BBQ WARS!

[IraGlacialis]

Here are some of the blog posts from the trip, with Danny Edwards getting a lot of love:

Hmm... seems to be lunch-only.
Can anybody else attest to this place?

[pash]

.

[cknab1]

I eat there a couple times a month.  It's very good, very fast. and priced right.

[bobbyhawks]

Hmm... seems to be lunch-only.
Can anybody else attest to this place?

It's in my top five, ranging from the top to #4 or 5 depending on what I want to order that day.  I'd eat there a lot more if it were open for dinner.

[Joe Smith]

There's a new joint up north in the strip mall behind the Quik Trip at Englewood Rd. and 169. It's called Bear's Smoke Shack and it's been open since April.

I think the food is great and can't really compare it to another place in town. The guy who owns it does a great job on his meat and beans, but he also comes up with some strange concoctions that work really well. He's got a BBQ pie that has either Frito's or fries, pork or beef with his beans on top. It's fabulous. I love it. He just came out with a deep-fried BBQ burrito with your choice of pork or beef. It's very good as well. He also has some really good and big, smoked chicken wings that are very tasty.

Please go check this place out because I'd hate to lose the only decent BBQ place up north. You can find info at his site bearssmokeshack.com and he's also on Facebook, where you can see some pics of his food from some of his customers.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Don't care for Smokehouse?  Know a few up north who love it.

[KCMax]

Has anyone tried the BBQ place out in RF at the K? Its seriously good and not that bad a deal at all compared to the inflated prices of most ballpark fare. Huge step up from the Gates BBQ that was there that was always tough as leather. I have no idea who runs it - it might just be a generic Aramark stand for all I know, but the burnt ends were excellent and they are generous with the sides.

[AJoD]

Please go check this place out because I'd hate to lose the only decent BBQ place up north. You can find info at his site bearssmokeshack.com and he's also on Facebook, where you can see some pics of his food from some of his customers.

It's billed as "Ozark-style" BBQ. Is this a discernible style?

I know there are some places down there that remind me more of some country-style Appalachian places in appearance, but that's just the landscape. I don't know the food. There was a place in Omaha for a time that was billed as Ozark-style too.

[mean]

It is not clear to me what, if anything, defines "Ozark-style"--but they do have a tendency to go with Bar-B-Q or Bar-B-Que instead of barbecue.

[heatherkay]

I've had BBQ a couple of times on the MO-AR border, but years agao.  I remember it being more pig-oriented and they put cole slaw on the sandwich.

[mean]

That's the thing in Memphis and North Carolina, iirc.

[slimwhitman]

I went to the 47th St Oklahoma Joe's for dinner on Sat. nite and the line was wrapping the building.  It was easily a 40+ minute wait.  One thing I noticed was that half of the people in line had some sort of ID badge around their neck or clipped to their shirt.  Looks like they were out-of-towners attending a conference.  There were several styles of badges that lead me to believe that they are attendees of several different conferences.

One thing we forget is that our BBQ restaurants are a huge attraction for visitors.  It is too bad we cannot capitalize on that in Westport, The Plaza or Downtown.  All our funky and isolated BBQ joints don't provide much of an opportunity for us to show off the impressive nodes of our city. 

I could see a Jackstack/OKJoes/A.Bryants being located in the heart of Westport or Brookside or even downtown O.P. and really pumping those nodes up a few notches by bringing non-locals to those attractive parts of our metro.

[WSPanic]

One thing we forget is that our BBQ restaurants are a huge attraction for visitors.  It is too bad we cannot capitalize on that in Westport, The Plaza or Downtown.  All our funky and isolated BBQ joints don't provide much of an opportunity for us to show off the impressive nodes of our city. 

I could see a Jackstack/OKJoes/A.Bryants being located in the heart of Westport or Brookside or even downtown O.P. and really pumping those nodes up a few notches by bringing non-locals to those attractive parts of our metro.

Who forgets that tourists like BBQ? I actually think the wide and disparate locations of our BBQ is a great part of our local culture. The fact that the establishment of well thought of BBQ is largely an organic occurence means tourists have to do a little hunting to find the best. Which is truly how it should be. Otherwise it would be contrived. Not saying Brookside or Westport couldn't use a successful BBQ place - I just don't see it as a shortfall.

[GRID]

Who forgets that tourists like BBQ? I actually think the wide and disparate locations of our BBQ is a great part of our local culture. The fact that the establishment of well thought of BBQ is largely an organic occurence means tourists have to do a little hunting to find the best. Which is truly how it should be. Otherwise it would be contrived. Not saying Brookside or Westport couldn't use a successful BBQ place - I just don't see it as a shortfall.

I agree with this and I think most people understand that when coming to town.

It's still annoying that Oklafuckinghoma joes in a surbuban looking area in kansas where most customers are white and from the burbs is now kc's signature bbq joint.  The place may as well be at 135th and mission.

If gates sucks now, then they need to get off their asses and fix it cause this kind of sucks for kc if you ask me.  gas staion or not.

[mean]

GMAFB. OK Joe's is literally 4 minutes from the heart of the MFing plaza, which is your favoritest part of KC in the world. 135th? Are you joking? Come off it, dude. I'm sorry it hurts your anus, but the reason they are so popular is because they're really good. I'm also sorry you do not feel as though enough black people go there. I'm not sure why black people make the food or experience better. If the urban cue places want to compete, they have step up their game. They're skating by on reputation and by occasionally knocking one out of the park.

On Friday, I went to the Gates in WyCo and got a beef and a half lean as. Guess what? It was inedible. I picked around as much of the gross chewy fat as I could and ended up throwing away over a pound of "food". That is unacceptable. I literally feel sometimes as though asking for lean as pisses them off and makes them make it as horrible as possible. That's not the first time it has happened.

Then again, a couple weeks ago I had a seriously awesome beef sandwich at my regular Gates on 12th and Brooklyn (I'm a regular there, so maybe they don't get as mad or something, I dunno). I'm just saying, be consistent or go away. I'm getting tired of paying $10 for a sandwich and then throwing most of it away. This happens around 60% of the time. I would just go to OK Joe's but it's too far to bother with.

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I do get carryout from Jack Stack a lot more often now. At their best they are not as good as Gates or Bryant's, but at least I know what I'm getting. I know I won't ever have to throw 90% of it in the damn trash.

[slimwhitman]

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I do get carryout from Jack Stack a lot more often now. At their best they are not as good as Gates or Bryant's, but at least I know what I'm getting. I know I won't ever have to throw 90% of it in the damn trash.

Agreed.  I never recommend Gates to visitors for this very reason.

[taxi]

Gates has the best ribs in town and if you don't agree, you're wrong. And they are consistent. Sometimes, though, the guy cutting them may have graduated last in his class at ribtech, or maybe it's just too difficult to cut them correctly when you're not looking at them cuz you're too busy sneering at the manager. Bit the bone shards add a little danger and excitement.

[mean]

I will agree that Gates does have pretty good and pretty consistent ribs. Don't know that I'd say best in town, but they are good.

[loftguy]

Agreed.  I never recommend Gates to visitors for this very reason.

Gates is not my favorite, though it has such a distinct flavor that from time to time I crave it.  Not long ago, some out of towners stopped me on the street and asked how to get to Gates.  I was near Union Station at the time, so I sent them down Main to the Linwood location (though I've always preferred the original 12th and Brooklyn)

Anyways, it had been a while, so I followed them there and thought I would treat myself to a gut busting orgy of a beef and a haf with fries.  

Wrong.  Nobody should ever put something like that in front of a customer.  I was so pissed that after two bites and an inspection I left without bothering to complain.  More than 50% fat, gristle and char.

I felt like I had a swastika tatted on my forehead and wondered if the tourettes had kicked in and purged a few n's with my order.  

Sorry, Ollie, but it was beyond error.  I'm not yelping this because I've always appreciated you, but man, somebody is need of a whuppin.

OK Taxi, I'll let you treat me to ribs and make it all better.  With the recent heat, I need a big sodium charge, anyway.

[GRID]

Gates is not my favorite, though it has such a distinct flavor that from time to time I crave it.  Not long ago, some out of towners stopped me on the street and asked how to get to Gates.  I was near Union Station at the time, so I sent them down Main to the Linwood location (though I've always preferred the original 12th and Brooklyn)

Anyways, it had been a while, so I followed them there and thought I would treat myself to a gut busting orgy of a beef and a haf with fries.  

Wrong.  Nobody should ever put something like that in front of a customer.  I was so pissed that after two bites and an inspection I left without bothering to complain.  More than 50% fat, gristle and char.

I felt like I had a swastika tatted on my forehead and wondered if the tourettes had kicked in and purged a few n's with my order.  

Sorry, Ollie, but it was beyond error.  I'm not yelping this because I've always appreciated you, but man, somebody is need of a whuppin.

OK Taxi, I'll let you treat me to ribs and make it all better.  With the recent heat, I need a big sodium charge, anyway.

Damn, that really sucks.  I guess I need to try their beef again because It?s been probably ten years since I have had sliced beef at gates.  I like their turkey on bun or burnt ends and love their fries.

It sounds like they have really gone downhill.  Maybe somebody there is reading some of these replies.

Still, OK joes?  What has happened to KC bbq to be overtaken by that place in popularity.  I just hope the urban core bbq I grew up with doesn?t fizzle out and yes, ok joes may as well be at 135th and mission, demographically.  It just doesn?t have the same feel, atmosphere etc as gates, lcs, bryants etc.