There are an estimated 100 barbecue restaurants in Kansas City, Mo., known locally as KCMO to distinguish it from Kansas City, Kan. (KCKS). With those hundred restaurants come at least as many styles of preparing the city’s ubiquitous smoked meats. The possibilities for visitor taste-tests are nearly endless.
There’s some agreement on the general outlines of KC-style barbecue: It’s mostly based on slow-cooked, smoked beef or pork but can also include chicken, lamb or even fish. Meats are then dressed with a tomato- and molasses-based sauce and served with sides like beans, cole slaw or french fries. “Burnt ends,” the crispy tips of a beef or pork brisket, are also a local delicacy.
The alpha barbecue restaurant in town is Arthur Bryant’s, which was founded by a disciple of Henry Perry, the man credited with originating KC-style barbecue there in the 1900s. Bryant’s started out wowing Missourians such as Harry Truman and kept expanding its influence until writer Calvin Trillin declared in 1972 that it was simply the best restaurant in the world. Other standouts here include Big T’s Bar-B-Q, Danny Edwards BBQ and LC’s Bar-B-Q.
Planners may want to time their visit to coincide with one of Kansas City’s many barbecue contests, but be aware that competition is fierce since many restaurants use victories for bragging rights. Events such as this May’s Kelley Wilson Memorial BBQ Competition in Kansas City and others around the state are sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, the U.S. Olympic Committee of competitive smoking and grilling, which claims 19,000 members worldwide.
If you don’t make it to Kansas City during your Missouri visit, there’s also St. Louis-style barbecue, which may be grilled (rather than slow-smoked) before being sauced, perhaps a bit more sweetly and heavily than in Kansas City—although again there are myriad local variations.
The St. Louis style also features “crispy snoots,” which are cut from the pig’s nose and cheek area and may be served in a sandwich or as pieces with a dipping sauce. Try St. Louis joints such as Pappy’s Smokehouse (don’t be fooled by the “Memphis style” signs; it’s the most popular BBQ joint in the city) or Adam’s Smokehouse, or Hendricks BBQ in St. Charles, Mo. Maull’s is the best-known commercially available barbecue sauce if you want to take some St. Louis home in your trunk or checked bag.
