Brady and I completed our St. Louis/Kansas City trip and one of the hi lites involved a visit to a famous barbecue joint that is located in a gas station – Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue. Anthony Bourdain helped certify Joe’s as the king of barbecue when he listed it in his article “Thirteen Places to Eat Before You Die.” Bourdain noted that “Proximity to petroleum products is rarely an impediment to a great meal.”
Brady and I arrived there at 2 p.m. and the line stretched out the door and halfway down the sidewalk. (In the photo above we started off right below the Miller Lite sign.) However, the line moved steadily and “only” took us 45 minutes or so to get in the door and ultimately order our food. I’m no barbecue expert but the ribs and chicken I had were excellent. One of the distinguishing features about KC and St. Louis style barbecue is that its sauce is very sweet (click here.) (I guess that that old saying about the “secret’s in the sauce” is true again.)
Found this video on Kansas City barbecue but have to warn you that watching it is gonna make you hungry for some barbecue. Here in the County we’ve got Smokey Joe’s and Bear Creek.