BBQ WARS!

People say they enjoy Kansas City. Find out why.
Post Reply
User avatar
chrizow
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 17157
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:43 am

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by chrizow »

loftguy wrote: I dissed Gates, so I feel that I must stand up for Bryants, to make some amends.

I've been to AB's on Brooklyn four times in the past year.  It has each time been spectacular.  Just brisket, but just awesome.  If you don't like the sauce, then don't go.  It is what it is and we'll just have to differ there.  OJ's sux to me, just sayin'.

This, after about a ten year spate of avoiding the place, following a few meals that were as insulting as my recent Gates experience.

Bryants in my experience seems to be back and this makes me happy on several levels.
i rarely eat Gates, but about a year ago we had some ribs from there and they were good.  I too have been to Bryants a few times in the past year and it has been really good each time.  I get brisket and sausage combo and just totally douse it in their spicier sauce.  no issues with fat on the meat or anything.  

i haven't been to LC's in about five years or more.  I need to change that.  I am also intrigued by an earlier mention of a BBQ cheeseburger at Gates which sounds stellar.  

but yeah, OK Joe's is my favorite in town, by far.  the employees may be white, but the patrons are no whiter than the patrons at Bryants or Gates or LC's (which is to say, they are 90% white).  I haven't been to the Gates on 12th st though.  I can understand that the space is not gritty and "authentic KC" feeling, and i also get that at this point it is a tourist trap, but it's still awesome and I am very pleased it is here.  It is too bad that "Oklahoma" is in the name, but really, who gives a shit.  I understand that an "Oklahoma Joe" is some sort of grill or smoker and is a term of art on the competition BBQ circuit.  I am not sure any of the proprietors are from OK - but again, if they are, who f'n cares?!
mean
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 11233
Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:00 am
Location: Historic Northeast

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by mean »

loftguy wrote: I've been to AB's on Brooklyn four times in the past year.  It has each time been spectacular.  Just brisket, but just awesome. 
Wish I could say the same. I've been probably 15-20 times in the past year or so, and about 80% of the time when I've gotten brisket, it has been awful. Never had a problem with sausage, turkey, ribs (other than ribs being overcooked sometimes), so that's good.  But when it comes to barbecue I'm usually looking for brisket. If it's bad > 50% of the time, it's very disheartening. Especially so for me, because Bryant's sauce is the only sauce in town I really like, so I often end up getting sauceless brisket from Jack Stack or somewhere and applying Bryant's at home.
"It is not to my good friend's heresy that I impute his honesty. On the contrary, 'tis his honesty that has brought upon him the character of heretic." -- Ben Franklin
kboish
Hotel President
Hotel President
Posts: 3258
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:25 am
Location: West Plaza

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by kboish »

Have many people been down to Danny Edwards on the BLVD?  That's some great BBQ just outside of DT.  Have a feeling they will start getting alot more props in the future.

Really think there should be some great BBQ in the DT area.  It's too bad Winslows sucks.  Such a great location.  You would think somebody would open something in crossroads...

For me Gates is still top or near the top, but I think that has a lot do with the fact that Gates was the first BBQ joint I started going to as a kid so it has that nostalgia masking some of their poor dishes...which happens from time to time.  The sauce also has a ridiculous addictive quality to it.  cravings for that bring me back. 

Other than that I really like rosedale, danny edwards, jack stack, and OK Joes (but mainly for sandwhiches...and really i don't go there much anymore because the lines are waaayy to long these days)
chingon
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3522
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:47 pm
Location: South Plaza

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by chingon »

Yeah I pretty much judge a KC joint (and most others for that matter) on the strength of Brisket and Spares, because they are the most difficult meats to execute properly. I have never -- not once in 20+ years of occasionally eating there -- had good brisket at Gates. I bat slightly over .500 at Bryants.

As for gritty BBQ ambience, I can understand Bryants, but Gates? Honestly? All the ones I've been to have seemed neither particularly gritty nor especially cool.

Coincidentally (or not) I just ate a Woodyard and I would say it has probably the best "roadside joint" aesthetic of anywhere in KC. Plus the Ends were exceptional and perfectly sauced. The ribs were real and good, but not real good.
mean
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 11233
Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:00 am
Location: Historic Northeast

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by mean »

kboish wrote: Have many people been down to Danny Edwards on the BLVD?  That's some great BBQ just outside of DT.
I loved Danny's when it was downtown. Only been to the new location once, and it was still pretty good. Didn't seem quite the same, though.
"It is not to my good friend's heresy that I impute his honesty. On the contrary, 'tis his honesty that has brought upon him the character of heretic." -- Ben Franklin
chingon
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3522
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:47 pm
Location: South Plaza

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by chingon »

I would trade P&L to have "Eat It and Beat It" back. Where were the save the plaza assholes when we really needed them?
loftguy
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3850
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:12 pm

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by loftguy »

The devotees of Danny Edwards BBQ serve to remind me of how inexplicably different we creatures called humans can be. 

It's right up there with Republicans, homosexuals and  Erie, Pennsylvania, as things which I lack the knowledge to truly understand and as result must embrace as part of the journey.

Jake Edwards bbq corned beef is one of those now gone tastes, the memory of which makes me weep.
lock+load
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 4209
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:25 am
Location: brookside

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by lock+load »

^Wow, I would say Danny Edwards is almost as good as OK Joes.
loftguy
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3850
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:12 pm

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by loftguy »

...like I said.

I honestly don't "get" Danny's.

I've been to OK Joes once, yet that medley from the menu, coupled with its location, allowed me to at least have some understanding of what drives the droves.
kboish
Hotel President
Hotel President
Posts: 3258
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:25 am
Location: West Plaza

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by kboish »

Forgot about Woodyard...that's up there as well for me.  oh and LC's and well...i guess i just like it all in reality.  Love the fact that our bottom of the barrel still blows aways most other cities best


I never had the chance to eat at Danny's when it was DT.  
User avatar
chrizow
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 17157
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:43 am

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by chrizow »

Danny's lack of evening or weekend hours means I have never, and likely will never, sample its delights.  Too bad.
User avatar
grovester
Oak Tower
Oak Tower
Posts: 4560
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:30 pm
Location: KC Metro

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by grovester »

and Danny Edwards is approaching OK Joe's for waits.  With the crowd vs. sauce factored in I go with Quicks.
ignatius
Oak Tower
Oak Tower
Posts: 4633
Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2003 2:42 pm
Location: Midtown/Downtown
Contact:

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by ignatius »

Danny's is just OK.  They are clearly taking shortcuts, but then again, so are most places.  It's not just me... friends and most at work think Danny's is just OK, not particularly itching to go back.  Is fixable if they could maybe smoke the meats longer and more slowly.  I do like their sides.

Will be checking out Quick's next.
User avatar
moosnsqrl
New York Life
New York Life
Posts: 349
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:26 pm

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by moosnsqrl »

mean wrote: I haven't tried it, but my boss said he thought Big T's (he calls it Mr. T's for some reason) was "about as good or better" than LC's.

Of course, he is also an unashamed fan of Famous Dave's. His culinary opinions are occasionally strange, but I find he's spot on a lot of the time.
That space was Richard's in the 80's and it was worth driving past LC's for then. I'll have to give the "new" (?) version a try. Richard had worked at AB's in their heyday and made what we referred to as "football sandwiches" (because of their size and shape, not because the Chiefs didn't suck).
aknowledgeableperson
City Center Square
City Center Square
Posts: 12624
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2004 10:31 pm

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by aknowledgeableperson »

Smokestack on Wornall ranks near the top.  Does justice to the original location and compares favorably to its cousin Jack Stack, food just as good place just isn't as fancy.

Lived near Gates on State Line for over 22 years and probably ate there just 3 or 4 times.  Gates is overrated.  While not bad it is just 2nd tier to many other BBQ restaurants in the metro.
I may be right.  I may be wrong.  But there is a lot of gray area in-between.
User avatar
chrizow
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 17157
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:43 am

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by chrizow »

ignatius wrote: Danny's is just OK.  They are clearly taking shortcuts, but then again, so are most places.  It's not just me... friends and most at work think Danny's is just OK, not particularly itching to go back.  Is fixable if they could maybe smoke the meats longer and more slowly.  I do like their sides.
on that williams-sonoma produced video with the voltaggio brothers from "top chef," they went to danny's and interviewed the man himself.  he showed them how he smokes the meat - he slow cooks it for like 12 hours.  how much slower do you want?
mean
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 11233
Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:00 am
Location: Historic Northeast

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by mean »

If it isn't "smoke aged" for at least 28 days it's crap.
"It is not to my good friend's heresy that I impute his honesty. On the contrary, 'tis his honesty that has brought upon him the character of heretic." -- Ben Franklin
ignatius
Oak Tower
Oak Tower
Posts: 4633
Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2003 2:42 pm
Location: Midtown/Downtown
Contact:

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by ignatius »

huh, doesn't taste like 12 hours.  maybe it's formally in the recipe to do 12 hours but i wonder if they really follow that.

nevertheless, the end result is just OK.  i don't want to rip too hard, it's difficult to pull of feeding hundreds of people everyday and making it well every time.  but somehow OK Joes does pulled pork well nearly every time.
IraGlacialis
Colonnade
Colonnade
Posts: 895
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:02 pm
Location: Bangkok

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by IraGlacialis »

kboish wrote: Have many people been down to Danny Edwards on the BLVD?  That's some great BBQ just outside of DT.  Have a feeling they will start getting alot more props in the future.
I tried them a couple weeks ago. Got a burnt-ends sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries, and liked it a lot. Enough to go back.

Is it the best? Can't say as I haven't had good BBQ, much less KC BBQ, in a very long time. And I tend to stick with burnt ends.

I think it has lunch hours on Saturday.
bobbyhawks
Bryant Building
Bryant Building
Posts: 3890
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 1:19 pm

Re: BBQ WARS!

Post by bobbyhawks »

I tried posting this earlier, but I may have closed the browser before it posted...

Has anyone tried Big T's?  I overheard a guy at Gate's on Main describing it as having the best burnt ends in town, hands down.  He was only at Gate's because it was after 10PM (thank you for your late hours, Gate's).  I'm excited to have this be my next, "you don't know real Kansas City BBQ unless you've been to " restaurant.  Then, I will be able to follow it up with "Gate's, Bryant's, and Okie Joe's are so overrated."&
Post Reply