Food Traveler Magazine Summer 2017 | Page 74

JOE'S KANSAS CITY BAR-B-QUE Kansas City is known for its spicy-sweet sauces of a thicker variety. The sauce is similar to the tomato-based, dark sauce that Memphis created, only slightly thicker, and usually served on the side, or poured over the meat just as it is being plated. Kansas City is also known to use a wide variety of meat. The area isn’t shy when it comes to serving up BBQ chicken, turkey, and mutton. This branch that grows away from the traditional pork, makes Kansas City one of the most evolved styles of the authentic barbacoa cooking tradition. Since these traditions were born, and the “BBQ Belt” came to life, tourists and BBQ lovers from all over the country have wandered hungrily towards these areas to taste the “real BBQ,” and get a feel for the differences in each style. From national BBQ cooking competitions and festivals, to smaller, more intimate food trails and BBQ joints, you will find your preferred style in one of these original areas. History can only provide the facts and legends that essentially is American BBQ today. Let your taste buds be the true judge, and head to the belt for your authentic BBQ. After platefuls of the specialty that should be considered its own food group, you’ll see why BBQ is so thickly embedded in America, and why its evolution only gets tastier, year after year.