Two Kansas City barbecue joints make new ‘Top 50’ list — but not where you’d expect
While Missouri is not typically considered a Southern state, two Kansas City barbecues made a new listing for “top-notch ’cue” from the region.
Southern Living’s “The South’s Top 50 Barbecue Joints” lists both Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque and LC’s Bar-B-Q.
The magazine published its last list of the top Southern barbecues in 2019. It said a lot has changed since then — the pandemic, soaring food costs and labor challenges that threaten the entire industry.
Still, only one barbecue from the 2019 list has closed, and established restaurants have added new locations, while new ones have entered the market.
It had this to say about the Kansas City operations in 2022:
▪ Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque, No. 14.
“The roots of Arthur Bryant’s signature style stretch back to Henry Perry, Kansas City’s original barbecue king. Perry taught the trade to Charlie Bryant, who taught it to his brother Arthur, who eventually took over Charlie’s restaurant and moved it to its current location on Brooklyn Avenue. … The counter men still carve tender folds of smoked beef on stainless steel slicers, and they pile it on brown butcher paper, brush it with sauce, and slap three or four slices of white bread on top. The splendid fries are still cut by hand, and Bryant’s original sauce is unique among Kansas City joints. More orange than brown, it’s mildly hot with a bit of a gritty texture from an array of spices, which give the perfect boost to a giant open-faced beef sandwich.”
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▪ LC’s Bar-B-Q, No. 35
“Kansas City lost one of its barbecue kings when L. C. Richardson passed away in February 2021, but his granddaughter, Tausha Hammett, has kept the fires burning.
“Burnt ends — the crisp, smoky bits trimmed off the end of briskets — are a Kansas City specialty, and LC’s has long served the best version in the city. The tender, chewy morsels have a delightful salty, smoky bark from the pit, and they’re drenched in tangy sauce and piled atop a layer of sliced white bread to soak up all the goodness.”
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It also gave a shoutout to the combo sandwich “with tender beef and slightly salty ham layered between two slices of white bread.
In 2019, Southern Living magazine featured the Jones sisters in Kansas City, Kansas, along with Megan Day of Burnt Finger BBQ in Lee’s Summit, in its story on “The Most Influential Women in Southern Barbecue Now.” The Jones sisters are looking to sell their restaurant but keep the sauce business, and Burnt Finger sells its products online.
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The Census Bureau puts Kansas and Missouri in the Midwest.
