Humans have cooked meat over fire for more than 780,000 years, if not longer. Kansas City’s new Museum of BBQ is the first in the world wholly dedicated to this popular culinary tradition.
Located on the second floor of Crown Center, the museum is a fun, friendly experience for all ages. Guests start the self-guided tour by stepping into the museum through a wall-height metal smoker door that opens up to a world of meat, spices, rubs, wood, fire, smoke and sauce.
Founded by Jonathan Bender, the former food editor for Kansas City PBS, and his partner Alex Pope, who operates Local Pig and Pigwich at the Kansas City River Market, the museum explores the history of barbecue and informs about the unique cooking styles that differentiate Kansas City, Memphis, Texas and Carolina barbecue.
“I realized in covering the local food scene that barbecue is communal and it is a story of celebration,” Bender says. “It literally is about bringing people together and has been for centuries. This realization planted the seed to create a place that would embody that spirit and tell stories that appeal to people who don’t have a background in barbecue to those with experience cooking in their own backyards or on the competition circuit.”
Kansas City, of course, was the natural choice for a museum dedicated to the art of cooking meat due to the city’s longstanding position as the nation’s gateway to barbecue, Bender says.
Unlike Texas style, focused on beef, the Carolinas, which are heavy into pork, and Memphis, known for dry rubs, Kansas City represents a broad range of barbecue with a little extra sauce.
“Kansas City is a barbecue melting pot,” Bender says. “We have Southern influences here ,and we cook so many different types of meat in so many different styles. I felt like [through the museum] we could teach Kansas City about some of the other places that claim to be barbecue capitals in their own right and, likewise, showcase Kansas City within the context of American barbecue for people coming into town.”
So, what is Kansas City known for? Burnt ends. Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue became famous for giving away the charred brisket tips while customers were waiting in line. They were so popular the restaurant added them to the menu, and history was made.
The city is equally well known for introducing sauces that have become staples in the culinary world. Henry Perry, a Tennessee transplant who arrived in Kansas City at the turn of the 20th century, created an “eye-stinging baste of pepper and vinegar” that he slathered on his slow-cooked meats. Arthur Bryant later tamed the sauce to create one of KC’s first famous flavors.
Kansas City’s barbecue history and a mouth-watering abundance of carnivorous knowledge is shared through the 4,300-square-foot space that features 10 interactive installations and a gift shop. The exhibits dive into meat cuts, smoke flavors, pro cooking tips and a smelling station for identifying popular herbs and spices used in rubs. Playful additions like a squishy barbecue sauce floor and a body plunge baked bean pit (sauce not included) add to the sensory experience.
The Museum of BBQ (2450 Grand Blvd.,Ste. 231) is open from 10 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 pm on Sunday. For tickets and to learn more, visit museumofbbq.co.
