Quick Bite: Barbecue at Lord and Lacy

UPDATE 6/9/2011: Look below—Lord and Lacy are at a new location this summer. Plus, they'll be serving their BBQ at the North First Street farmers' market on Thursdays. -Lisa

I'm excited to tell you that there's a new kid on the BBQ block. Yep, there's wood-fired barbecue going on in Champaign that you probably don't know about. Thanks to my friends J and D, I got the lowdown yesterday and went to check it out.

The southeast corner of Prospect and Bradley Avenues is where You'll find this new vendor of smoked delicacies near the Tire Barn in Champaign. Don't blink or you'll miss it. Look for a small, white tent, and behind that, a large smoker filled with ribs, chicken, Polish sausage, and "hot links."

That's how you'll know you're in the right place. The outfit is called Lord and Lacy, and they're serving BBQ on Fridays and Saturdays until the weather becomes uncooperative.

My friend J and I went for lunch yesterday. What you do is pull into the lot, find a place to park, approach the tent, peruse the menu, and place your order. Take cash, because Lord and Lacy's doesn't do cards or checks. You won't need a ton of cash, though; as you can see, prices are right.

No whole ribs, but you can get rib tips, a quarter chicken (that would be the leg and thigh), or the Polish/hot link. The chicken and sausages are served as either dinners or as sandwiches. Dinners come with a piece of corn on the cob, baked beans, and a slice of bread. Can't decide between BBQ chicken and rib tips? No problem; order the combo dinner and get both.

My friend went with the chicken dinner, displayed here:

And I opted for the rib tips. They were finger-lickin' good, with lots of char but also plenty of tender, meaty bites. The corn was a bit soggy, but I liked the fact that it was soft enough to eat off the cob easily. The baked beans were basic; nothing to write home about, but tasty and just fine on the side. I thought the single pepperoncini was a nice touch.

You put the barbecue sauce on yourself, from the bottles on the table where you order, so you can have as much or as little as you want. The sauce was tasty; pretty sweet but, as Beverly Lacy told us, "with a bit of a twang."

Regarding the sausages: Of course, I know from Polish sausage, but I must tell you that I am not absolutely sure what a hot link is. It sounds spicy, though, and I'm definitely going to try one next time I visit.

Now, there's no seating (unless you eat in your car, like my friend and I did), so this is a carryout situation. On the other hand, if you want to hang out, you could bring a couple of folding chairs with you. On the street, in the comfort of your home, or wherever you chow down, you'll be eating something good. You can get a soda or bottled water to accompany your meal.

The partners who run the business—that would be Marvin and Beverly Lacy—hope to move the operation to an indoor location soon. For my part, I hope they find a nice spot that's as close to where we live and work as their current location is. Oh—did I mention that Marvin hails from Kansas City? Enough said.

New this year (2011): Lord and Lacy will be smokin' at the North First Street farmers' market. You'll find them there (the market is located just north of the Champaign police station on First St.) from 3 to 7 p.m. every Thursday while the farmers' market is running.

Lord and Lacy Barbecue
Corner of Prospect and Bradley Avenue
NEW LOCATION! Near the Tire Barn (806 Bloomington Rd.)
Champaign, IL
Phone: 217-359-3972
Hours: Fridays and Saturdays from 12 noon to 6:30 p.m.
Catering also available

Cash only, no credit/debit cards taken.

Update: Keith and I went for lunch today, and they didn't have the hot links, so I wasn't able to sample one. However, he got a Polish, which I did taste, and it was fabulous. I tried the combo dinner—rib tips and chicken—and both were delicious. If you like barbecue, take yourself to this place pronto.