of dill, gives this salad a deliciously bold flavor. While the beef brisket chili, is sadly gone for the season, I cannot wait for the flavorful bowl of shredded brisket and beans to return! Always appreciated, each tray is garnished with house-made pickles and pickled onions. Also of note, is a rotating cast of desserts. Fox says, “I like desserts and I like playing with desserts.”
Recently introduced to the menu, the Agave Lime Slaw is the real standout among the sides. Made with red cabbage and crisp strips of green apple, the creamy slaw has a satisfying crunch in every bite. You get a little sweetness from the apple and then a light pucker of tartness from the lime on the back-end. Cole slaw is rarely my go-to but at Fox & Fire it is a must. In my opinion, if Fox offered this slaw on a pulled pork sandwich with melted cheddar and drizzled BBQ sauce, it would likely be one of the best barbeque sandwiches in the city.
Kansas City barbeque began with Henry Perry parking a pushcart in an alleyway and today, the Fox family adds to that proud tradition from an orange trailer parked outside of Callsign Brewing in North Kansas City. In the future, Andy Fox hopes to expand the days and hours of his operation. Just last week, Fox & Fire added Thursdays into the rotation with a limited lunch menu that is available from 11:00am until 12:00pm, and Fridays will soon follow suit. Currently, Fox is working on a 1000 gallon smoker to increase his capacity. Fox revealed that, “Selling out is fun, but I hate turning people away.” This could open the door to expanded offerings. He hinted that meats like turkey may eventually make their way to the menu but that these things take time. An admitted perfectionist, Fox explained, “If I’m going to put it out there, I want it to be awesome.”
At this juncture, I can truthfully say: Mission Accomplished Fox & Fire.
Those Pesky Endnotes That I Often Insist On
*In fact, when I was at Callsign for dinner and drinks on Friday, February 26, 2021, I watched as an Air Force Major was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the taproom!
^ Is microque a thing? If not, I am making it a thing! Fox & Fire is the epitome of microque.
The 411:
Callsign Brewing
1447 Gentry Street
North Kansas City, Missouri
HOURS: Wednesday through Sunday - HOURS VARY (check website)
www.callsignbrewing.com
Fox & Fire Barbeque
1447 Gentry Street
North Kansas City, Missouri
HOURS: Thursday - 11:00am - 2:00pm OR Sell-Out; Friday - 11:00am - 2:00pm AND 4:00pm - 8:00pm OR Sell-Out; Saturday - 2:00pm - 8:00pm OR Sell-Out
www.foxfirebbq.com
”So, What Do I Get?”: The Works sandwich offers the best opportunity for an individual to try most of the meats as all four of Fox & Fire’s sliced meats are on the mammoth sandwich. The three and four meat platter are a phenomenal option and value but you will likely be taking some of it home.
For a first timer, the brisket and the Tex-Mex cheddar sausage are a must! As far as sides go, you cannot go wrong with the mac-n-cheese, potato salad, or the agave lime slaw. That slaw is truly something special! Whatever you get, ARRIVE EARLY!
When offered, Callsign’s Kentucky Colonel, a bourbon brown ale, has a nice oak barrel taste that pairs well with the oak smoked meats. Of their year-round offerings, Callsign’s Bombshell Blonde Ale is always an excellent choice to pair with Fox & Fire’s microque.
