Kansas City is famous for its barbecue for good reason. Many regions in the U.S. have their interpretations of smoked meats, but Kansas City’s style is unique. KCBJ's journey to explore the diverse aspects of Kansas City barbecue took us to Q39, Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque, Woodyard Bar-B-Que, RJ’s Bob-Be-Que and McGonigle’s Market.
As you walk into Q39, the championship trophies and ribbons give it away as a barbecue restaurant. But words like “pit” and “shack” hardly come to mind.
A host asks diners whether they have reservations, bartenders serve specialty mixed drinks, and cooks prepare food in an open kitchen.
The ambiance reflects a strategic decision by co-owner and chef Rob Magee.
He opened Q39 just more than four years ago, and the restaurant has made a splash, locally and nationally. Magee credited his success to recognizing what niche he could fill in the Kansas City barbecue scene.
In a saturated market, originality goes a long way. At Q39, that show up not only in the atmosphere, but also in the food, which Magee described as chef-driven with something for everyone.
To create buzz for his first location on Kansas City’s 39th Street restaurant row, Magee appeared on TV and radio outlets and conducted cooking demonstrations. Being part of the Kansas City Barbecue Society, which counts thousands of members, helped get the word out, too.
Since the opening push, word of mouth has made the difference for Q39.
“When people came in, it was really good, and so they left talking about it. I think when you serve really good food and have really good service in a fun and clean environment, people are going to come back,” Magee said.
Like Q39, there’s much more to Kansas City’s barbecue scene than meets the plate. On the following pages, the Kansas City Business Journal highlights four elements — wood, meat, sauce and sides — that make area barbecue restaurants some of the best in the country. You’ll also find a list of 100-plus area restaurants that specialize in barbecue on pages 15-18.
Wood
Tucked in an industrial area along Merriam Lane sits a stop known to serious barbecue cookers. Southside Wood Co., which dates back a century, has provided wood to everyone from competition cookers to the legendary Gates Bar-B-Q. Its menu includes seven types of wood, each with its own taste signature. (Read more about Southside and the varieties of wood.)
Hickory is the most popular for barbecue, but co-owner Frank Schloegel III said wood selection comes down to individual preference.
“I’ve had people tell me almost every type of wood is the best. It so much depends on the flavor or the taste of the guy doing the cooking,” he said. “It’s like wine. You may love Chablis or pinot noir, and that’s what you talk about. If you like Chardonnay, then that’s for you.”
Schloegel took a bigger bite of the barbecue business in the early 2000s, when he opened Woodyard Bar-B-Que on Southside’s property. The restaurant grew out of his father’s custom of offering free lunch to wood customers back in the 1950s. Schloegel kept up the tradition when he took over Southside.
Meat
You can buy most of your groceries at McGonigle’s Market, but the real action takes place at the meat counter, where a half-dozen experts stand ready to help.
The brick market near 79th Street and Ward Parkway in Kansas City butchers for competition barbecue teams and dozens of area barbecue restaurants, including Q39.
Although barbecue started as a way to make the best of tough or poor-quality meats, pitmasters and enthusiasts alike now pay close attention to cuts and quality.
“There are three grades (of meat): select, choice or prime,” co-owner Randy Ross said. “Select is the bottom of the barrel. They use old cattle and sell them for cheap at the stockyards. Everything we have in here is choice or higher. It makes a big difference.”
Along with ribs, briskets and shoulders, McGonigle’s employees dish out recommendations for rubs, sauces and cooking on different types of smokers.
Sauce
When Kansas City barbecue legend Arthur Bryant died in 1982, The Washington Post wrote that “great barbecue sauce is made not born. Arthur Bryant was born to make it world famous, and he is dead.”
Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque continues to draw in locals, fanatics, celebrities and presidents. Some come for the huge sandwiches, others for the atmosphere, others for the unique sauces.
Owner Jerry Rauschelbach defined great sauces as having two characteristics: uniqueness and mass appeal.
“Sauce is a key ingredient (for great barbecue),” said Rauschelbach, whose father bought the business from Arthur Bryant’s niece. “Put ketchup on it, put Tabasco on it — it doesn’t work.”
Arthur Bryant’s, through Brooklyn Barbeque Corp., bottles its line of sauces and produces two rubs found on store shelves nationwide.
It carries three permanent sauces: Original, which made Arthur Bryant famous; Rich & Spicy; and Sweet Heat. It also develops different flavors from time to time.
Sides
Side dishes can be an overlooked element at barbecue restaurants. That’s not the case at RJ’s Bob-Be-Que in Mission. Owner and chef Bob Palmgren combines his classical French training with Southern influences to create appetizers and sides not found on the menus of most barbecue joints.
“We want to do things different,” Palmgren said. “My mindset is always don’t do anything halfway. Make them remember you.”
Such staples as french fries, beans and coleslaw fight for attention on a list of sides that includes Cajun rice, spinach greens and fried okra. The appetizer menu presents more exotic choices, including bison empanadas, barbecue nachos, deep-fried pickle spears and jalapeno sausage.
Restaurant name, A-Z
| Restaurant name |
|---|
2 Guys BBQ |
A Little BBQ Joint |
All Slabbed Up Bar-B-Q |