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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Kansas City barbecue: Gates, Oklahoma Joe's and Arthur Bryant's plus The Boiling Crab, LA

Burnt end brisket meat beef Gates BBQ barbecue Kansas City Missouri

Toto. We are in Kansas. And we're here to eat all your barbecue! 

Kansas City actually straddles two states: Kansas and Missouri. Its distinctive barbecue style is what brought us to Kansas City.

What's the difference between Kansas City and Texas-style barbecue? Everything. It's said that Texas barbecue has a heavy focus on beef, particularly brisket, whereas Kansas City natives are happy to barbecue everything. Both use a dry rub to marinade their meat - Kansas City barbecue tends to use brown sugar dry rubs whereas Texans omit the sugar and prefer to use variations of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper or even coffee grounds.

Because of the high sugar content in the rub, Kansas City barbecue is usually cooked at lower temperatures to avoid burning the meat. It's said that Kansas City barbecue has only a faint smokiness after cooking, whereas Texans love it heavily laced with smoke.

The barbecue sauces are a key differentiator. Texans usually prefer to serve their meat unadorned - any sauce is served on the side. The sauce is thin and tangy but often kicked up with chilli powder, Worcestershire or cumin. In Kansas City, their barbecue sauce is extra thick, sticky and sweet with molasses or sugar, slathered generously over your meat when served.

This is the final post in the series on our eats in the US of A (it's also the 16th, but who's counting?). Ready for the meat sweats? Let's go!

Gates BBQ barbecue meat beef Kansas City Missouri
Gates Barb-B-Q, Kansas City

Gates Barb-B-Q is one of the original barbecue houses of this city. First established in 1946, there are now six outlets in Kansas and Missouri.

Brisket smoker meat Gates BBQ barbecue Kansas City Missouri
Brisket on the slicer with whole smoked briskets in the oven behind

Like most barbecue houses across the States, it's counter service only. Line up at the counter, tell 'em which meats you're after, and then watch your plate get assembled to order. At Gates I'm excited to spy the whole smoked briskets in the oven behind the slicer, massive hunks of meat covered in a blackened crust.

ribs beef turkey chips meat Gates BBQ barbecue Kansas City Missouri
Ribs, brisket and turkey with chips $US19.75

They mean business here. Protein and carbs are piled on a plate with a couple of pickle slices for crunch. Salad comes in coleslaw form or you can get a tub of steamed vegetables on the side.

Burnt ends brisket hoagie meat Gates BBQ barbecue Kansas City Missouri
Burnt end hoagie US$6.95

The burnt end hoagie is mindblowingly huge. You could feed a family of paleo eaters and still have enough for leftovers with the amount of meat piled in this bun. It's a mountain of burnt ends, shredded into a beef eating orgy. Burnt ends are what you get at either end of the brisket, appreciated for its intense smokiness, but they can be a little drier and chewier.

Relax. That's what the barbecue sauce is for. Unlike the barbecue sauce we encountered in Austin, Texas which was thin and tangy, Kansas City-style barbecue sauce is dark, thick, sweet and vinegary.

soft drink size Gates BBQ barbecue Kansas City Missouri
Small soft drink vs large!

The soft drink sizes here also continued to astound us. The large soft drink must have been about a litre!

yammer pie dessert yam sweet potato Gates BBQ barbecue Kansas City Missouri
Yammer pie US$3.75

Afterwards we squeeze in the signature yammer pie, a sweet potato pie that tastes like spiced pumpkin soup in dessert form. No need for a spoon!

Gates BBQ barbecue meat beef Kansas City Missouri


Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue

Oklahoma Joe's BBQ barbecue meat beef brisket Shamrock gas station Kansas City Missouri
Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue at the Shamrock gas station

You'll find the original Oklahoma's Joe's Barbecue inside a petrol station. Sure there's a service attendant who'll take your money for gas, but there's an even bigger queue of people lining up for the dining room alongside the confectionery aisle.

Oklahoma Joe's dining room BBQ barbecue meat beef brisket Kansas City Missouri
Oklahoma Joe's dining room

Oklahoma Joe's has its roots in competition barbecue. Jeff Stehney and his wife Joy attended a barbecue contest in 1990 and enjoyed it so much they bought their own smoker and created a barbecue team known as Slaughterhouse Five. They entered their first competition in 1991 and blazed an impressive series of victories. Their current tally includes more than 25 Grand and Reserve Grand Championships. In 1993 the Kansas City Barbecue Society crowned them Team of the Year.

Friends convinced them to open their own restaurant. In 1996 they took over the vacated tenancy at a petrol station near their home (the space used to house a fried chicken outlet). There are now three outlets across Kansas.

pulled pork Oklahoma Joe's BBQ barbecue meat Kansas City Missouri
Pulled pork sandwich US$5.39

At 11.30am there's already a line of about forty people but it moves reasonably quickly, and much of the wait is inside the store. There ain't no hipsters around these parts. It's a sea of families, workers, couples and a lot of men.

Oklahoma Joe's beef brisket sandwich meat smoked barbecue bbq Kansas City Missouri
Beef brisket sandwich US$5.69

Brisket in Kansas City, we discover, is much leaner than in Austin. There's barely a skerrick of fat running through the meat. We hoe into a pulled pork sandwich, livened by a crunchy coleslaw, as well as ribs, baked beans, battered onion rings and more.

pork rib half slab bbq beans Oklahoma Joe's meat smoked barbecue bbq Kansas City Missouri
Half slab rib dinner with bbq beans US$13.99 and onion rings US$4.79 


Arthur Bryant's

Arthur Bryant's beef brisket meat smoked barbecue bbq Kansas City Missouri
Arthur Bryant's Barbecue

And to round out the barbecue trifecta we stop by Arthur Bryant's, one of the most famous barbecue houses in the United States. The restaurant originally started as a business run by Henry Perry, regarded as one of the founding fathers of barbecue in Kansas City, who first started selling ribs from a trolley in 1908.

Brothers Charlie and Arthur Bryant both worked in Perry's restaurant, eventually taking over the restaurant when he died and renaming it Bryant's.

Arthur Bryant's barbecue bbq sauces Kansas City Missouri
Arthur Bryant's barbecue sauces: original, sweet and rich & spicy

The decor here is unchanged from the 1970s - a no-nonsense cafeteria set-up with formica tables, red vinyl padded chairs and fluorescent lighting overhead. The queue to the serving window is predominantly filled with blokes, young and old.

burnt ends pulled pork fries Arthur Bryant's beef brisket meat smoked barbecue bbq Kansas City Missouri
Burnt ends and pulled pork with fries US$11.70

There's a lot of meat here: beef, ham, pork sliced or pulled, turkey, chicken, sausage, burnt ends and ribs short or long. Sop up all the goodness with two slices of soft supermarket bread or go for broke and get the handcut fries as well.

Arthur Bryant's short end pork ribs barbecue bbq Kansas City Missouri
Short end ribs US$12.95

The ribs aren't overly fatty but they have a yielding softness to them, with a satisfying char along the edges.

burnt ends Arthur Bryant's beef brisket pork ribs meat smoked barbecue bbq Kansas City Missouri
Burnt ends with ribs US$9.95
Large drink US$3.10 (44oz!)

The burnt ends are cut into chunky pieces and smothered in barbecue sauce. I went for the large soft drink too, not realising that 44 ounces equals about 1.2 litres! Relax, it was diet, but sometimes you need that acid to cut through the meats, ya know?

Arthur Bryant's pork ribs meat smoked barbecue bbq Kansas City Missouri
Ribs


Five Guys

Five Guys burgers hamburger cheeseburger fast food Kansas City Ward Parkway
Sacks of fresh potatoes at Five Guys

We also checked out Five Guys while we were in town, regarded by some as one of the best hamburgers in America.

burger hamburger cheeseburger  assembly kitchen Five Guys burgers fast food Kansas City Ward Parkway
Hamburger assembly


The coolest thing about Five Guys is that all toppings are free. There are four burger price tiers: hamburger, bacon hamburger, cheese burger and bacon cheeseburger. Any or all additional toppings can be added as you please for no extra fee.

If you want to order yours "all the way", you'll get mayonnaise, lettuce, pickles, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup and mustard. If you want the complete list, ask for "everything" and you'll get all of the above plus relish, onions, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, A1 steak sauce, barbecue sauce and hot sauce. Phew.

free peanuts Five Guys burgers fast food Kansas City Ward Parkway
Complimentary help-yourself peanuts in the shell

While you're waiting for your order number pick-up, you can help yourself to as many complimentary unshelled peanuts as you like. It's a small gesture but free snacks seem to instantly put everyone in a good mood.

soft drink dispenser soda fountain Five Guys burgers fast food Kansas City Ward Parkway
Self-serve unlimited soft drink dispenser with 127 different flavours US$2.09 regular

And then there's the drink dispenser. I didn't quite believe the menu board when it said there was a choice of over 100 soft drinks, but the touchscreen menu options are endless. There are actually 127 different kinds of post-mix coma - probably a third of these are diet. Soft drinks are unlimited too. Diabetes ahoy.

cheeseburger hamburger Five Guys burgers fast food Kansas City Ward Parkway
Cheeseburger with grilled onions US$6.79

The burgers are served wrapped in foil, with buns that are said to be sweeter and eggier than usual buns.

bacon cheeseburger hamburger Five Guys burgers fast food Kansas City Ward Parkway
Bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions, tomato, lettuce and barbecue sauce US$6.79

They're not a pretty sight, missing the neatly assembled prettiness of In-N-Out or Shake Shack. The salad is a little fridge-cold too but it's messy and fun eating regardless. My favourite burger in the USA still belongs to In-N-Out followed by Shake Shack and then Five Guys.

cheeseburger hamburger Five Guys burgers fast food Kansas City Ward Parkway
Cheeseburger with grilled mushroom, pickles, lettuce and mayonnaise US$5.99 
and fries Five Guys style and Cajun style US$2.99 each

And fries are an essential accompaniment to any burger. We can't really tell much of a difference between the Five Guys style and Cajun style except perhaps a touch of cayenne.


Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits

fried chicken Popeye's Biscuits fast food Louis Armstrong Airport Metairie New Orleans Louisiana
Three piece bonafide meal with biscuit and drink US$6.99

And while we're on the subject of fast food, here's a snap of the pre-boarding breakfast we had at Louis Armstrong airport when we flew from New Orleans to New York.

Let it be said that Popeye's fried chicken is life-changing. You may even see rainbows. The biscuit is like a soft and buttery scone. But that juicy chicken with a corrugated armour of batter is so darn crunchy it will make you weep.

fried chicken Popeye's Biscuits fast food Louis Armstrong Airport Metairie New Orleans Louisiana
Friiiiiiied chicken


The Boiling Crab

Seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
The Boiling Crab, Koreatown

We flew in and out of Los Angeles so had to return to the city of angels for our flight home. How to make use of a single night in LA? Stay next door to a factory outlet mall. We did, and waking up and walking across the car park to go sale shopping was our best idea yet.

Here's another tip. Make sure you go to The Boiling Crab in Koreatown for your final hurrah.

menu seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Seafood menu

The Boiling Crab is phenomenally popular. They don't take reservations so turn up early or be prepared to queue. We ended up waiting over an hour for a table but we didn't care. We needed crab. We did notice, however, that the cafe next door seemed happy to accept customers with bags of Boiling Crab takeaway orders as long as they ordered a drink.

takeaway Seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Seafood being packed for takeaway

The Boiling Crab is just that. You order your crab, lobster, crawfish, shrimp, clams and/or mussels by the pound and then it's boiled in a bag with your choice of seasoning (Cajun, lemon pepper, garlic sauce or all of them at once) and level of heat. The spice-o-meter runs from non-spicy to XXX, helpfully described as "I can't feel my mouth".

dining room Seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
The Boiling Crab dining room with aprons for all

The decor is low-key and no nonsense. Tables are set simply with butchers paper and a serviette dispenser. There are no plates. There is no cutlery. This is a hands-only affair.

Lower your head and accept the the plastic bib. You'll need it. 

crawfish corn potato boil in the bag Seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Crawfish with corn and potato US$13

Barely ten minutes pass before our order starts hitting the table. Steaming bags of blistering hot seafood envelope the table with steam. We accepted our server's suggestion of adding corn and potatoes to the crawfish, all deliciously spiced up and soaking up the seafood juices.

clams seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Clams with rajun cajun sauce US$10 per pound (450grams)

We rip open the crawfish critters with wild abandon, teasing out the sweet flesh from its shell. Our bag of clams is easy work, the chilli spiced molluscs easily prised from their shells with our teeth.

sweet potato fries Seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Sweet potato fries US$4

Not everything is boiled. They deep fry stuff too. The sweet potato fries are some of the best we've had, combining the best of sweetness, saltiness and crunch.

fried oysters seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Fried oysters US$10

There are deep fried oysters, coated in a cornmeal batter and fried quickly so the oysters are still briny and raw in the middle.

king crab Seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Alaskan king crab US$25.46 for three legs (US$21 per pound/450grams)

But the main event is the crab. They only have Alaskan crab left on the menu - a shame, as we'd really been hoping for dungeness crab too.

king crab Seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Let's crack some legs

You'll be provided with nutcrackers and crab pickers but otherwise you're on your own.

Seafood feast Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California
Crab fest

Be prepared to get messy and have lots of fun.

shark decor dining room Seafood Boiling Crab Korea Town Los Angeles California

And that's the final post of our USA eating adventures! Thanks America. You were awesome.


<< Read the first USA 2013 post: Cronuts at Dominique Ansel Bakery, NYC


Arthur Bryant's Barbecue
1727 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Tel: +1 (816) 231 1123
Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday 10am - 9.30pm
Friday and Saturday 10am - 10pm
Sunday 11am - 8pm
More locations
Arthur Bryant's Barbeque on Urbanspoon


Five Guys Burgers and Fries
8600 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Tel: +1 (816) 333 4897
Open 7 days 11am - 10pm
More locations
Five Guys Burgers and Fries on Urbanspoon


Gates Bar-B-Q
1325 East Emanuel Cleaver Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Tel: +1 (816) 531 7522
Opening hours:
Sunday to Thursday 10am - 12 midnight
Friday and Saturday 10am - 1am
More locations
Gates Bar-B-Q on Urbanspoon


Oklahoma Joe's 
3002 West 47th Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
Tel: +1 (913) 722 3366
Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday 11am - 9pm
Friday and Saturday 11am - 10pm
Closed on Sundays
More locations
Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue on Urbanspoon


Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits
New Orleans Louis Armstrong Airport
8901 Airline Drive, Metairie, Louisiana, USA
Tel: +1 (504) 467 1647
Open 7 days 10am - 11pm
More locations
Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen on Urbanspoon


The Boiling Crab
3377 Wilshire Boulevard #115, Los Angeles, California, USA
Tel: +1 (213) 389 2722
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 3pm - 10pm
Saturday and Sunday 12pm - 10pm
More locations
The Boiling Crab on Urbanspoon

<< Read the first USA 2013 post: Cronuts at Dominique Ansel Bakery, NYC

Related Grab Your Fork posts: 

USA 2013
Austin - BBQ tour - Franklin, Ruby's, Green Mesquite, Salt Lick & La Barbecue
Austin - Gourdough's bacon donut, Hoover's, Whole Foods and Biscuits + Groovy
Chicago - Deep pan pizza, Al's #1 Italian beef & Cheesecake Factory
Kansas City - BBQ: Gates, Oklahoma Joes & Arthur Bryant's

LA - Animal Restaurant
LA - Boiling Crab
LA - Bouchon Bistro and Bouchon Bakery
LA - Donut tour of LA's best: Randy's Donuts, Bob's Doughnuts & The Donut Man
LA - In-N-Out, Roscoe's Fried Chicken & Waffles, Kogi food truck & Pink's Hot Dogs
LA - Mexican: Loteria Grill, Tamales Liliana's & El Flamin Taco
New Orleans - Willy Mae's fried chicken, Felix's Oyster Bar & beignet

NYC - Cronuts at Dominique Ansel Bakery
NYC - Doughnut Plant, Carlo's Bakery, Baohaus, Lobster Joint & Clinton St Bakery
NYC - Jewish food tour: Katz's Deli, Russ & Daughters, knish and bagels
NYC - Momofuku Noodle Bar fried chicken, Ssam Bar & Milk Bar
NYC - Motorino brussels sprout pizza, Best Pizza and Big Gay Ice Cream
NYC - Shake Shack, Tom Colicchio's Craftbar and Union Square Greenmarket
23 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 10/31/2013 01:25:00 am


23 Comments:

  • At 10/31/2013 3:43 am, Anonymous Hannah said…

    Babe, I'm sorry, but you're not in Kansas! Amber has schooled me on this (with varying degrees of frustration) over the past two years. You were in Missouri; they hate it when people think that this Kansas City is in Kansas. I'm only telling you in case the Wicked Witch of the West comes to yell at you. ;)

    Moving on, I'm still annoyed that I COULD have been here with you, if I hadn't confused my dates. Argh that seafood gloriousness!

     
  • At 10/31/2013 9:20 am, Blogger Tina @ bitemeshowme said…

    that burnt end hoagie has taken my breath away! my god. burnt ends are the best. no other way to describe it. SO glad you tried popeyes - I've had no such glorious fried chicken since (and love their biscuits)... and the boiling crab is a whole lotta fun. no cutlery and all hands on deck. friggen love that place!

    so sad the american adventures have come to an end..... =(

     
  • At 10/31/2013 9:38 am, Blogger Jess said…

    I love these posts about the food you've eaten in the USA! I was wondering if you'd consider doing a google map of the places you went and ate so that others (ie me) may follow in your footsteps?
    Such an excellent resource for people travelling over there!
    Thanks
    Jess

     
  • At 10/31/2013 9:40 am, Anonymous Tina@foodboozeshoes said…

    So. Much. Americana. - in one post! Want it all, but especially the burger and crab right now...

     
  • At 10/31/2013 9:51 am, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    @Hannah - Haha we made it into Kansas state for one of our eats but you're right, and I knew I shouldn't have deleted my explanatory statement last night. Post has been duly edited lest anyone is geographically misinformed! And yes the crab fest was so much fun :)

     
  • At 10/31/2013 10:32 am, Anonymous john | heneedsfood said…

    "Beef eating orgy". Love your choice of words! I didn't eat all that many ribs in the States, but if we went to this part of the country, it would have been an exercise by default. And you've gotta love that cornmeal crust on oysters!

     
  • At 10/31/2013 11:34 am, Anonymous billy @ a table for two said…

    "My favourite burger in the USA still belongs to In-N-Out followed by Shake Shack and then Five Guys." NOOOOO.....!!! It hurts for me to hear you say that!? The burger I had at In-n-Out was less than mediorcre! I think we need a trip to USA together to justify who is right and who is wrong?! LOL

     
  • At 10/31/2013 11:42 am, Anonymous Amanda said…

    Burnt ends, pulled pork and chips all on the same plate - damn, now I'm really hungry.

     
  • At 10/31/2013 1:13 pm, Anonymous chocolatesuze said…

    I miss everything that we ate on our trip. And drank. Well, except for that giant margarita....

     
  • At 10/31/2013 3:31 pm, Anonymous Daisy@Nevertoosweet said…

    I'm glad it's your last America post because I was getting way to jealous and just want to try all that food ALL OF IT!!! There's a wave of American BBQ shops opening up in Melburne but I'm sure it'll be NOTHING like the real deal you've had in Kansas!

    I did have the boiling crab dish in Singapore this year in May and that was amazing wonder if I can find anything like that in Melbourne hehe ~

     
  • At 10/31/2013 8:47 pm, Blogger gaby @ lateraleating said…

    Man, no wonder the obesity rates in America! It all looks yummy, though. Specially if you can feed my family and have leftovers :)

     
  • At 11/02/2013 10:37 am, Anonymous Sherrie @ Crystal Noir said…

    Oh wow if only that had crab restaurants here! It seems like so much fun yet simultaneously delicious ahhhh.

     
  • At 11/02/2013 1:34 pm, Blogger Heidii said…

    Oh man... I have been waiting for this post on The Boiling Crab and I LOVED IT!! I actuall agree with you that although Five Guys is pretyty good, In and Out scales a little higher. I'll be trying out Shake Shack next time though!

    Really enjoyed all the American food posts, we're moving there in a couple of months so I can't wait to try!

     
  • At 11/02/2013 9:34 pm, Anonymous Sara - Belly Rumbles said…

    I think I just killed my laptop with drool........

     
  • At 11/02/2013 10:31 pm, Anonymous Chris said…

    oh my...now i shall fall asleep pining for bbq meat and bags of clams...T_T

     
  • At 11/03/2013 5:25 pm, Blogger Unknown said…

    OMG!! So much delicious food! I want to eat everything... I never imagined there would be a difference between various BBQ ing styles, the marinades and the sauces, it all sounds so good :)

     
  • At 11/03/2013 6:37 pm, Anonymous Cindy (A Foodie's Joy) said…

    Wow! What a food odyssey! I haven't had In-N-Out yet so can only compare Shake Shack to Five Guys! Shake Shack wins but will wait until I have an In-N-Out to make the final verdict! Great series on your US trip! :)

     
  • At 11/03/2013 9:02 pm, Blogger Unknown said…

    I am so devastated that I didn't have time to heck out the boiling crab. sad face. On the other hand, I do agree that Pop eyes is life changing. It is almost as magical as naru one.

     
  • At 11/03/2013 9:47 pm, Anonymous Amanda @ Gourmanda said…

    The Boiling Crab just blows my mind - food cooked and served directly in a bag? It's so low-fuss, and I can only imagine how intensely awesome the seafood flavours would be!

     
  • At 11/04/2013 6:13 am, Blogger irene said…

    And I thought your USA posts can't be even more epic. Look at all of those feasts! The crab & seafood in a bag look amazing!

     
  • At 11/04/2013 10:59 am, Anonymous msihua said…

    You make me want to buy a plane ticket and dash out of here soon!

     
  • At 11/05/2013 9:19 pm, Blogger MAB vs Food said…

    I am going to miss reading and drooling all over these US posts.

     
  • At 11/06/2013 9:10 pm, Anonymous Iron Chef Shellie said…

    HELENNNNNNN!!!! you are seriously killing me!! Oh now I love me some American BBQ!

     

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