IMAGES: GAROZZOS; PILSEN PHOTO CO-OP
EAT
From left: Chicken spiedini is a classic among Kansas City’s Italian community; a busy table at Fox and Pearl, which champions local produce and seasonally changing menus
F IVE FOOD FIND S CHICKEN SPIEDINI
Born in the city’s Italian community, these are chicken breast skewers marinated in olive oil, garlic and basil, and coated in breadcrumbs.
KANSAS CITY STRIP STEAK
A tender, bone-in cut of beef from the short loin of a cow, featuring robust marbling for a richer taste.
BURNT ENDS
Sublime fatty cuts from the point end of a brisket, chopped into cubes of lightly charred meat. Sometimes served in sandwiches.
CHEESY CORN
A hearty barbecue side dish of fresh sweetcorn baked in a
cloak of melted cheese. Bacon is occasionally thrown in as well.
KANSAS CITY BARBECUE SAUCE A sticky-sweet barbecue sauce
made from rich molasses, onions, spices and tomato ketchup. More often found in old-school joints.
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NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL
Gates BBQ and Arthur Bryant’s — also loves throwing its finest cuts into overflowing sauce- laden sandwiches. A 10-minute drive from here, deeper into KC’s suburban sprawl, is a place serving arguably the city’s most unusual barbecue in bread. In its car park, the glare of the bright
Midwest sun makes it hard to read any of the vehicles’ number plates, so I need to squint a little, but my eyes don’t deceive me: there are several California and Louisiana plates alongside the usual flurry of pale blue Kansas ones. Central California is around a 1,700-mile drive, so the sloping parking lot at Joe’s Kansas City BBQ is the first indication of the sort of dedicated pilgrims the place attracts. Back in 2005, Anthony Bourdain, the late
chef and TV presenter brought national attention to this mint-green intersection joint, which doubles as a petrol station. “Oh, he changed our whole business. Put
us on the map as a destination — a place to go,” says Joe’s director of marketing Eric Tadda, as we take a seat near a window and watch hulking SUVs rumble by on the nearby highway while a lonesome country music song rings out of the mounted speakers above. There’s a certain novelty appeal that comes
with the convergence of a gas station and Bourdain’s seal of approval, but this isn’t the only reason folks from out of state visit.
The Z-Man sandwich is another. I tell Eric I’m not leaving without trying the legendary sandwich, named after local radio DJ Mike Zerek (‘the Z-Man’), who visited relentlessly, always asking for a brisket sandwich topped with melted cheese and two onion rings. “He just kept ordering it,” explains Eric. “So,
they had a competition to name the sandwich and nothing stuck more than ‘Z-Man’. It just became a hit.” The Z-Man is smaller than I expect, but after
the first bite, I can see why they sell over 200 a day. The onion rings blend perfectly with the thinner cuts of smoky brisket sliced especially for this, while the texture is gloriously softened by melted cheese inside a buttered and toasted kaiser roll. Not only is this the best thing I’ve eaten in KC, the grab-and-go sandwich is also one of the best, entry-level items for anyone interested in exploring barbecue culture. In this laid-back, anything goes barbecue
town, there really is only one rule — arrive with a voracious appetite.
HOW TO DO IT: There are no direct flights between the UK and Kansas City. American Airlines flies from Heathrow with a stopover at Chicago O’Hare; average journey time is 12h.
americanairlines.co.uk Stay at the 21c Museum Hotel in the Library District. Prices from $195 (£149) per night.
21cmuseumhotels.com
visitkc.com
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