Joe’s Kansas City, LC’s Bar-B-Q on Thrillist’s national list of ‘top 33 BBQ joints’

For its new “The 33 Best BBQ Joints in America,” Thrillist went with its favorite Kansas City standards.

Kevin Alexander and Liz Childers put together the list, updated from a few years ago, saying “new” barbecue “isn’t really a thing, as most of the best places on the list have been the best places for many, many years.”

So they “ate brisket and chopped pork and talked to barbecue-loving editors all over the country” to come up with the current list — from Alabama to Arizona, Georgia to Hawaii, and Texas to, of course, Kansas City.

The two that made the list? Joe’s Kansas City and LC’s Bar-B-Q (both of which, by the way, had sandwiches that made Thrillist’s 2015 list of “50 sandwiches you should eat before you die.”)

They had this to say:

▪ Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que in Kansas City, Kan: “You might know it as the artist formerly known as Oklahoma Joe’s...... Anyway, about that barbecue: it is really, really good. I am partial to the burnt ends (as is most of the world), but they’re only served on Wednesday nights (and Monday/Saturday lunch), so if you want to get them, get in there early, add a pulled pork sandwich to that order, and then head out into the Kansas night chubby and contented.”

▪ LC’s Bar-B-Q: “Your mistake when you go to LC’s for the first time is to think that the burnt ends sandwich is actually a sandwich. Now, I guess technically it is, because of the two pieces of bread on either side, but really it’s just all of the fantastic burnt ends piled on one piece of white bread and topped with the spot’s unique sauce. Despite it not even really being a sandwich, it is one of our favorite non-sandwiches in the world. And don’t fret about the mess you’re making on your hands and face: there is a reason there are two rolls of paper towels on every table.”

And, in case you missed it, Thrillist also gave a nod to Arthur Bryant’s last year in its list of best barbecue to eat in each state.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Joe’s Kansas City, LC’s Bar-B-Q on Thrillist’s national list of ‘top 33 BBQ joints’."