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Kansas City BBQ


Horns1

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Headed up there for Texans vs Chiefs next weekend.  Did a little preliminary online scouting, and have Slaps, Joe's, Jack Stack, and Bryant's on the radar,  but looking for some solid "first hand" recs from anyone that's experienced the Que scene up there.  

 

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1 hour ago, Horns1 said:

Headed up there for Texans vs Chiefs next weekend.  Did a little preliminary online scouting, and have Slaps, Joe's, Jack Stack, and Bryant's on the radar,  but looking for some solid "first hand" recs from anyone that's experienced the Que scene up there.  

 

Can’t go wrong with Bryant’s at all. 

Personally, I could eat my weight in Joe’s ribs. Love ‘em. 

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Get ready for brisket that’ll make you long for Bill Miller’s and Dickey’s. It’s so tough, they slice it paper thin on a deli slicer.

Went to Bryant’s and Joe’s a few years ago. They were both uniformly terrible.

Joe’s was below school cafeteria quality...shitty brisket, Eckrich sausage, mayo water with a few potatoes floating in it, canned beans, and lightly seasoned tomato sauce covering everything.

Had the burnt ends at Bryant’s. Just mediocre.

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13 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Get ready for brisket that’ll make you long for Bill Miller’s and Dickey’s. It’s so tough, they slice it paper thin on a deli slicer.

Went to Bryant’s and Joe’s a few years ago. They were both uniformly terrible.

Joe’s was below school cafeteria quality...shitty brisket, Eckrich sausage, mayo water with a few potatoes floating in it, canned beans, and lightly seasoned tomato sauce covering everything.

Had the burnt ends at Bryant’s. Just mediocre.

Yeah — I thought it was odd when I had Bryant’s that the brisket was cut so thin

As for sausage:  most places I’ve been to for BBQ outside Texas seem to favor the bland, Ekrich-looking links

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Get ready for brisket that’ll make you long for Bill Miller’s and Dickey’s. It’s so tough, they slice it paper thin on a deli slicer.

Went to Bryant’s and Joe’s a few years ago. They were both uniformly terrible.

Joe’s was below school cafeteria quality...shitty brisket, Eckrich sausage, mayo water with a few potatoes floating in it, canned beans, and lightly seasoned tomato sauce covering everything.

Had the burnt ends at Bryant’s. Just mediocre.

Sounds so. fucking. gross.

When I hear people from that area hype up their bbq and how it’s the best, I just think back on all the Texans I have heard describe it as what cooter said and I just cringe and laugh. It makes me not even want to try.

I tried some of the “best” in Memphis and it was vastly overrated and wasn’t any better than something I could from a chain in Texas.
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Damn, thanks for all the feedback.  Can't say I am really surprised,  as no specific places seem to resonate for that region, ( like Franklin, Snow's, Mueller's, etc do for Central Texas) . It's apparently just a mythological thought that KC has great BBQ.  Oh well, still have bourbon and football.

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2 hours ago, Horns1 said:

It's apparently just a mythological thought that KC has great BBQ.

It is.  Anyone who thinks they have great BBQ hasn’t ever tried great BBQ.

I’m guessing at one time, they probably had a pretty solid BBQ scene there.  And they’ve been resting on their laurels for the past 30 or so years since while the game passed them by.

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The only time I went to Bryant's, I called a cab to pick me up from the hotel. The driver asked where I was from and I told him Texas. He said, "you don't want to go to there." I told him I did, and he shook his head and sped off in that direction. When we arrived, I paid and told him thanks. He said, "I'll just wait outside here to give you a ride back; you won't be in there long."  I didn't come running out or anything, and I was glad for the experience, but it was very forgettable, Thin sliced, covered in sauce, served on bread. One of those places, I can say I have been once. Once. 

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6 hours ago, Landomatic said:

I lived there for 3 years and tried them all.  I am not exaggerating when I say the best I had (Joes on its best day) was Rudy’s level.  One of the most overrated “food scenes” on earth.

How dare you insult Rudy's by comparing it to KC bbq.

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Bunch of snobs, Jack Stack was worth a visit if for nothing more than the jalapeño cornbread. I did not order the brisket. It seems pointless to order brisket when you are comparing to your local brisket, so just go for a good meal and skip it. Q39 was also good and LC’s was a hole in the wall worth a visit. Our Uber driver recommended it so we stopped in.

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2 minutes ago, After irth said:

Buncha snobs here. You don’t go to KC for the brisket for fucksake. 

Like going to New York City and bitching about the salsa. WTF you doing eating salsa in NYC in the first place?

New York doesn’t try to convince the whole world that they’re great at salsa.

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Most overrated barbecue on the planet.  At least North Carolina tries to do something different with their meats in terms of smoking and making it more juicy.

All they do in Kansas City is take their abundant local meat sourcing and just cook it in ovens or grills, drench it in sauce, and serve it up.  

It's impossible to demonstrate the power of real barbecue to Kansas City fans because they've been eating such a crappy and narrow version of "BBQ", they don't know any better.  It's like meeting someone who claims to be a craft beer aficionado who has really only ever drank Falstaff.  Then you open them up to a Pearl Snap and they think it's okay, but lacks the flavor they are accustomed to.  Cracks me up too that Kansas City fans stare at you weird if you were to put A-1 on one of their prized Kansas City Strip steaks.  But a brisket smoked with a proper rub and lots of care?  Slap it on a 25cent bun and pour sugar sauce on it until you don't know if you're eating tilapia or beef.  And that's how you barbecue you damn Texans!  

Fucking children up there...

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On 10/6/2019 at 7:38 AM, Brew said:

Bunch of snobs, Jack Stack was worth a visit if for nothing more than the jalapeño cornbread. I did not order the brisket. It seems pointless to order brisket when you are comparing to your local brisket, so just go for a good meal and skip it. Q39 was also good and LC’s was a hole in the wall worth a visit. Our Uber driver recommended it so we stopped in.

Agreed. They also have some damn good craft cocktails.

Certainly not in the same league as Texas BBQ, but it was enjoyable for sure.

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what a convenient evening, stay in one of the two nice plazas, commute 10 miles to the baseball stadium, then another 10 miles to this BBQ joint, then another 10 miles to the bar/casino areas.  Then 10 miles back to your hotel district.  All the while taking in of America's blandest interstate loop systems, almost making Houston's look cosmopolitan by comparison.  All the way dealing with one of the nation's most inconvenient airports, blandest architectual styles, and all the while getting to enjoy the absolutely unprecedented experience of having mediocre broiled meats served on local buns with sugarized A1 sauce.  My god, now I know how their convention business is unprecedented in the modern era.  We grew up in a union trucking household and even we skipped the Kansas City convention invites.  Chicago, on accident, has better barbecue.  

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There are a couple of hotels on the same exit as the stadium if riding 10 miles is that big an issue for you.

I’m not sure how the above is that much different than a lot of big cities. For the record if you stay in the Plaza area, there are plenty of restaurants and local bars within walking distance of it between there and the University of Kansas campus. I have to go to KC 2-3 times a year to meet with a consulting group and we’ve always been able to find plenty of options in that area. You do have a 10-15 minute ride out to the stadium and casino, but I’m not sure how that is much different than a lot of cities.

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On 10/4/2019 at 8:03 PM, Horns1 said:

Headed up there for Texans vs Chiefs next weekend.  Did a little preliminary online scouting, and have Slaps, Joe's, Jack Stack, and Bryant's on the radar,  but looking for some solid "first hand" recs from anyone that's experienced the Que scene up there.  

 

Q39

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On 10/6/2019 at 9:50 AM, After irth said:

Buncha snobs here. You don’t go to KC for the brisket for fucksake. 

Like going to New York City and bitching about the salsa. WTF you doing eating salsa in NYC in the first place?

This thread is peak Texas, and I love it.

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4 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

This thread is peak Texas, and I love it.

I actually hate when Texans act like what you’re referring to and I can assure you, it isn’t the case in this thread.  Kansas City is a wanna be real city with shit resources and offerings and an inferiority complex to go with it.  And their BBQ is very average despite what they think and try to convince others of.

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I actually hate when Texans act like what you’re referring to and I can assure you, it isn’t the case in this thread.  Kansas City is a wanna be real city with shit resources and offerings and an inferiority complex to go with it.  And their BBQ is very average despite what they think and try to convince others of.


I’m pretty sure the only people who think KC BBQ is noticeably inferior to Texas BBQ are Texans.

I thoroughly enjoy both styles, for the record, and I also agree that Gates and Bryant’s are both pretty overrated.

Texas does brisket better than everyone else. KC is more of a jack of all trades/master of none situation, where most items are very well done.
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On 10/4/2019 at 8:03 PM, Horns1 said:

Headed up there for Texans vs Chiefs next weekend.  Did a little preliminary online scouting, and have Slaps, Joe's, Jack Stack, and Bryant's on the radar,  but looking for some solid "first hand" recs from anyone that's experienced the Que scene up there.  

 

Q39 is very good, both places I've been to.

Also, KC Joes is outstanding. But if I had to pick one, it would be q39.

Jack Stack is good, haven't been to Bryant's in decades. 

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I’m pretty sure the only people who think KC BBQ is noticeably inferior to Texas BBQ are Texans.

I thoroughly enjoy both styles, for the record, and I also agree that Gates and Bryant’s are both pretty overrated.

Texas does brisket better than everyone else. KC is more of a jack of all trades/master of none situation, where most items are very well done.

I only care about the following:

Brisket
Sausage
Beef rib

From what I hear from folks that have visited various places in that region, I shouldn’t even waste my time. I don’t think that is just texas bravado.

And I reiterate, my limited experience in Memphis was disappointing. Goddamn I am glad to be a Texan living in Texas. This is what I ate today:

UvquMVY3_o.jpeg
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I only care about the following:

Brisket
Sausage
Beef rib

From what I hear from folks that have visited various places in that region, I shouldn’t even waste my time. I don’t think that is just texas bravado.

And I reiterate, my limited experience in Memphis was disappointing. Goddamn I am glad to be a Texan living in Texas. This is what I ate today:

UvquMVY3_o.jpeg


Celebration of brisket isn’t Texan bravado. It’s what you do, and you do it best.

The idea that everything else anywhere else is dogshit is.

I legit get a kick out of Texan bravado. It’s obnoxious at first, but becomes endearing over time. Pride has its upsides.
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There are a couple of hotels on the same exit as the stadium if riding 10 miles is that big an issue for you.
I’m not sure how the above is that much different than a lot of big cities. For the record if you stay in the Plaza area, there are plenty of restaurants and local bars within walking distance of it between there and the University of Kansas campus. I have to go to KC 2-3 times a year to meet with a consulting group and we’ve always been able to find plenty of options in that area. You do have a 10-15 minute ride out to the stadium and casino, but I’m not sure how that is much different than a lot of cities.


The University of Kansas is 35 miles west in Lawrence. But I’m sure there are plenty of restaurants and bars in that 35 mile stretch.


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3 hours ago, burns_312 said:

 


The University of Kansas is 35 miles west in Lawrence. But I’m sure there are plenty of restaurants and bars in that 35 mile stretch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

They have a medical school campus in Kansas City in case you haven’t noticed. 

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