Get your grub on – A visit to Kansas City’s Museum of BBQ

You may want to eat before visiting the Museum of BBQ in Kansas City. If not, don’t worry, the city is full of barbecue restaurants eager to satisfy your appetite.

Located in the historic Crown Center mall, the Museum of BBQ takes visitors through a brief history, from its creation to the popularity of KC barbecue. Have a favorite style of rib? St. Louis? Memphis? What about grilling or smoking meat? You’ll find interesting stories behind the history of barbecue in America.

With a few interactive exhibits – props to Lisa for voluntarily donning butcher’s gear – such as a ring toss with steers. You can even jump into a pool of baked beans, sponsored by Bush’s.

You’ll receive two tokens upon entry. Use them, as you’ll get a lasting Dad joke and a tasty treat.

History of barbecue

The history of barbecue predates the United States. It didn’t happen accidentally because someone thought it would be fun to cook food over an open flame. If you think about it, barbecue likely originated with early humans after they realized meat tasted better cooked than raw.

Indigenous People in the Caribbean are credited with inventing barbecue in the western hemisphere. But, that could likely be challenged by Indigenous People elsewhere in the region.

But, as the United States go, it’s generally accepted that “American” barbecue was created when the Spanish and Indigenous People met on Parris Island in South Carolina. Cooking a pig – of which the Spaniards had plenty – in a pit dug by a local tribe is credited as the first American barbecue.

Today in South Carolina, the self-proclaimed “birthplace” of barbecue, pork is preferred using a mustard-based sauce including brown sugar and vinegar.

As visitors peruse the exhibits, which mostly consist of posters and other signage, diagrams of both a cow and a pig break down their parts ripe for the pit or smoker.

I’m partial to ham. But, having lived in a small town with a butcher shop next to the grocery store, it was common to see parts such as pig ears, feet and snouts in the meat section. Same with cow, with the addition of tongue and brain. However, I’ve never been a fan of hog jowl. I recall getting a spanking as a kid because I refused to eat it at my Grandma Bessie’s house in Arkansas. If hog jowl is your thing, more power to you.

Types of barbecue

Navigating the Museum of BBQ, visitors learn about the various styles of barbecue sauce, such as South Carolina Mustard, North Carolina Vinegar, Alabama White, Kentucky Black and Kansas City Molasses.

Alabama White is based on a mayonnaise and vinegar combination, creating a white sauce used on chicken or pulled pork. Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, based in Decatur, is known for its white sauce, attracting diners for a century.

In Kentucky, Black Sauce takes its name from the liberal use of Worcester Sauce, which gives it an ebony look, along with a zesty taste aided by lemon and vinegar. Known simply as “Dip,” Kentucky Black pairs well with lamb, mutton and pork in the Bluegrass State.

While South Carolina stakes its claim as barbecue’s birthplace, North Carolina may be the better known of the two states’ styles. And even in that state, you’ll find competing sauces.

Using vinegar as the main ingredient, eastern North Carolina barbecue sauce includes salt and crushed red pepper, creating a flavorful bite when basted on pork.

Western North Carolina barbecue sauce connoisseurs embrace ketchup, among all things. Tomato ketchup and sugar added to a mixture of vinegar and pepper create Lexington Style BBQ sauce.

Not to be outdone by its neighbor to the north, South Carolina’s Mustard Style is popular in the “Mustard Belt,” which runs from Charleston to Columbia. Consisting of “Carolina gold,” a mix of yellow mustard and cider vinegar, it’s used with pork or smoked sausage.

Memphis Fixin’ takes on all-comers with big flavors consisting of rubs featuring garlic, paprika and pepper before being cooked in a pit fueled by charcoal or hardwood coals. Rubs come in three varieties – “Wet” (swimming in barbecue sauce), “Dry” (mix of garlic and paprika rub) and “Muddy” (a combination of sauce and rub). The Memphis flavor is tempered with a tomato-based sauce. Memphis may be best-known for its annual BBQ contest each May.

Kansas City barbecue

Kansas City barbecue is our favorite, likely based on the city’s proximity to our home in Omaha. Using molasses as the base, KC barbecue also includes tomato-based sauces. With a sauce called KC Masterpiece, you’d think Kansas City had the best barbecue in the United States. Kansas City barbecue is good with either pork or beef. Much like the Border War between Kansas and Missouri, KC barbecue fans will declare their allegiance to their favorite cut of pork or beef. Personally, I lean toward beef when it comes to barbecue, though I’m not adverse to pork.

Known for inventing burnt ends, Arthur Bryant’s calls Kansas City’s historic 18th and Vine District home. Opened about 100 years ago, Arthur Bryant’s is a magnet for famous people, welcoming presidential candidates – Jimmy Carter for one – and tons of celebrities.

Texas brisket

Before anyone shouts, “What about Texas?!,” the state’s barbecue style is well-represented at the Museum of BBQ. Texans love their beef – from the neck to the oxtail – and a diagram breaks down the sections of a cow (or should it be longhorn?).

Known for its different ways of cooking brisket, diners should have an idea of what kind they want before heading to the counter to place their order.

There are four ways to order brisket:

Fatty Brisket – Meat from the point – the marbled top of the brisket or deckle. It’s sometimes referred to as “moist,” “wet” or “juicy.” If you like a little bit of fat with your barbecue, request fatty brisket.

End Cut Brisket – Crispy, charred edges of the brisket, “burnt ends.” Since brisket tapers at the ends, it’s thinner, allowing for crispy, crunchy bites.

Lean Brisket – Meat from the leaner lower portion, known as the “brisket plate.” This brisket dries quicker, requiring skill to create a perfect cut.

Brisket with Bark – Crispy outer layer of the brisket, caused by a coarse salt and pepper rub applied before the brisket is smoked.

Baked bean supremacy

While Bush’s may be the best-known brand, the company didn’t always sell baked beans. AJ Bush was a teacher in Tennessee when he decided to go into business for himself. Opening as a tomato cannery, the company later expanded to canning beans, creating a favorite barbecue side along the way. Bush’s Best Baked Beans earned more than $220 million in 2023.

Other popular sides for barbecue include coleslaw (seemingly dozens of ways to create a tangy or sweet dish), potato salad (tons of varieties), pasta salad, green salad, as well as tomato and cucumber salad. The list can go on and on.

Whether you’re a grilling fan, pitmaster or smoker enthusiast, a tour of the Museum of BBQ is a fun and educational way to spend up to an hour during a visit to Kansas City. You’ll be tempted to purchase some of the barbecue sauces, rubs and spices in the gift shop.

And remember, there’s a barbecue joint in KC with exactly what you’re craving after your visit to the museum. Bon Appetit.