Pork spareribs trimmed St Louis-style, dry-rubbed and slow-smoked over hickory until the meat pulls cleanly, glazed with thick Kansas City sauce in the final 15 minutes.

Kansas City pitmasters built the spare-rib programme out of the African American barbecue tradition Henry Perry brought from Shelby County, Tennessee in 1908. The cooking method spread through the Bryant, Gates and Stehney families to the modern competition circuit. Burnt ends get the headlines; ribs are the locals' second-favourite plate.

Where to eat Kansas City-style ribs in Kansas City

5 editor picks for Kansas City-style ribs in Kansas City, ranked by editorial score. All Kansas City signature dishes · Kansas City-style ribs across every city.

  • Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que

    Order The Z-Man sandwich, slow-smoked brisket with provolone, onion rings and barbecue sauce on a kaiser roll.

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Arthur Bryant's Barbeque

    Order Burnt ends sandwich on Wonder Bread with the rust-coloured original sauce.

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Slap's BBQ

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

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Gates Bar-B-Q

    Order Beef on bun with extra sauce and a side of beans, plus burnt ends if you can get them.

    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.

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  • Q39 Midtown

    • ★ 4.5
    • $$
    • Midtown

    Order Pit Master Brisket sandwich on a brioche bun and the burnt-ends plate to share.

    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.

    DetailsBookDirections

Make it at home

Serves 45 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 racks St Louis-cut pork spareribs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 2 tbsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp cayenne
  • 1 cup Kansas City barbecue sauce
  • Hickory wood chunks for the smoker

Method

  1. Pull the membrane from the back of each rib rack with a paper towel for grip.
  2. Mix the rub; coat the ribs heavily on every side. Let them sit for 60 minutes.
  3. Set up the smoker at 225F (107C) with hickory. Place ribs bone-side down.
  4. Smoke for 3 hours. Brush lightly with cider vinegar; smoke another hour.
  5. Brush with sauce; smoke a final 30 to 45 minutes until the meat pulls back from the bone by 1/4 inch.
  6. Rest the ribs 15 minutes wrapped in foil before slicing between bones.

Editor tip. The 3-2-1 method (3 hours smoke, 2 wrapped, 1 sauced) gives fall-off-the-bone ribs; competition cooks prefer 3-1-30 for the bite. Avoid spritzing too often; the bark needs to set.