Arthur Bryant's Barbecue...The Godfather of Kansas City BBQ

I got up Saturday afternoon after a long night of drinking and had a craving for something substantial to fill my gut and soak up any lingering alcohol. I got ahold of Mark Forshee, a fellow lover of consumption, and decided to go to Oklahoma Joe's. Apparently Forshee had, just minutes before the text, told his roomate that he was going to get some barbeque.
Forshee picked me up and we crossed the border into Kansas. As we entered the parking lot we saw a line not just out the door but that ran the length of the building outside. "We're not eating here," Forshee informed me. I pulled out my phone to google nearby BBQ joints when Forshee suggested Arthur Bryant's.
We turned around and headed to 35 North, got on 70 East and got off on Brooklyn Ave. Bryant's was less than half a mile down Brooklyn. The two-story, aged, brick building stood out as a beacon of barbeque'd goodness. Inside we found long line, but at least it ended before the door and we could wait in the air conditioning.

Bryant's is known as one of the original Kansas City BBQ joints and is said to have made KC BBQ famous. There's a lot of hype surrounding Bryant's and I must admit, it lived up to most of it.

I had plenty of time to examine the atmosphere while we stood in line trying to stay out of the bussers' paths.

The walls were covered with Arthur Bryant's and Kansas City history. There were articles, clippings and awards, framed and hung on every wall. Next to the press clippings were a series of pictures, of customers and fans wearing Arthur Bryant's t-shirts, that were sent from all over the world. I noticed a pair of men standing on the Great Wall of China and multiple pictures from soldiers, at least one of which was stationed in Iraq.

Next to the customers were pictures of several celebreties that have made their way through Bryant's historic doors including Danny Glover, John McCain, who was accompanied by Sarah Palin, and Steven Spielberg. There was also a huge signed mural of golf star Tom Watson and a newspaper article from when President Jimmy Carter visited.

The line rolled with a reasonably steady swiftness. "Next," came demandingly from behind the counter's glass. "Next." "Next," the employee bellowed annoyedly, sarcastically tilting his head. The counter workers spoke with a stern rudeness, but the tone seemed to stem from a sense of urgency. While rude employees will often drive me from any establishment, I understand when thegoal is prompt, efficient service, such as at Arthur Bryant's.

We viewed a bulging hunk of beef behind the glass and a pile of pork next to the window. Workers buzzed behind the glass, slicing, frying and piling. We moved our trays along the line and paid at the end. I should warn you that for a pulled pork sandwich with fries, beans and a large souvenir-cup soda I paid about $19.00. Arthur Bryant's won't be cheap but the portions are plentiful.

We sat down at a simple, old wood-legged table that held three sauces, Original, Sweet Heat and

Rich and Spicy, salt and pepper and a foot-high stack of napkins, which we would need.

The sliced pork overflowed between two pieces of white bread without any sauce. One half of my sandwich was a little dry but the other was abudantly juicy. The meat was not that warm as it had been sitting out in front of the window. The tender pork tasted of infused smoke which lingered momentarily in my mouth. There was a bit of fat as can be expected but I'd say it had about the right amount. It was not the highest quality meat but I don't think the highest quality meat is meant for a pork sandwich.

Because the pork was sliced it could hang off the edge while still maintaining the integrity of the sandwich. Instead of falling off onto my hands and plate, the pork clung to the sandwich's structure.

Forshee ordered the combo sandwich, chose beef and pork, which came with an extra slice of bread between the two meats. He said he got about twice as much beef as pork. The beef was dryer than the pork, but the smokey flavor from the wood chips was stronger. Holding a long slice of pork, Forshee informed me about smokelines, a darkening on the meat that shows where the smoke penetrates the flesh. Forshee also suggested that because Bryant's meat had a thinner cut, as opposed to say, Oklahoma Joe's, that it held less juice.

Original Sauce

The original sauce had a powerful, vinegar base, that had a mouth-burning background. I thought I tasted pepper and Forshee suggested there was also paprika and chili flavor. I was not partial to this sauce but I can see why other's love it. I'm really just not a big vinegar fan, but the taste was full and balanced. There was so much flavor that we had trouble isolating the individual tastes, but the mix was creatively diverse. Forshee, who is fond of vinegar, preferred the Original over the other two flavors.

Sweet Heat Sauce

This sauce might very well be my new favorite KC sauce. The base was honey mustard, but it also seemed to have some ingredients, potentially paprika, like other standard red/maroon KC sauces. The sweet honey taste hit my mouth immediately, but as I chewed and swallowed a slow, patient heat crept up on me and lingered, openly welcomed by my tastebuds. I don't know if I've ever tasted a sauce that straddled the line between sweet and spicy so well.
 Rich and Spicy Sauce
This sauce seemed to be in the middle of the spectrum, not as sweet as Sweet Heat but not near as hot or powerful as the Original. I had trouble distinguishing the flavors but it seemd to be a mix of the other two sauces, somewhat sweet and somewhat spicy, but not leaning too far either way, a more moderate option than the two extremes I preferred.

Some of the fries were a bit soggy with grease, but most were crispy enough. They were fresh cut with plain-potato flavor, so I added some salt. It seems that they were clearly meant to be dipped in Bryant's sauce. These fries don't really stick out as anything special, but were perfect as

an instrument for sauce consumption.

The plain navy beans were somewhat spicy with a hint of smoke and a few chunks of meat. The piping hot portion, though, had a pretty standard flavor.

Adding sauce transformed both meat and fries into a delightfully messy meal. Full, rich, robust flavor flooded my mouth at every turn. The meat seems to have been prepared plainly, but for the smoke, in order to be served with sauce. I cannot stress the flavorfullness of the Original and Sweet Heat sauces enough. The sauces took the simple talent and preparation of the meat and fries and brought them together with an authoritative flare to create a brilliant

performance.

If you want authentic Kansas City barbeque you must try Arthur Bryant's. It is a historical landmark that mostly lives up to its repuation. Just be prepared to spend a substantial sum on lunch. Maybe try to go late in the afternoon and make it count for lunch and dinner as the portions are significant enough to do so.

Also, special thanks to Mark Forshee for the pictures. My phone ran out of battery and he allowed me to use the camera on his phone.