I won airfare to MCI and tickets to a Kansas City Chiefs game in December. We are curious about KC BBQ as opposed to Texas BBQ, I don't know where we will be staying. I would appreciate suggestions for BBQ near Arrowhead Stadium.
I initially tried to latch onto another KC BBQ topic, but decided to create a new one.
Jack Stack Barbecue: Burnt ends to kill for. Best barbecue beans anywhere.
Gates Barbecue: One of the OG (originals) Sauce is on the spicy side
Bryants: The OG joint. Presidents make a point of stopping there. Very spicy 2 beer sandwich, ask for extra bread as they make it.
Haywards: All round great barbecue, their meat is great
KC has a ton of little barbecue mom and pop joints and dives worth trying.
Beyond those you need to let us know what barbecue you like. Smoky, sweet, spicy, really spicy.
Born and raised there. Personally, I hit Jack Stack every time I get back home. All the ones I mention are great though.
Thanks Brad.
We live in Central Texas. Burnt ends are a favorite - but not always available in Texas - I think the pitmasters eat them. My other favorite BBQ items are "lean" beef brisket with a good char, pork or beef sausage - a little spicy and never with cheese in it; beef ribs if they are falling off the bone and aren't too fatty; pork ribs with no qualifications. Smoked turkey if I'm on a diet.
Smoky, mild to slightly spicy. Not sweet.
Native KC resident here. There is a Gates BBQ less than two miles NE from the stadium on US 40 highway and easy to find. It is counter service and very popular. Prepare to be greeted loudly, but I dont like their burnt ends. I think there will be a few BBQ options in the stadium too.
The most popular names right now are "Joe's Kansas City" (the original is in a gas station) and Q39 - fancier than many. But most of the good places are not close to the stadiums. Tell me where you're staying, and I'll give you more options.
I've been to Texas several times, and I dont really think there's much difference taste wise. Sauces are generally tomato-molasses-pepper based. Hickory smoked most common. But a variety of other woods used. No mesquite around here.
Get to the game early. The parking lots fill up with tailgaters hours before the gates open.
The contest prize includes 2 nights in a hotel - but we don't know which one yet.
EP, let us know when you know location or PM me and I can give more details.
What is the local opinion on Scotts Kitchen?
We just got back from a five-night mini- vacation in KC. Our friend got Jack Stack takeout and we were all disappointed in the ribs, especially, which were on the dry side. Burnt ends, sausage and sides were fine, bearing in mind it was takeout. But the ribs I made at home last month were superior.
A few days later we went to Q39, which was quite wonderful. No disappointments here. Ribs were falling off the bone, brisket was moist and tender, chipotle sausage was unique and excellent, and sides were all terrific. I shared pictures of our happy faces. Leftovers came home in the cooler.
Here's a link to a decent local magazine article on BBQ: KC BBQ ranking
There are dozens of options, and most are good. Location is a big factor.
Nothing good is really close to the football stadium.
We grew up there and come back every year or so to visit family. Everyone in our family has the same top 3 places
1. Oklahoma Joes aka Joes KC
2. Jack Stack
3. Gates
I've been to all the others but never felt the need to go back to any but those 3.
Thank you all very much for so much helpful information. As soon as "Promotion Support" lets me know where we're staying, I'll post that info.
Oh, man, I love that KC BBQ. I fondly remember the "Old" Arthur Bryant's. You would have three options: (1) sandwich or don't eat. (2) "You want fries" yes/no (3) Mug of beer yes/no (soft drinks were in an old vending machine). There was a giant platter of burnt end trim bits at the first window. You could get a few slices of white bread and take all the burnt bits you wanted for free. I remember Richard putting the sauce on the white bread with an actual 5" wide paintbrush. I suppose it's more "civilized" now.
Wherever you go, you might try a Boulevard Pale Ale (my favorite K.C. beer!)
travelerguy, its still here - 18th & Brooklyn. Near the Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Food is still the same - giant sandwiches, fries cooked in lard. Sauce more peppery than most. But more options now - ribs, turkey, sausage, etc. And it's a bit less greasy. Boulevard is the largest brewer in Missouri now, eclipsing Anheuser-Busch in St Louis.
Stan, thank you for the happy news!
We will be going to Kansas City in a few weeks and wanted suggestions on BBQ restaurants. So this information will be very useful. I do not like very spicy/peppery food. If possible sweeter sauce would be my choice. What good BBQ places would you suggest?
siteseer, tell us what part of town you will be in or visiting and I can pinpoint some recs for you. We can converse by PM if you want.
It turns out that I have a newer friend is from Kansas City! She recommended Jack Stack and Q39. At this juncture, we will probably go with Jack Stack.
Both good options.
I’ve tried four places in my two visits to KC. My rankings:
1. Slaps
2. Q39
3. Joes
4. Arthur Bryants
Can’t go wrong with either of the top 3. I was not impressed by Arthur Bryant’s at all. Had by far the longest wait too. But I’d be willing to go back and try something new on the menu.
I’ll be back twice this Fall to KC and looks like Jack Stack might be next for me to try.
We went to KC last year for a sports extravaganza weekend (Jayhawks vs Mizzou Saturday, Chiefs vs Bills Sunday — with the Kelce pass that never was).
We traveled with friends who had lived in KC years ago, plus my grandparents lived there and I had had many trips to KC as a kid. We had so much fun! Do drive around in December to see neighborhood Christmas lights; KC residents go all-out and it is amazing.
For BBQ (a priority for us, we love food!!), we ate at Gates on the way in from the airport. Awesome!!! Cheap, cafeteria-style, loved my ribs.
Then Jack Stacks after the Chiefs game, Plaza location (10 min from Arrowhead, use Waze to avoid stadium traffic). Again, amazing!! Our friends still mail order Jack Stacks once a year to Vermont and we are lucky enough to share in the bounty.
Gotta love Kansas City, just as good as I remember as a kid visiting grandma and grandpa. Especially love the Plaza lights at Christmastime.
I enjoyed Haywards BBQ when I lived in the KC area. At they time they had a location close to my workplace. And another recommendation to see the Christmas lights on the Plaza.
Have a great trip! Go Chiefs!!!
Traveler Girl
Just chiming in with another strong endorsement of Joe's Kansas City (aka Oklahoma Joe's), out of the old gas station. Delicious. (I'm also pretty sure that's the spot Bourdain hit when he was there.)
Lockhart. Doesn't matter which shop if the comparison is to the rest of the world.
Mister E - I haven't been to Lockhart since the NCAA put the Aggies on probation for improper employment, extra benefits, unethical conduct, and lack of institutional control - otherwise known as 1988.
But I'm right about Lockhart. A&M suffered a lot when the dropped mandatory military service.
We will be staying at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel near the airport. Do you have suggestions for a BBQ restaurant near this area. I prefer food that is not to peppery or spicy.
siteseer, the airport is on the north side of the metro area, and most of the well known BBQ joints are south. But you are in luck that there is a good one that is within walking distance of your hotel: Scotts Kitchen & Catering Scotts at Hanger 29. I mentioned it in another thread where they were on the local short list of best BBQ places in KC. It's not well known in the general public, but their BBQ is currently featured at our MLB stadium. But for sure call first and make sure they are open as they sometimes close for events. And they close at 6:30 most nights.
If that doesnt work for you the next closest good place is Smokehouse BBQ in the Zone Rosa shopping center, a couple of miles south off of I-29. To get to others, you have to go further south to the downtown and beyond. If you're going other places in town, I can make recs for further options.
And there is a respectable one right in the new airport terminal - Meat Mitch (they own three other restaurants in town under the Char Bar name). There will be sauces and spice rubs from multiple places for sale at the airport gift shops too.
Thank you Stan for your BBQ suggestion. We went to the Smokehouse BBQ. It was delicious. The babyback ribs are more meaty than the ones we get in California.
We finally heard that we will be staying at the Loews Kansas City Hotel, which is apparently a 13 minute walk from the Jack Stack Freight House location. So we will go there.
