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Start a Top 5 for BBQEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Kansas City Magazine. Updated June 2026.
Joe's KC BBQ · KCK — 47th & Mission
Best of KC 2024 reader winner for Best Barbecue, Best Barbecue Sandwich (Z-Man), Best Barbecue Sauce and Best French Fries. Gas-station original that cranks out 1,000+ brisket Z-Mans a day.
Jack Stack Barbecue - Freight House · Crossroads
Best of KC 2024 reader winner for Best Burnt Ends, Best Ribs, and Best Barbecue Rub. The largest wood-fired cookery in the U.S.
Q39 - Midtown · Midtown / Westport
KC Magazine's #3 BBQ pick. British pitmaster Philip Thompson applies classical French technique to Kansas City smoke. Known for the Mr. Burns burnt-ends sandwich.
Harp Barbecue · Overland Park
Tyler Harp's sliced brisket and sausages, relocated from the Raytown pop-up to a full Overland Park smokehouse.
Gates Bar-B-Q · Rockhill
Operating since 1946. Trademark 'Hi, may I help you?' greeting and chopped brisket on Bunny Bread. Ollie Gates inducted into the MRA Hall of Fame in 2024.