The Best Bites from KC’s Harp Barbecue Festival
Two and a half years ago, during one of my many barbecue road trips to my old hometown of Kansas City, I had the opportunity to experience one of pitmaster Tyler Harp’s first Harp Barbecue pop-ups at Crane Brewing Company. At the time, I knew I was witnessing something new and exciting in a town that had long lived off its reputation from the past. After attending this pop-up, I wrote that Harp Barbecue signaled and predicted that Harp would “shape and elevate the future of barbecue in Kansas City and beyond.”
Since that time, Harp Barbecue has gone on to national acclaim, winning praise from Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn and regularly landing on lists of the best barbecue in the country. This past weekend, I realized how truly great Harp’s influence has been on the barbecue scene as he brought together dozens of pitmasters for the Harp Barbecue Festival, Kansas City’s first-ever craft barbecue event.
Harp Barbecue has garnered national recognition in the past few years. (Photo by Tarik Sykes)
The festival was held in Harp’s hometown of Independence, Missouri, located just outside of Kansas City, and featured notable pitmasters from the metropolitan area and beyond. Each of the Kansas City craft barbecue joints we profiled earlier this year was present at the event, including Chef J BBQ, Fox & Fire BBQ, Jousting Pigs BBQ, and Scott’s Kitchen. However, It was amazing to see participation from a number of new spots that have recently burst onto the scene. Local spots such as Night Goat BBQ, Burn Theory Fire Kitchen, Smoak Craft BBQ, and Mill Hart BBQ were all involved in the event.
Chef Vaughn Good of Night Goat BBQ cooked delicious Guajillo Beef Sausage Links. (Photo by Wai Chan)
The fusion of barbecue and Tex-Mex was on full display at the festival. Many of the pitmasters served their barbecue as tacos, using the Sonoran style tortillas from Caramelo Tortillas, located in nearby Lawrence, Kansas. A number of local breweries also participated in the event. In recent years, many of the new barbecue spots in Kansas City have opened in partnership with breweries, including Crane Brewing, Diametric Brewing, and 3Halves Brewing.
Barbecue tacos were a popular dish at the festival, reflecting the trend towards pairing smoked meats and Tex Mex cuisine. (Photo by Wai Chan)
When asked how the festival came together, it was clear that Harp had planned this for some time. “I wanted to have the folks who came up around the same time as me be part of it,” Harp said. He also wanted the event to be an opportunity to give something back. Tickets were priced at $150, with proceeds from the event going towards Ronald McDonald House Charities.
The birria tacos from Joseph Quellar of JQ’s Tex Mex BBQ in Houston were incredible. (Photo by Wai Chan)
A number of pitmasters traveled long distances to participate in the festival. Renowned pitmaster Bryan Bingham, who recently left Bodacious Bar-B-Que to start his own Sunbird Barbecue in Longview, Texas, served a Brisket torta with coleslaw. Joseph Quellar from JQ’s Tex Mex BBQ in Houston served his highly acclaimed birria tacos. Quellar was originally scheduled to cook in Kansas City after losing a friendly bet to Harp during the NFL playoffs last year. The pandemic delayed things a bit, but Quellar happily kept his word.
One of our favorite bites of the festival was the boudin served by Bad Wolf BBQ. (Photo by Wai Chan)
Smoke Cellar BBQ from Livermore, California served an incredible pork belly dish with grits and bread and butter pickles that was to die for. Fellow Californian Henry Brum of HB BBQ in Bakersfield, California, and his team served enchiladas made with smoked meats. Other out-of-town guests included Bad Wolf BBQ from Louisiana, whose boudin was one of our favorite bites of the festival. Polish Pitmaster Maciek Z, better known as Grillin with Dad, served a grilled ribeye on a crostini with chimichurri sauce.
Pitmaster Tyler Harp of Harp Barbecue hosted Kansas City’s first ever craft barbecue festival this past weekend. (Photo by Wai Chan)
Perhaps most indicative of the caliber of talent on display, almost everyone I talked to had a different favorite dish. Chris Bengston of Common Descent Provisions loved the tacos from Burn Theory Fire Kitchen and the chicken wings with Alabama White Sauce from Scott’s Kitchen. Daryl Chun, who cooked with Smoke Cellar BBQ raved about the Candied Burnt Ends Chocolate Brownie Bites from Smoak Craft BBQ. In fact, all of the pitmasters were complimenting each other’s dishes.
I hope the Harp Barbecue Festival becomes an annual tradition in Kansas City and can’t wait to see how the craft barbecue scene continues to grow and evolve in the future.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet
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—Home Team BBQ, Swig & Swine BBQ, and Robert Moss have officially announced the lineup of November’s Holy Smokes BBQ Festival in Charleston.—
HOT OFF THE PRESS
The new Holy Smokes BBQ Festival from Aaron Siegel and Taylor Garrigan of Home Team BBQ, Anthony DiBernardo of Swig & Swine, and BBQ writer and editor Robert Moss has announced its full pitmaster lineup. The event, which will be held November 13 in Charleston, will include pitmasters from around the country including Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson BBQ, Patrick Feges and Erin Smith, Feges BBQ, Billy Durney of Hometown BBQ, Matt Horn of Horn Barbecue, and Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott’s BBQ. READ MORE.
Another hot new BBQ event you should know about is the Born & Raised Music Festival in Pryor, Oklahoma on September 18 and 19. On top of many top music acts, the event will feature “The BBQ Ranch” curated by pitmaster Wayne Mueller. Joining Mueller will be Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue, Night Goat Barbecue, Phatt Tabb's BBQ, Roegels Barbecue Co., and more. READ MORE.
Before the winter arrives, three barbecue-focused companies will likely go public, Fortune reports. In the first two weeks of July, powerhouse grill and smoker companies Weber and Traeger filed for initial public offerings. BBQGuys, an online grill retailer, has reportedly started making plans to go public via a SPAC offering. These companies are riding a wave of positive stock market action, and likely believe this is the best time in years to go public. Companies like these going public shows just how big the consumer BBQ space really is. READ MORE.
Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, Arkansas, held a grand “Fire Up That Grill” reopening event last week to celebrate coming back from a terrible fire in February that destroyed much of the restaurant. Jones Bar-B-Q Diner has been open since the 1910s and is one of the oldest Black-owned businesses in the country. In 2012, it became the first restaurant in Arkansas to receive a James Beard “American Classic” Award. READ MORE.
Smokin’ Joe’s Bar-B-Q in Olathe, Kansas, announced that it will close after “a lot of thought, prayers, trials, and tribulations.” The restaurant, which opened 32 years ago, was a reliable local BBQ joint for many in its community. Owner Rhonda Lorenz cited a variety of challenges including “continuous price increases on everything,” restaurant repairs, and employee shortages. READ MORE.
Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly writes that the Jefe’s Tex-Mex BBQ food truck in Fort Worth successfully combines Mexican and Texas BBQ styles, with items to try including well-smoked brisket tacos, massive pork ribs, quesadillas, potato salad, Mexican-style creamed corn, and more. The joint is named after owner and pitmaster Michael Ruiz’s grandfather, whom everyone called Grandpa Jefe. READ MORE.
ADDITIONAL READS
J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle writes that Piper is “one of the best new barbecue joints Houston has seen in years.”
Here’s why you need to head to the Mississippi Delta to visit Ubon’s BBQ.
These are the top seven BBQ sandwiches in North Carolina.
Top pitmasters share what they regard as the best barbecue side dishes.
Pitmaster Sloan Rinaldi, Chopped Grill Masters star, is opening the Texas Q craft barbecue food truck soon in Houston.
The Dallas Observer reports that local BBQ joints like Dayne’s Craft Barbecue and Zavala’s Barbecue are making killer smash burgers.
City Barbeque, a Columbus-based chain restaurant with more than 50 locations, filed a lawsuit against Cleveland’s locally owned Ohio City BBQ.
Texas Monthly reports that since taking over Tom & Bingo’s Hickory Pit Bar-B-Q in 2017, Ian Timmons has started serving up some of the best brisket around Lubbock.
Chad Cooley, the owner of Momma's Mustard, Pickles & BBQ in Louisville, says the restaurant has raised more than $489,000 for local organizations.
Weird news: Cocaine disguised as charcoal worth up to $41 million seized by police.
Thank you to our sponsor DennyMike's, which offers outstanding seasonings and rubs for every situation. Learn more about DennyMike's here.
stin Easterwood of Chef J BBQ sat down with The Smoke Sheet to talk about his brand of craft BBQ. (Photo by Tarik Sykes)—
WATCH
Pitmaster Justin Easterwood of Chef J BBQ — The Smoke Sheet
Pitmaster Justin Easterwood opened Chef J BBQ in downtown Kansas City's historic West Bottoms neighborhood early in 2020. The restaurant is located inside The Beast haunted house and serves the highest quality cut-to-order smoked meats and fresh house-made side dishes. The Smoke Sheet sat down with Easterwood to learn more about how he is adding new blood to the Kansas City BBQ scene. Special thanks to Tarik Sykes for helping us create this video. WATCH HERE.
LISTEN
Bryan Bingham of Sunbird BBQ — I Crush BBQ Show
Host of the I Crush BBQ Show Abe Delgado interviews pitmaster Bryan Bingham, formerly of Bodacious BBQ on Mobberly and now proud owner of Sunbird Barbecue in Longview, Texas. This interview took place just a few days before Bingham’s job at Bodacious came to an abrupt end. This is an inspiring story of a family man that is determined to do whatever it takes to pursue his passion. Thankful for the support and motivation from his wife Kimmy, Bryan is now ready for the next step in his barbecue career. LISTEN HERE.
READ
The Complete Sausage Cookbook: Make Over 300 Kinds of Sausage — Ellen Brown
Sausage is a food that can be made with everything from the finest meats to a large assortment of vegetables and grains. It can be flavored to be both savory and sweet. Best of all, it is “comfort food” – an ingredient that delivers flavorful satisfaction. The Complete Sausage Cookbook contains over 300 recipes that span an amazing array of international culinary traditions. Learn how to make a stunning variety of sausage, including many vegetarian options, and use it for easy grilling, or in stews and casseroles, and so much more. If you’ve ever thought about making sausage, the definitive Complete Sausage Cookbook is for you. ORDER HERE.
—This perfectly smoked bacon-wrapped sausage sandwich recipe is going to be a new family favorite.—
Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Sausage
By Postal Barbecue
In this delicious smoked bacon-wrapped sausage recipe video, Jabin Postal teaches you how to make smoked sausages wrapped in bacon and covered with BBQ rub. Postal uses a Weber Kettle to smoke the sausages and then adds in caramelized onions and hot banana peppers. These are perfect for summer celebrations and family gatherings.
—Lots of must-attend barbecue events are scheduled for 2021.—
July 31, 2021: Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival — Brooklyn, New York
NYC’s Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival is back and better than ever! Get ready to enjoy all those pleasures that true Southerners live by – Beer, Bourbon, Barbecue, Boots, Bacon, Biscuits, Bluegrass, and Smoked Beasts. It’s a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbecue eatin’. One admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an all-you-care-to-taste sampling of beer and bourbon. MORE INFO HERE.
August 21-22, 2021: Meatstock Music and Barbecue Festival (Sydney edition) — Sydney, Australia
Meatstock returns with a typically stacked line-up of barbecue enthusiasts and bands. The sell-out, two-day event brings big-name American pitmasters Down Under; sees comp teams from across Sydney go head-to-head over the coals to be crowned the city’s best barbequers; and features live music, food trucks and pop-up bars. MORE INFO HERE.
September 3-5, 2021: Pinehurst Barbecue Festival — Pinehurst, North Carolina
Debuting Labor Day Weekend 2021, The Pinehurst Barbecue Festival celebrates “All Things Barbecue” in North Carolina. From Eastern North Carolina vinegar to Western North Carolina tomato, they will have all of your favorites. The Pinehurst Barbeque Festival is a “Celebration of Taste and Tradition” featuring award-winning pitmasters in one of the most picturesque settings in all of North Carolina — the historic Village of Pinehurst. Choose to experience the entire three-day festival, or attend just one signature event. A multi-ticket VIP package, as well as individual tickets for each event are available. MORE INFO HERE.
September 10-11, 2021: Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival (Cary) — Cary, North Carolina
Cary’s Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival is back and better than ever. Get ready to enjoy all those pleasures that true Southerners live by – Beer, Bourbon, Barbecue, Boots, Bacon, Biscuits, Bluegrass, and Smoked Beasts. It’s a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbecue eatin’. One admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an all-you-care-to-taste sampling of beer and bourbon. MORE INFO HERE.
September 11, 2021: Pig Island NYC — New York, New York
For those that love all things pork and barbecue, the annual Pig Island NYC event is a can’t-miss affair. This year, the event will emphasize its special relationship promoting Friends of Firefighters charity. Many chefs and pitmasters from around the country show up and serve their best pork creations. Held outdoors, this all-inclusive event will also feature a ton of great food, beer, cider, and liquor. MORE INFO HERE.
September 16-19, 2021: American Royal World Series of Barbecue — Kansas City, Kansas
The American Royal World Series of barbecue is the largest BBQ competition in the country. On top of a massive KCBS competition with roughly 500 teams from around the country, this signature Kansas City event includes public-facing activities, including live music, delicious BBQ and local food, a full line up of kids activities, and a vendor fair authentic to Kansas City and BBQ enthusiasts. Read our to learn more about the experience. MORE INFO HERE.
September 18-19, 2021: Born & Raised Music Festival — Pryor, Oklahoma
On top of many top musical acts like ZZ Top and Cody Jinks, the big new event will feature “The BBQ Ranch” curated by pitmaster Wayne Mueller. Joining Mueller will be Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue, Night Goat Barbecue, Phatt Tabb's BBQ, Roegels Barbecue Co., and more. MORE INFO HERE.
October 1-3, 2021: Q In The Lou — St. Louis, Missouri
Get ready to go hog wild and get your BBQ fix at another great year of Q in the Lou. Many of the country’s biggest names in BBQ will be back once again. Given heightened safety protocols, it will likely be a little different from years past but still offering lots of food and fun. Read our to learn more about how the event generally goes. MORE INFO HERE.
October 8-9, 2021: Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational — Lynchburg, Tennessee
The Jack Daniel’s Annual World Championship Invitational Barbeque – or simply The Jack as it’s known in the world of competition barbecue – is widely considered the world’s most prestigious barbeque competition where teams from around the globe smoke, season and sear their way to a chance to be named the Grand Champion and a $25,000 prize. Annually featuring more than 100 teams representing all 50 states and countries across the globe, The Jack transforms Lynchburg, home of the Jack Daniel Distillery, into the barbecue capital of the world. It’s also important to note that KCBS has changed the date The Jack is usually held in hopes of getting more favorable weather, so check your calendars. Read our to learn more about the experience. MORE INFO HERE.
November 13, 2021: Holy Smokes: Lowcountry BBQ Festival — Charleston, South Carolina
The Holy Smokes BBQ Festival from Home Team BBQ, Swig & Swine, and Robert Moss will be held November 13 in Charleston. The big new event will include pitmasters from around the country including Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson BBQ, Patrick Feges and Erin Smith, Feges BBQ, Billy Durney of Hometown BBQ, Matt Horn of Horn Barbecue, and Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott’s BBQ. MORE INFO HERE.
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