5 Craft BBQ Joints In Kansas City Worth Your Time
Kansas City has long been known as one of the biggest cities for barbecue in the country. Popular mainstays like Arthur Bryant's, Gates, Joe’s Kansas City, and Jack Stack have put KC on the map nationally for smoked meats and rich sauces.
However, Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn recently stopped by the Dan Patrick Show and slammed the Kansas City barbecue scene. Vaughn's comments came after Nick Wright of Firsts Things First criticized Texas barbecue on the program. Naturally, Vaughn much prefers the barbecue commonly found in cities like Austin, Houston, and Fort Worth. In fact, the only KC joint that Vaughn praised on the show was Harp Barbecue, which has rightfully caught national attention.
While Harp Barbecue indeed is serving up great food (more on that below), there are other new-school craft joints in the Kansas City area with a forward-looking view of barbecue that also might change some of the attitudes of the barbecue snobs of the world. Below we feature five new-ish barbecue joints that even a Texas barbecue lover will enjoy.
Justin Easterwood serves up very good craft barbecue in the West Bottoms of KC.
Chef J BBQ
Pitmaster Justin Easterwood launched his Chef J BBQ restaurant at an unfortunate time in February 2020 — just a month before the pandemic hit. Still, he persevered and currently serves great craft barbecue to scores of people on Fridays and Saturdays inside of The Beast Haunted House in the West Bottoms of Kansas City. Be sure to try the pork ribs, brisket, turkey, housemade sausage, and smoked cheesy corn. More info here.
Fox & Fire is less than a year old but already has a reputation for high-quality smoked meats.
Fox & Fire Barbecue
Pitmaster Andy Fox launched his Fox & Fire Barbecue operation in July 2020, but he’s already got a dedicated following and sells out each time he opens. Fox spent six years steadily planning his operation. The time he took to finally open shows with his well-reviewed brisket, pork ribs, and housemade sausage. Fox is currently serving barbecue on Fridays and Saturdays at Callsign Brewing in North Kansas City. More info here.
No matter what you order at Harp Barbecue, you’ll probably be a happy camper.
Harp Barbecue
Harp Barbecue has not been around long but already has landed on lists for the best barbecue joints around the country. After spending time working and studying alongside barbecue masters in Texas, Tennessee, and other locales, pitmaster Tyler Harp started regularly doing pop-ups in Kansas City in March 2019. If you put Harp’s brisket next to the finest brisket in Texas, it would be difficult to tell which is which. You’ll also want to try everything else on the menu. He’s currently serving barbecue on most Saturdays at Crane Brewing Company in Raytown, Missouri. You’ll also find him sporadically working on creative collaborations like a brisket ramen dish with celebrated local restaurant Waldo Thai. More info here.
Jousting Pigs brings competition and craft together in Liberty, Missouri.
Jousting Pigs
John Atwell, the owner and pitmaster of Jousting Pigs, spent time racking up wins on the competition barbecue circuit before opening his restaurant that focuses on craft barbecue. Opening in mid-2019, the joint has made a name for itself just north of Kansas City in downtown Liberty, Missouri. Be sure to try the burnt ends, brisket mac and cheese, pork belly burnt ends, and wings. More info here.
Scott’s Kitchen is known for both its barbecue staples as well as creative items like barbecue tacos and brisket chili.
Scott’s Kitchen and Catering
While Scott’s Kitchen may be the oldest barbecue joint on this list (it opened in 2017), it’s still inventing and reinventing itself each year. Owner and pitmaster Scott Umscheid has a startlingly diverse menu that includes barbecue tacos, brisket chili, barbecue burrito bowls, ghost pepper sausage, wings with Alabama white sauce, and other creative items. It’s also one of the few, if only, barbecue joints in the Kansas City metro area that serves breakfast. You can visit the restaurant with newly expanded hours (7 a.m. through 6:30 p.m.) just a few minutes from the Kansas City Airport. More info here.
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While this is just a sampling of new-school barbecue joints, I’m sure there are many more yet to come. If you know of any other newer joints that should be on our radar, please let us know.
Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ)
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet
—A fire severely damaged the historic Jones’ Bar-B-Que Diner in Marianna, Arkansas on Sunday. (Photo by Steve Higginbothom)—
HOT OFF THE PRESS
The acclaimed Jones’ Bar-B-Que Diner in Marianna, Arkansas was severely damaged by a fire on Sunday, February 28th. Owner James Harold Jones was cooking pork in the pit behind the restaurant when a flame caught the roof on fire. The pit area was completely destroyed and the main building was damaged. The historic restaurant is one of the oldest continuously-operated Black-owned businesses in the nation. The family business started in the 1910s and first moved into the current building in 1964. In 2012, Jones’ Bar-B-Que Diner was honored with a prestigious James Beard Award. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for repairs. READ MORE.
Leonard’s Pit Barbecue, an iconic restaurant that has served Memphis for 99 years, is now up for sale. Owner Dan Brown, who first started working at Leonard’s when he was 15, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame. The restaurant is only doing 31% of its normal business due to the loss of catering and lunch buffet revenue. Leonard’s was opened in 1922 by Leonard Heuberger and is the oldest barbecue restaurant in Memphis. READ MORE.
Austin Monthly recently profiled Raf Robinson of Slab BBQ as part of its “Celebrating Black Austin” series. The piece notes that Robinson and the Slab operation have been a “black sheep” of sorts because its menu that mostly focuses on sandwiches was a far cry from the by-the-pound brisket that get a lot of attention from the local press. Robinson and his team also differentiate themselves from the pack in Austin with a few nods Carolina and Alabama-style barbecue on the menu and hip-hop playing on the speakers instead of country rock. READ MORE.
New York’s eclectic barbecue scene also includes a variety of barbecue you won’t find in that many places — kosher barbecue. The Wall Street Journal used the opening of a new location of Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse on the Upper West Side to write about kosher barbecue and a few of the pitmasters making it more popular. These fine folks include Sruli “Izzy” Eidelman of Izzy’s and Ari White of The Wandering Que, both winners of the Brisket King NYC competition. READ MORE.
The Board of Directors for the International Bar-B-Q Festival held in Owensboro, Kentucky announced this year’s event will be postponed and replaced with a one-day affair called the Bar-B-Q Block Party 2021. READ MORE.
Pitmaster Shawn Walchef recently pitched his $5 million dollar Cali BBQ Media idea on 2 Minute Drill, a new reality show on Bloomberg TV. It's definitely worth watching. WATCH HERE.
ADDITIONAL READS
According to J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle, stews were part of the earliest American barbecue traditions.
Orlando Magazine highlighted the local barbecue with a guide to the best barbecue in Central Florida, as well as by chronicling the evolution of barbecue in the city and identifying 18 must-try spots in the area.
Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn says ShaneBoy’s Craft Hawaiian Grindz is bringing the aloha spirit to barbecue in Texas.
Zavala’s Barbecue in Grand Prairie, Texas will be closed for repairs the next several weeks after devastating winter storms.
According to Eater Twin Cities, Animales Barbecue Co. is planning a major expansion, with a second trailer located at Bauhaus Brewlabs serving barbecue sandwiches.
For Terrance Ballard, operating Rayne’s Backyard BBQ in Johnstown, Pennsylvania is a chance to share cherished traditions and a taste of Black culture.
Christine Darroch left her corporate job to carry on her father’s style of Southern-influenced barbecue traditions as pitmaster and owner of Hap’s Pit Barbecue in Phoenix.
The website SeriouslySmoked.com is looking to hire a barbecue expert to test new grilling products.
—Adrian Miller talks to Flatland about changing the narrative of barbecue history.—
WATCH
Resurrecting Barbecue’s Forgotten History — Flatland
Author Adrian Miller is on a mission to ensure the whole story of barbecue is told. Miller recently sat down with Flatland to discuss a few key findings from his forthcoming book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. Miller contends the barbecue story, in large part, is one of cultural appropriation. He notes, for example, that Native Americans were the first to barbecue. Enslaved Black people then became pre-eminent. Only later did white people come to dominate the barbecue narrative. Miller hopes to help preserve the diverse history of barbecue — not only through his book but by also serving on the nominating committee of the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame. WATCH HERE.
LISTEN
Burley Boy from Rage and Pillage — Grab ‘Em In The Brisket
In this episode, the hosts of Grab ‘Em In The Brisket are joined by Burley Boy from the Rage and Pillage Podcast. They talk about how everyone fared during the recent winter storms in Texas. They chat about how Burley Boy got into barbecue and how that transitioned from cooking in his backyard into doing a podcast. They also talk about topics as diverse as peacocks, IcyHot, beer reviews, and BBQ fails. LISTEN HERE.
READ
Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue — Adrian Miller
In Black Smoke, Miller chronicles how Black barbecuers, pitmasters, and restaurateurs helped develop this cornerstone of American foodways and how they are coming into their own today. It's a smoke-filled story of Black perseverance, culinary innovation, and entrepreneurship. Though often pushed to the margins, African Americans have enriched a barbecue culture that has come to be embraced by all. Miller celebrates and restores the faces and stories of the men and women who have influenced this American cuisine. PRE-ORDER HERE.
—This flavorful shrimp recipe incorporates flavors from Malcom Reed’s recent trip to the Caribbean.—
Jerk Shrimp Recipe
By How to BBQ Right
After Malcom Reed and his wife went on a trip to Jamaica, he could not wait to get back to recreate the flavors of the dishes they had on vacation. In this video, Malcolm shows you how to make Jerk Marinated Shrimp on the grill. He starts with large shrimp and a flavorful jerk marinade. Then he fires up the Weber grill and cooks peppers and onions in a cast iron pan with some jerk seasoning. Lastly, he grills the shrimp, which cook quickly for a few minutes on each side, before transferring to the cast iron skillet with the vegetables and a squeeze of some lemon and lime.
—Many of the largest barbecue events of 2020 have been canceled or postponed.—
In light of the constantly changing coronavirus crisis, we are leaving our events section blank for some time. We’ll be updating our events section on our website with the most up-to-date information as we have it.
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