The tomato-based, molasses-sweet, vinegar-tangy sauce that defines Kansas City barbecue. Thick, sweet, slightly smoky, sometimes with cayenne heat layered in for a slow burn.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Henry Perry, the father of Kansas City barbecue, served his meats with a peppery vinegar sauce starting in 1908. The current tomato-and-molasses base evolved through Arthur Bryant's house sauce (rust-orange, vinegar-forward) and Gates' sweeter style. KC Masterpiece, developed in 1977 by Kansas City psychiatrist Rich Davis, cemented the sweet-smoky template and carried the city's sauce style nationally.
Tip from the editors. The simmer is the key: long enough for the brown sugar to caramelise, short enough that the vinegar bite stays bright. Use it as a finishing glaze for the last 10 minutes of grilling, not as a marinade.
Arthur Bryant's on Brooklyn Avenue in Kansas City is the canonical BBQ address, with roots back to Henry Perry's 1908 pit and the Bryant family's takeover.
Signature: Burnt ends, Beef brisket sandwich, Pork ribs
Order: Burnt ends sandwich on Wonder Bread with the rust-coloured original sauce.
Tip: Open Monday through Friday 10:00-20:00, Saturday 11:00-20:00, Sunday 11:00-19:00. Cash and card; sauce sold by the bottle.
Gates Bar-B-Q's Emanuel Cleaver II flagship in Kansas City has run the city's tomato-sweet sauce style since 1946, with the famous greeting at the door.
Signature: Burnt ends, Beef on bun, Mixed plate
Order: Beef on bun with extra sauce and a side of beans, plus burnt ends if you can get them.
Tip: Open Sun to Thu 11:00-23:00, Fri and Sat 11:00-24:00. Five metro locations; sauce sold retail.
Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que runs out of a working Shamrock gas station at 47th and Mission in Kansas City, Kansas, where the Stehneys opened in 1996.
Signature: Z-Man sandwich, Burnt ends, Carolina pulled pork
Order: The Z-Man sandwich, slow-smoked brisket with provolone, onion rings and barbecue sauce on a kaiser roll.
Tip: Open Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Walk-in only and the line moves; lunch sells out by 14:00 on weekends.
Rob Magee's Q39 on 39th Street in Kansas City applies a competition-circuit pitmaster's discipline to weeknight barbecue, with a full bar and table service.
Signature: Burnt ends, Pit Master Brisket sandwich, Mr. Burns sandwich
Order: Pit Master Brisket sandwich on a brioche bun and the burnt-ends plate to share.
Tip: Sun to Thu 11:00-21:00, Fri and Sat 11:00-23:00. Walk-ins and reservations both accepted; the brisket plate sells out late.
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