Kansas City BBQ

BBQ sauce in the top left, Boulevard Wheat beer, ketchup that remained untouched, Pulled Pork and Ham Sandwich, Fries

I'm not usually a huge barbecue* person, but from what I hear, Kansas City-style is something to try. According to Wiki, "Kansas City barbecue is characterized by its use of different types of meat... along with its sweet and tangy sauces which are generally intended for liberal use." Sounds good to me!

*For the record, I just learned that barbecue is correctly spelled with a "c" and not a "q." I assumed BBQ --> barbeque. Not so.

I asked the concierge to recommend an authentic BBQ joint relatively close to the hotel and without a pause he said "Jack Stack." He said that not only is it the best (in his humble opinion) but it happens to be less than a mile from the hotel I'm at. After some brief research from my hotel room, I decided that I'd trust his opinion and check it out.

The area of Kansas City I'm in is really great. I'm right near the Power and Light District, which is an area filled with bars, restaurants, and music venues. There's the huge Sprint Center (where Daughtry is playing tonight, puke), then an outdoor stage called KC Live! that seems pretty cool. To get to Jack Stack, I walked through what appeared to be a sort of artsy district down to the Freight House, which has a bunch of hip restaurants including said barbecue joint.



I sat outside despite the ominous clouds and stormy breeze and enjoyed a local Boulevard Wheat beer while reading a magazine and awaiting my meal. With advice from the waiter, I ordered The Hatfield sandwich, which is your choice of two barbecue meats served on a french roll with a side of fries. Choices of meats for the sandwich included beef brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, and smoked ham; I chose the pulled pork and ham and asked for the spicy barbecue sauce. The food came out unfortunately fast but I was hungry so it was okay. Had I been dining with friends we probably would have been annoyed.

The meat had a delicious smoky flavor and the roll was a great combo of crunchy-soft. The barbecue sauce was uhhhhhhmazing. It definitely had a ketchup base but had a great tangy flavor, a hint of sweetness, and a good kick to boot. I drenched my sandwich in the sauce -- heck, the Wikipedia article told me to do it and I can't say no to them -- and ended up dipping all my fries in it as well. I took half the sandwich home, along with a requested to-go cup of spicy sauce. I plan to eat this before the evening is out.

A closer look at the yummy meat

I wish I had something to which I could compare this barbecue, but I haven't tried any other famous barbecue restaurants in the south/midwest, let alone in Kansas City. Barbecue roadtrip, anyone??

Regardless, I highly recommend a stop at one of the Jack Stack locations if you ever get to Kansas City! Oh, and definitely check out the KCP&L district (as they seem to call it here).

Home tomorrow night!!!