Eat in Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas City

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que ★ 4.8

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 and invented the Z-Man sandwich.

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.

Slap's BBQ ★ 4.7

Slap's BBQ on Central Avenue in Kansas City Kansas runs a competition-pitmaster operation since 2014 and sells out daily by mid-afternoon, ribs first.

Signature: Burnt ends, Pork ribs, Brisket

Order: Burnt ends and pork ribs at the counter; grab them before the kitchen sells out.

Tip: Open Tue to Sat 11:00 to 19:00, often closed earlier if meat runs out. Walk-in only.

Strawberry Hill Povitica ★ 4.5

Strawberry Hill Baking Company in suburban Kansas City has carried the Croatian sweet-bread povitica since 1903, with the Merriam facility producing up to 7,000 loaves daily.

Tip: Buy povitica gift loaves around Christmas; the bakery ships nationwide.

American Royal World Series of Barbecue ★ 4.8

The world's largest barbecue competition in Kansas City brings 500-plus teams to the Kansas Speedway across the last weekend of September into early October. Burnt ends and brisket lead, with KCBS judging the canon.

Tip: BBQ Garden Saturday-only ticket includes samples plus games from KC pitmasters. Day passes for the Open Contest Sunday are the public-friendly entry.

KCBS Certified BBQ Judge Class ★ 4.5

Kansas City Barbeque Society runs Certified BBQ Judge classes at the headquarters in Kansas City. Pass the class to judge sanctioned competitions across the country.

Tip: Classes run monthly and include four meats to judge. The KCBS test is the entry to the contest circuit.

Joe's Kansas City Z-Man ★ 4.7

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que in the working Shamrock gas station at 47th and Mission in Kansas City, Kansas serves the Z-Man sandwich, brisket and provolone with onion rings on a kaiser, for under $13.

Try: Z-Man sandwich

Tip: Closed Sundays; the line is the experience. Cash and card.