KC Masterpieces

You cannot visit Kansas City without having Bar-B-Que. Period. It’s a law somewhere. Look it up. I happened to be in the enviable position (at times) of being (stuck) in KC for two weeks this past month, and I made the most of it. Of the 13 days I was in KC, I ate BBQ on 6 different occasions at 6 different locations. Here’s the lowdown on what you need to know on your next trip to KC.

Arthur Bryant’s
Arguably the epitome of KC Bar-B-Que, the original location is legendary. Tucked into a shadier side of town, this place sports an armed guard in the parking lot, and warm smiles inside.  You’ll see the past famous visitors along the walls inside, and the true history of the food when you look directly into the restaurant’s pit behind the serving window. I had the bones (ribs) & burnt ends here, along with a side of fries and beer. The ribs were very good and ranked #2 on this trip for me. The burnt ends were another story, they were amazing. Out of the three spots I had burnt ends at, this was by far the best. Throw in the sauce, and this spot is solid. I cannot wait to return and try the brisket sandwich, something that was extremely popular amongst the other customers passing through. This is a MUST VISIT. Note: From what I hear, the other locations are crap. This is the only one that dishes out great Que.

Oklahoma Joe’s
I’ve eaten at Oklahoma Joe’s on several occasions. Upon landing in KC I called the original location (in a gas station) and ordered some bones for pickup. Why? Because I assumed the line would be a good 30min deep and it was already 7PM (8PM stomach time) and I just wanted to get food and get into my room. 20min later I was at the counter paying while the line, as I guessed it, was a good 30-45min deep. Another 20min and I was sitting in my hotel room devouring some absolutely amazing bones.
Later in the week we’d drop into the other location in a strip mall. I was a bit apprehensive at first, and it wasn’t nearly as “authentic” as the gas station, but wow. Just wow. I grabbed bones & pulled pork to nosh on. I have to say, in all my years of eating bones, biting into one of these is…an experience… it was…well…like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX5tfRdkoY0 Not. Even. Kidding. These were by far the best bones I’ve had. I hate I wasn’t able to get burnt ends here, as they’re only served certain days. I’ve had them before and they’re nearly as good as AB’s, but AB gets the slight edge. The pulled pork? Great. I mean, it’s not close to the ribs, but for pork it’s very well done.
As an aside, this place also has an adjoining Bar-B-Que store that carries every smoker, hard wood, sauce, and rub from all over the US. I was in heaven. I could have spent hours in that store, and it was smaller than a 7-11.

We Be Smokin’
This place is special. I mean, how often do you eat in an airport? Now, seriously, how often do you eat in a restaurant that _is_ the airport? Miami County Municipal Airport is actually based out of this great little restaurant. Named one of the top “$100 Hamburger” restaurants, they actually put out some ok ‘que, in places. The beans, fries, & sauce are good, but sadly they were out of bones (the table next to us ordered the last few). As such, I decided to try the brisket, ham, turkey, and sausage to get a feel for their style. As I said, the sauce was good, but there were some meats it just couldn’t save. The brisket was dry and disappointing, while the turkey followed suit with zero moisture and zero flavor. I really wanted to sausage to save this meal, but it was full of fail. After taking a bite of sausage the only thing you could taste was fennel. It was completely overpowering to anything else in the sausage. Finally, the saving grace: smoked ham. Moist. Smoky. Flavorful. Finally, something I could enjoy.
Honestly, I’d eat here again. Why? Because I can watch airplanes land and take off while enjoying a meal with friends. How awesome is that? As a matter of fact, one group did just that. The table that got the last bones? They paid, walked out to their plane, and took off. Freaking sweet.

Jack Stack
High class bar-b-que? Really? Walking into this joint was a bit disappointing. I don’t want to eat my ‘que in some highfalutin restaurant where I feel I need to at least be business casual in dress. Once we were seated and ordered, I was put more at ease. The food here is good, very good (though pricy). The ribs were third, behind AB’s for me, but that’s not a knock at all. They were still very good. The burnt ends were in the same spot, but again, not a knock. This place is solid all around…sauce, beans…but not that godawful cheese corn. I should have never ordered it when the waiter recommended it, because I knew in my heart of hearts that I was going to loathe it…and I did.

XXX???
There was one other place we visited, but the name escapes me. Why don’t I remember? Because I don’t care to go back. We visited here and had a single bone each. All three of us ordered one rib. None of us finished it. Not. One. It just wasn’t good. The flavor was off, and I couldn’t pick exactly what it was. I think the wood combination used to smoke the ribs was the main culprit. I couldn’t pinpoint it, but this is my best guess and everyone else agreed. Bleh.

Whew! So, there you have it! I made it home and didn’t want to eat pork for a while. I don’t want to know how much I gained on this trip, but we honestly tried to eat lighter between the pork onslaught. I feel full just from typing this and reliving the memories. I think I’m going to have to go lay down for a bit…

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