The Mount Rushmore of Barbecue

The 4 best barbecue joints in the world...are the 4 best barbecue places in Kansas City. Okay, I haven't done my Texas tour yet, so I have plenty of years to revise this stance, but whatever.

Brit asked me a hard-hitting question..."If you're driving through KC and you have time to stop at one place for lunch what would it be?"

My first conclusion was that there is a solid top 4, and you can't go wrong at any of them. But let's dig deeper and count them down.

#4 Oklahoma Joe's

I've been there twice and neither time came away thinking I NEED to come back here. The wait is atrocious at the city location, and the atmosphere is chainy in the suburbs. And both times I felt like the meat portions were skimpy. Still, it's pretty good. It's just not as good as the others.

Specialty: Z-Man sandwich: brisket with provolone and onion rings.

#3 Jack Stack

I've only had carry-out here (twice) and it does have a premium sense to it. I'm not in love with the idea of a white tablecloth atmosphere, but the end result is what's important. I think it really just depends what mood you're in.

Specialty: Pork burnt ends

#2 Gates

I think this really warrants years of research, with extensive menu testing to see what's really the best between these top three. For now, I'm going with AB as just a hair better than Gates, but that might just be recency.

Specialty: Burnt Ends on bun / Beef on bun

#1 Arthur Bryant's

It's funny because I grew up on Gates, and truth be told I would usually gravitate towards a pulled pork sandwich or ribs as my first choice, but these places are amazing, and they do beef right. Right now, if I had to choose one place, it would be AB's. But why limit yourself? I can't wait to go back and hit AB's, Gates, and Jack Stack, and maybe next year I'll have a different ranking.

Specialty: Beef Brisket

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And since I love maps and barbecue, here's an interactive Google map featuring the Mount Rushmore of BBQ. We usually stay in Overland Park since it's cheap and convenient to Arrowhead (really anywhere is convenient in KC) so it's nice that there are locations out there for 3 of the 4.

View KC BBQ in a larger map