Heidi Gardner shared top Kansas City BBQ picks with magazine. See the list
If you’re from or have lived in Kansas City long enough, you most likely have an opinion about barbecue and who does it best.
So when food media outlet Bon Appetit put together a full spread of barbecue and cookout stories and recipes, it felt right that they ask a Kansas Citian for some recommendations.
Heidi Gardner, a “Saturday Night Live” alum who’s from Kansas City, sat down with the publication to share her barbecue favorites for an article published Wednesday.
“If you’re born here, you’re brought up to love it,” she told the publication. “I was eating all this meat growing up, sometimes it was like, ‘This is the only food in this city.’ But you don’t really appreciate the craft of it until you’re an adult.”
Obviously, there are other delightful meals to be had in the KC area, but Gardner told Bon Appetit that nothing in Kansas City compares to its proud barbecue culture.
She also set a few things straight about what makes Kansas City barbecue stand out: various smoked meats, signature rubs and the “legendary” sauce — even though Gardner said you don’t really need sauce if the meat is seasoned well.
“I do like a supplementary dip of sauce for certain places, but I also love it for fries and onion rings,” she told the publication.
Where does Gardner go for KC’s best barbecue? Here are her four picks:
LC’s Bar-B-Q: 5800 Blue Parkway
Gardner’s reasoning: “The place is beautiful for being so unassuming — it’s a dive bar of a barbecue restaurant.” Her go-to order is the burnt ends and fries.
Arthur Bryant’s: 1727 Brooklyn Ave.
Gardner’s reasoning: “This is where I take my out-of-town friends. You can’t go wrong with any order at Arthur Bryant’s.” When taking her visitors, she’ll order the ribs or the chicken and brisket, which both come with white bread.
Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que: 3002 W. 47th Ave., Kansas City, Kansas; other locations in Olathe and Leawood.
Gardner’s reasoning: “If you have a friend who was a vegetarian until a week ago, this is where I would take them — though they are going pretty hard about eating meat if they’re jumping right into barbecue.” At this iconic spot, Gardner’s ordering a Z-Man, which she called her “death row last meal,” as well as the smoked turkey and barbecue chicken.
Gates Bar-B-Q: 1325 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd.; other locations in midtown, on Brooklyn Avenue, in Leawood and Independence.
Gardner’s reasoning: “If I think about barbecue, I’m thinking about Gates’ sauce. It’s probably the first barbecue I had.” This historic BBQ spot got high praise from Gardner, who recommended not just its sauce, but the whole menu at Gates.
