The Kansas City BBQ "get-together and pig out" thread

Hoss_sl said:

I've tried it on the east coast, and it was so bad I actually got angry.

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This made me laugh. I've never had Carolina BBQ, but it does look different. I also laughed because it happened to me once in Cape Girardeau, MO. The pork was so macerated with BBQ sauce, and old and funky, it really pissed me off.

Lyrical_sl said:

It's amazing that unless there is a risk of getting shot ordering the BBQ, it's usually no good.

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Pretty much true. The best Arthur Bryants is still the original in the ghetto. The ones they've put in one of the casinos and out by the Nascar track suck in comparison. Then LCs, Big Ts, BB's Lawnside are all in ghetto-ish parts of town. Hell, even the original Oklahoma Joes is in a gas station near a bunch of ghetto section-8 HUD housing/apartment projects

The worse the neighborhood, the better the BBQ, lol.

joeboo_sl said:

Pretty much true. The best Arthur Bryants is still the original in the ghetto. The ones they've put in one of the casinos and out by the Nascar track suck in comparison. Then LCs, Big Ts, BB's Lawnside are all in ghetto-ish parts of town. Hell, even the original Oklahoma Joes is in a gas station near a bunch of ghetto section-8 HUD housing/apartment projects

The worse the neighborhood, the better the BBQ, lol.

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I'm Black and I get nervous in those areas. Arthur Bryant's used to have a different name, right? Whatever happened to KC Masterpiece?

Hoss_sl said:

Oh and Texas and KC BBQ are the only ones worth eating. I've tried it on the east coast, and it was so bad I actually got angry. I found out later that's just how they do things out there.

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I know, right? Every time I eat BBQ somewhere else, I feel like Michael Douglas in that one movie where he lost his shit in the fast food restaurant and started shooting.

Lyrical_sl said:

It's amazing that unless there is a risk of getting shot ordering the BBQ, it's usually no good.

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This is pretty accurate. The best BBQ places here in the Bay Area are in the shittiest parts of Oakland, Richmond and Berkeley. Not sure how it compares to KC/Texas BBQ. I'm sure it's not as good, but all of the descriptions given so far - from available sides to ambiance - are exactly the same as these places.

Lyrical_sl said:

I'm Black and I get nervous in those areas. Arthur Bryant's used to have a different name, right? Whatever happened to KC Masterpiece?

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Pretty sure Arthur Bryants has always been that, at least going back to the 50s.

KC Masterpiece is pretty much gone as a restaurant, they still sell the sauce in stores but that's about it. I'm fairly certain that it was originally just a brand of sauce, but it became so popular that they opened a restaurant in the same name, but the BBQ was always pretty mediocre overall.

I liked KC Masterpiece, not as much as Jack's Stack though. When I lived in Overland Park, my apartment was like two blocks from one.

To be honest, if my business wasn't two hours away, I'd live in KC. I've run my business long distance before, and I've discovered I have to be here, or productivity drops 1/4th. KC was my favorite city to live in, right behind NYC.

Alex_sl said:

This is pretty accurate. The best BBQ places here in the Bay Area are in the shittiest parts of Oakland, Richmond and Berkeley. Not sure how it compares to KC/Texas BBQ. I'm sure it's not as good, but all of the descriptions given so far - from available sides to ambiance - are exactly the same as these places.

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The food might taste better because of the adrenaline that comes from fear of a drive-by.

Hayward's was a place that used to be decent, but the last time we ate there it was mediocre at best. I never ate at his old downtown location, but heard it was excellent.

You never hear anything about Gates any more. My favorite part about walking in was being verbally assaulted by the person waiting to take your order. "HI, MAY I HELP YOU ?"

Furiouss1_sl said:

You never hear anything about Gates any more. My favorite part about walking in was being verbally assaulted by the person waiting to take your order. "HI, MAY I HELP YOU ?"

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Gates totally flusters my wife, she hates going there. She's the type of person that has to look at a menu for 10 minutes to decide what she wants, even if she's been to a place a million times before. Hell, she has to take 5 minutes to look over the menu at a McDonalds for christ sakes, whereas I know what I'm ordering 2 miles before we even get there.

joeboo_sl said:

Hell, she has to take 5 minutes to look over the menu at a McDonalds for christ sakes, whereas I know what I'm ordering 2 miles before we even get there.

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I thought this only happened to me...

Furiouss1_sl said:

You never hear anything about Gates any more.

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I was thinking something was missing from the list. When I lived in KC, most people I know preferred Gates over all other BBQ. What happened? I personally never went there, because they were located in the most unsafe parts of town.

Gates is still the same as it's always been. The problem is, for years and years and years, KC BBQ was dominated by Gates, Arthur Bryants, and Jackstack. Then in the last 5-10 years, the foodie scene in KC has exploded and everyone & their brother has opened a BBQ restaurant. If I had to guess, I'd estimate at least 50 new BBQ restaurants have opened in KC in the last decade. Some of the old ones get lost a bit in all the hype for each new one that opens, but ABs and Gates are both still around, and still going strong like they have been for a half century or more already.

It's pretty ridiculous. A lot don't last, but most stick around. Urbanspoon lists 112 BBQ restaurants in the KC area

Kansas City Barbecue Restaurants | Urbanspoon