Pit perfection: meet Kansas City’s barbecue pioneers

Whether it’s a plate scraped clean or a Michelin star, the success of a meal is measured in a variety of ways. But for those in Kansas City, when the late, great Anthony Bourdain chooses a dish from one’s hometown as one of the 13 meals to enjoy before you die, it doesn’t get much better than that. ‘It’s the best barbecue in Kansas City, which makes it the best barbecue in the world,’ the chef and author wrote about Oklahoma Joe’s Kansas City BBQ. 

Kansas City-style barbecue can be traced back to the early 1920s, when Henry Perry started selling smoked meats wrapped in newspaper in the city’s 18th and Vine district, the historic centre of African American culture in the city. Proclaiming himself the ‘barbecue king’, Perry was among a number of Black entrepreneurs forging businesses in the area, at the same time as a burgeoning jazz scene was developing.

Today, visitors can learn more about this history on the African American Heritage Trail or at the American Jazz Museum, before taking the free-to-ride KC Streetcar across Downtown to one of the city’s barbecue institutions for lunch. There are more than 100 barbecue restaurants in the Kansas City metropolitan area, each one showcasing the Midwestern city’s unique style for smoking and dressing meats — from the sweet, thick sauces chefs lather upon racks of ribs to the smoky burnt ends enjoyed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here, two local experts explain why Kansas City should be on every barbecue-lover’s watch list.  

Chris Stuewe, owner of Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque

Kansas City has a lot of barbecue joints, but Arthur Bryant’s is arguably one of the most famous. Tell us how that came to be.
You could say the restaurant is a direct descendant of the godfather of Kansas City barbecue. Arthur Bryant and his brother Charlie worked for Henry Perry right up until the day he retired, then Arthur bought the restaurant in 1946 and started what we now know as Arthur Bryant’s. If you look on the walls, you’ll see all the famous people who’ve eaten here in the past, from Steven Spielberg to former presidents like Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter.

Is it true Arthur invented the burnt end?
There’s some debate on this, but we believe burnt ends originated at Arthur Bryant’s. Back in the day, he used to take the scraps from the brisket he was slicing for sandwiches and hand them out to people waiting in line for their food. Now, the Kansas City burnt end is a staple on every barbecue menu. 

Arthur Bryant’s has long been a Kansas City staple, famous for meats that are slow-smoked by a combination of hickory and oak woods.

Photograph by Arthur Bryant’s

What else would you recommend from your menu?
The burnt ends have been a favourite since forever, but I’d go with the beef sausage combo with our Sweet Heat sauce, either with fries or cheesy corn and beans. I also think our spare ribs are well worth trying, too. Our rub is made using Arthur Bryant’s secret recipe and our pitmasters do a great job of ensuring everything is cooked consistently.

We make three sauces on site: Arthur Bryant’s Original, Arthur Bryant’s Sweet Heat, and Arthur Bryant’s Rich and Spicy. Arthur liked to add a little more vinegar to his sauces which sometimes split opinion, but those who love it can’t get enough. We have all three sauces on every table, as different menu items pair well with each — you can’t beat burnt ends with our spicy sauce, or pulled pork with the Sweet Heat, for example.

What’s the secret to Arthur Bryant’s enduring appeal?
It’s stayed true to its roots from day one. You’ll see people from all walks of life standing in line — from construction workers to businesspeople in suits. We still serve our sandwiches in butcher’s paper and hand-cut our fries and fry them in lard like Arthur used to do. We’ve even kept the Formica-top tables with the red chairs that Arthur loved, too.

Why should lovers of great food visit Kansas City?
The food scene in Kansas City has exploded over the past 10 years — you can go to any part of the city and find a great barbecue restaurant. People from Kansas City take a lot of pride in how they cook. We want you to come here and have a great time; we want to serve you great food, offer great entertainment and really take care of you. But we’re also a city that’s got a little bit of everything — not only great food but great music, sports, museums too.  

Any recommendations?
Lula Southern Cookhouse is doing a lot of cool things. The owner, Bradley Gilmore, is originally from North Carolina and he brought a lot of his grandma’s Southern recipes with him. If you ever fancy a break from barbecue, [Italian restaurant] Farina and [Midwestern restaurant] Rye both have solid chefs and owners with interesting visions.

Michael Gratz, chef and pit master of London’s first Kansas City-style restaurant, Prairie Fire

What makes Kansas City-style barbecue so special?
Most states in the USA, whether it’s Texas, Tennessee or [North or South] Carolina, have their own claim to fame when it comes to barbecue. Texas mainly uses beef because it’s all ranch and cattle down there, while in North and South Carolina, they’re all about pork and the whole hog. Kansas City is unique because there are lots of different kinds of agriculture and farming nearby, which is why we smoke all the meats, from brisket and pork to turkey, chicken wings and ham. 

But if you’re looking for ways to differentiate Kansas City’s flavours from other regions in the USA, the barbecue sauce would be first on the list. It’s a sweet, smoky, tomato- and molasses-based sauce that’s generally sweeter and thicker than barbecue sauces elsewhere. It’s got a lot of depth, as we use lots of different ingredients — the one we make here at Prairie Fire includes tamarind paste and 17 different spices. 

Kansas-born chef Michael Gratz opened London’s first Kansas City style BBQ restaurant and taproom, Prairie Fire, in 2019.

How do you use the sauce when cooking?
You don’t marinate with barbecue sauces — their very high sugar content means they’d just burn. But say we’re cooking ribs: we’ll rub them, smoke them, cook them, then slather on some sauce at the end. We then ‘fire kiss’ the ribs to caramelise them, so we get that nice sticky finish. 

What sort of rub do you use?
In Texas, pitmasters will often only use salt and pepper as their rub, whereas a Memphis dry rub is a little bit sweeter. Kansas City’s is a blend of sweet and salty. Personally, I like to use salt, pepper, brown sugar, cumin, ground coriander and paprika, and I sometimes add ground up tarragon.

Why did you decide to bring Kansas City-style barbecue to London?
I moved over to London in 2012 and saw there was a real gap in the market for Kansas City-style barbecue. When I opened my first street food joint the following year, it happened to be outside the London offices of a Kansas City firm — all their employees had been to the city and had fallen in love with its barbecue, so I had a fan base pretty much instantaneously!

How has the perception of American barbecue changed since then?
When the Prairie Fire restaurant opened in 2019, pulled pork was still something relatively new and not many people knew what brisket was, either. In fact, I think I was the first person to ship USDA American beef brisket over to the UK — it took me six months! Now, our Kansas City-style smoked brisket sandwich is a certified favourite. 

Plan your trip
Fly to Kansas City from several UK cities via New York year-round. Hire a car at the airport, or travel around Downtown on the free-to-ride KC Streetcar. The city’s must-visit quartet of best barbecue joints are Arthur Bryant’s, LC’s Bar-B-Q, Jack Stack Barbecue and Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. For more information, go to visittheusa.co.uk

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