Kansas City, MO: The Grand Finale!

So it all built up to this. As we traveled from St Louis, down the Mississippi, through Texas, and then toward the North again, all we heard over and over was...."Have you been to Kansas City yet?"

And now some history on Arthur Bryant's: In the 1930's, Mr. Arthur Bryant built a BBQ palace in an industrial district of Kansas City, MO. The word spread around, but as generations passed and word continued to spread, one wonders, could the meat really live up to the reputation? These were the thoughts running through our heads as we approached 1727 Brooklyn Avenue, K.C., MO. As the pictures show, we had to wait in a long line to find out. We had to make it through a pretty rough and tumble gauntlet of meat cutters and packers, as locals elbowed their way to their sliced brisket and rolled their eyes as we hesitated on whether we wanted a "combo" or separate orders of beef brisket, pork ribs, and sauced-up "burnt ends" of pork shoulder. We opted for a separate order of each. With much sweat and near tears we brought the bounty to the table, as depicted above.

The verdict: all that you hear about Arthur Bryant's is true. This is THE BEST BARBECUE THAT WE EVER TRIED, AND IF WE HAD STARTED HERE, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTED BY EVERYWHERE ELSE. Meat: all tender in a way that was like a revelation, smoked slow with a deep and smokey dry rub. Sauce: truly unique paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin flavor with almost no sweetness. All dished up on slices of Wonder Bread with a side of french fries done up in PURE LARD. Just awesome. We really hope you all have the chance to make the pilgramage one day. If you want to expereince some of what Arthur Bryant's has to offer, check out the video at: http://www.arthurbryantsbbq.com/our_restaurants/brooklyn/photos.htm