Kansas City Missouri Barbecue Style

jr81568
Jun 22
3 min read

A Brief History of Kansas City Barbecue

Henry Perry and Arthur Bryant

Kanas City Barbecue style began with a black man named Henry Perry. In 1920 he barbecued in an outdoor pit near a streetcar made between 1840-1888 called a streetcar barn. This streetcar was pulled by horses and donkeys during that period. He served slabs of meat wrapped in newspaper.

Henry Perry's barbecue style was smoking meat over wood in a spicy tomato pepper sauce, He was known as the father of Kanas City Barbecue. He began working from a pushcart barbecuing pigs, and other animals.

In 1946 Perry sold the business to Arthur Bryant a black man that changed the name of the business and modified the barbecue sauce. Bryant's barbecue restaurant was known as one of the best in the world. Presidents Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Obama ate there.

Bryant created a sauce that is spicy and sweet. He learned how to barbecue by working with Henry Perry at his barbecue restaurants. Bryant visited his brother and decided to live in Kanas City. His restaurant is called Arthur Bryant's Barbecue. They serve brisket sandwiches, pork spare ribs, burnt ends, pulled pork, sausage, turkey, ham, and side dishes.

The Rosedale Bar & Barbecue

Rosedale Bar-BQ Source: Flicker/ Bob Travaglione

In 1934 The Rosedale bar began as a hotdog and beer stand. It was called the Bucket Shop. They wanted to own a barbecue restaurant because it was a popular business. It was started by Alda and Anthony Rieke and his brother-in-law Tony Seidelman.

They invested in another restaurant and cooked barbecued meats and poultry in a nine-seat restaurant with counter space. The bought ice for cold beer and eventually invested in rotisserie cooker to roast the meats and poultry years later. They are located in Kansas City MO.

The restaurant serves barbecue sandwiches, barbecued beef, pork, ham, chicken or sausage. They serve chili, fries, potato salad, barbecued beans, mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes, spicy or original Kanas city Barbecue Sauce. It remains a popular spot for residents and tourists.

Arthur Bryant Barbecue Bought in 2023

Arthur Bryant Menu: Flicker/ J Peller1105

In 2023 Arthur Bryant Barbecue was bought by MMD Transition in 2023 and the two new owners are Chris Stuewe and Andrew Miller. They have made some changes to the restaurant like online ordering and curbside pickup. The family sold the business because the sons did not want to take over and the father wanted to retire.

The new owners plan to get find more retail stores to carry the restaurants barbecue sauces and have them selling around the country. The serve the same entrees as the original restaurant.

Arthur Bryant Kansas City MO Source: Flicker/Wikipedia Supplied by Robert Huff

George Gates Barbecue Restaurant

George Gates Restaurant Source: Flicker Steam Pipe Trunk

George Gates decided that opening a barbecue restaurant was better than working for the railroad. The restaurant is now called Gates Barb-B-Que. During the early years the restaurant had a fire that destroyed it but they rebuilt and continued to serve high quality food. Gates's son became active in the business and received a degree in engineering and helped design the restaurants and ovens used. The restaurant serves beef, pork, lamb, sausage, chicken, turkey and ham. They have sandwiches, and delicious side dishes. They are a popular stop in St Louis.

Cooking Kanas City Barbecue At Home

Smoking Container For Grill: Source: William Hares Portfolio

If you own a gas grill or propane grill use can use hickory or oak chips or pellets to give it that smoked flavor that Kanas City Barbecue has. You can use a smoker tube on the grill that allows the pellets or wood chips to be lit with a propane lighter and left over the grill grate with what you are cooking.

You can Use an aluminum foil pan and put wood chips in the pan and place them directly on the grill grates near the cooking meats. They will eventually ignite from the heat and smoke to add flavor to what your cooking