The best BBQ in the west...and the north, east and south!
Are you a barbecue aficionado? (a.) Do you know all the sauces at Bandana’s by heart? (b.) Do you have to explain to friends what burnt ends are? (c.) Are you the first person to put on the plastic bib at a barbecue restaurant while everyone else at your table is hesitating?
If you answered yes to these questions, congratulations! You are unofficially a barbecue connoisseur. And now you need to visit Kansas City, the undisputed barbecue capital of the world. Here are the restaurants that should be on your list:
- Arthur Bryants 1727 Brooklyn Avenue 816-231-1123 You’ll join movie stars and former presidents who have dined here. Founder Arthur Bryant was anointed the "king of ribs." His famous sauce is legendary. If you can’t make it to the restaurant you can now buy the original barbecue sauce at ArthurBryantsbbq.com.
- Danny Edwards Famous Kansas City Barbecue 1227 Grand Blvd. 816-283-0880 You’ve got to eat and run here. People line up to get in this tiny eatery. It doesn’t hold a lot of people, but once you get in the door, prepare your pallet. The hickory smoked brisket sandwich and burnt ends are must-haves.
- Gates Barbecue 1221 Brooklyn Avenue 816-483-3880 They call this place "Rib Tech." Maybe because cooking barbecue is considered a science here. If you can’t decide between a slab, a short end or long end chicken or mutton, you can have them all. Just order the mixed plate. And if you’re really hungry, they’ll serve you meat by the pound. Gates even divulges their recipes for everything from Spanish omelet with Gates barbecue sauce, to Gates barbecue pizza, at gatesbbq.com
- Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue 3002 West 47th Street 913-722-3366 If you think you measure up, Oklahoma Joe’s holds a contest to determine which amateur barbecuer has the chops. It’s called the "World Brisket Open," and its held at the Kansas City Speedway every spring. Or you could just eat at the restaurant. Try the "hog heaven" or the open-faced "lean and mean."
- BB’s Lawnside Barbecue 1205 East 85th Street 816-822-7427 BB’s secret is in the stones. They use granite stones during the cooking process, which they say, holds heat longer. Briskets are smoked fourteen to sixteen hours. And ribs ten to twelve hours. Start out with Big Bertha’s onion rings. And if you’re hungry, move on to Big Walter’s mixed meat sandwich. A combination of chopped beef, ham, turkey, pulled pork, italian sausage and burnt ends marinaded in their home-made sweet barbecue sauce.
- Fiorella’s Jack Stack 13441 Holmes Road 816-942-9141 It’s gotten so big, Fiorella’s Jack Stack now has four locations and an online grocery store. But the old staples are still the same. The Crown Prime beef ribs and the hickory seared rack of pork are local favorites.
If Kansas City holds the title of "best barbecue" in the U.S., Memphis is a definite runner up.
The copyright of the article Kansas City Barbecue in North American Culinary Travel is owned by L. Marie Dubuque. Permission to republish Kansas City Barbecue in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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