Party in the Pit
On October 11, nearly 20 of the city’s top pitmasters threw a party outside Fox and Pearl on the Westside to celebrate Kansas City barbeque and those who support the BBQ community.
Published October 20, 2022
“Hi Devan! I hope you’re well! A few of the top pitmasters are throwing a bbq party in October we’d love to invite you to. Let me know if you’re interested.”
Of course I was interested! How could I not be?
Wearing a brown shirt on a night full of barbeque sampling was an unintentional, but wise, decision.
I have always taken pride in living in the World Capital of BBQ and championed our barbeque scene. In fact, my in-depth exploration of KC BBQ was actually the primary factor in the creation of disKCovery. While there are many reasons I choose to write, one thing I never anticipated was the relationships I would get to build through my writing. So now, for one of the best pitmasters in the city to invite me to meet even more Kansas City pitmasters and sample their fare? Well, it took me all of a minute to check out the roster of participating BBQ joints and RSVP for this event. Then came the hardest part - having to wait two whole months for the party!
On Tuesday, October 11, the big day finally came. When I rolled up to Fox and Pearl and caught a whiff of all those smokes, and saw the village of tailgate tents in the street, I knew I was in the right place.
The gathering, dubbed the first-ever “Party in the Pit” was conceived by Terra Whipple (@bbqhandler) and Ryan Cooper (@bbqtourist). And the name wasn’t just conjecture, this was an absolute party and there was an actual cinder block open pit on the hill above the heart of the party where a whole hog was being smoked! This inaugural invite-only event was conceived as a way for some of the city’s top pitmasters to come together and celebrate the World Capital of BBQ by sharing some of their creations with some of the BBQ community’s biggest supporters, and each other.
“There’s something about Kansas City barbeque. And more than that, about the people and the pitmasters in the barbeque scene,” Whipple explained. “As we got to know each other, I had this thought that, ‘Man! I want to throw the most badass party of the year with these people!”
And for Whipple and her team, that badass street party involved 18 pitmasters, local artist Philp Bergantine painting live, and a DJ on-stage a beautiful fall night in KC’s Westside nieighborhood while Spring Hill’s own Bull Creek Distillery poured hefty samples of their bourbons and spirits. Accepting that invitation to be a part of the inaugural Party in the Pit was the best decision I could have made. As it turns out, wearing a brown shirt to the party that could effectively hide sauce and meat drippings was the second.
My very first stop of the night was at the Plowboys’ Barbeque stand where I had the opportunity to meet Todd Johns. My regular readers may recall that in August, Plowboys (which I included in my top 12 KC BBQ joints in 2021 and was #1 in my 2022 BBQ sauce rankings) closed all of their restaurants after nearly a decade. This was my opportunity to get another taste of this world-class ‘que and thank the chef himself for everything he has done for the barbeque scene. For this party, Plowboys offered a beef brisket slider that was delightful. With a dash of their amazing Hot Head sauce, I could have eaten four more of these succulent meat sandwiches but alas, there were rounds to make. However, before I left, I could not resist the chance to ask one of my favorite pitmasters in KC where he goes to eat BBQ now that he’s out of the restaurant biz.
My very first stop was to get this delectable beef slider, made from Wagyu chuck roll, from Todd Johns and the Plowboys Barbeque team.
“I really like Chef J right now. They’re a place that’s craft BBQ but it’s plated in an elevated way. I could eat nothing but his potato salad all day. I also love what Jared [Wolfe] is doing over there at Wolfepack BBQ. He has a really good thing going on over there at Callsign [Brewing].” Being a fan of both myself, I looked at the list of stations on my pass and was excited to see that both of Johns’ recommendations were part of the party.
That entire list was as follows:
Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque
Buck Tui BBQ
Chef J BBQ
Danny Edwards BLVD BBQ
Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue
Fox and Pearl
Jazzy B’s Kitchen
Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que
Jousting Pigs BBQ
Meat Mitch Barbecue
Night Goat Barbecue
Plowboys’ Barbeque
Reverend of Fat
Scott’s Kitchen & Catering
SLAP’s (Squeal Like A Pig) BBQ
Smoak Craft Barbecue
Smoke on Wheels
Wolfepack BBQ
For some, this was a chance to introduce people to some of their most popular dishes. For many others, it was an opportunity to go off-menu and experiment with a few new creations. The majority opted to have some fun with the Raikes Beef Co. Wagyu beef and Creekstone Farm Duroc pork cuts that Party in the Pit had provided. In anticipation of making the rounds, I had nothing but water in the 24 hours leading up to the event, and still, I would end up practically comatose by the end of the night. Having visited every single tent, I cannot imagine that I will have a better meal this year than the one I had, one bite at a time, in the parking lot outside of Fox and Pearl. And while that “meal” last week was one big highlight reel, there were a few stands that stood above the rest.
These are my top three.
3. Night Goat Barbecue - Vaughn Good
2143 Summit Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108
THE DISH(ES): Pastrami Beef Rib AND Pastrami Pork Belly with Butternut Squash, Smoked Apple Butter, and Pickled Red Onions
In recent years, the beef rib has become a little more prevalent in KCQ but it is still far from common. So as I departed from the Plowboys’ station, the very next table caught my eye with a beautiful beef rib large enough to topple over Fred Flintstone’s car. Vaughn Good and his team at Night Goat Barbecue, a weekend barbeque pop-up concept within Fox and Pearl, have been all the rage since they first appeared on the scene last year. Admittedly, I had not yet had an opportunity to visit but now, a fat juicy beef rib and and an equally impressive slab of pork belly had captured my attention. For Party in the Pit, Chef Good, ever the innovator, gave both of these cuts the “pastrami treatment” by brining, seasoning, and smoking them. While corned beef and pastrami do appear in KC BBQ seasonally, I had never seen pastrami made from pork, or for that matter, from this particular cut of beef.
Night Goat’s pastrami beef rib was served both sliced and cubed. I took a bite of the beef and it just melted on my tongue like a patty of butter as the rich flavor of the beef, smoke, and brine filled my head. It effortlessly disappeared into my tongue while nothing but the seasonings remained. That lingering boldness made me want more. The pork belly was similarly rich, brined, and seasoned. While tender, the belly had a delightful chewiness, or perhaps more of a playful pop. There are few flavor combinations that I enjoy more than apple and pork and in the case of this dish, the sweetness and tartness of the apple butter did exactly what it was supposed to do. The butternut squash puree was unlike anything I have seen in Kansas City ‘que. The sweetness, texture, and nutty flavor of the puree as well as the crisp, vinegary pickled onions put this dish over the top. This was the penultimate fall barbeque dish. That comes as no surprise as Chef Good explained, “Our entire menu is seasonal so it is constantly changing. It’s squash season now so we went with the butternut squash.” I, for one, am so glad he did and I will be paying a visit to Night Goat’s pop-up real soon.
To learn more about Night Goat Barbecue, their hours, and location, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
2. Wolfepack BBQ - Jared Wolfe
1340 Burlington Street, North Kansas City, Missouri
THE DISH(ES): Sliced Brisket atop Cheddar Grits with a Cherry Chipotle Glaze
“As [Party in the Pit] approached, I just told the team, we’re going to grab some of this Wagyu brisket, we’re going to use some grits we really like making, we’re going to use this cherry chipotle glaze, throw on some sesame seeds, and we’ve got some micro greens and it’s all going to work,” Jared Wolfe recounted to me after the event. The result of this innovation was a sliced Wagyu beef brisket served on a bed of smoky cheddar grits with a cherry chipotle glaze that was as pleasing to the eye as it was to the palate.
If you have not had a chance to check out Wolfepack, this is some of the best brisket in the city. The thick tender slices with a lovely black cherry-colored char are reminiscent of what one would expect deep in the heart of Texas. From a taste and texture standpoint, the craft brisket is simply exquisite. The grits were creamy and loaded with a bold burst of cheddar. There was a kiss of smoke within the cheesy mash that married it with the hearty beef so perfectly. The cherry chipotle glaze was subtle adding a tinge of sugar and spice. It tied the whole dish together without distracting from the quality of the brisket or the grits. The sesame seeds and micro greens provided a crunch that the dish needed. All of the flavors and textures worked in concert to create something truly special. Ultimately though, every single ingredient served the highlight the star of the Wolfepack menu, that luscious brisket. When I asked about the inventive combination, Wolfe nonchalantly told me, “We understand how flavors work. We haven’t done anything quite like this before but we knew it would be good because we understand how certain flavors work with one another.” As I dined on his decadent creation, who was I to argue that?
To learn more about Wolfepack BBQ, their hours, and location, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
1. Smoak Craft BBQ & Coffee - Cade Colson
Olathe, Kansas
THE DISH(ES): Pork Belly with Hatch Green Chile and Peach Jam and Blue Corn Parmesean Polenta AND Smoked Bread Pudding with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and a Coffee Caramel Sauce
As I approached the Smoak Craft BBQ tent, I saw people who were grabbing multiple handfuls of the sample being offered and as I got up there, I could see why - Smoak was offering the only dessert of the event! In recent years, this city’s pitmasters have become more creative into incorporating the flavors and techniques of barbeque into desserts and confections. The Smoked Bread Pudding was all the rage, and on first bite, I immediately knew why. The bread pudding was so gooey, warm, and had the idyllic texture. The starch had fully absorbed the smoke and it worked harmoniously with everything else going on. The coffee caramel sauce was like a very rich espresso. The symphony of bold flavors were contrasted by the sweetness of the homemade vanilla ice cream, which flavor-wise I would register as a New York Vanilla, whose flavor and temperature balanced this dish out to make it, perhaps, the best barbeque dessert I have ever tasted.
I was so occupied with the dessert that I nearly missed the main event. On the far end of the same table was a pork belly entree. Pitmaster Cade Colson explained, “It’s meant to be eaten as a single bite.” The smoky and tender pork belly was served alongside a blue corn parmesean polenta topped with a hatch green chile peach jam. As I stacked the components on one another and shoved the one-bite-BBQ into my mouth, a number of sensations fired off. It was tender and juicy, it was velvety, doughy, and crisp. It was spicy, sweet, smoky, savory, and salty. In terms of taste and texture, it had them all but it was not any one of them. It was a refreshing amalgam, something special and new. Seeing the look on my face and understanding what I was experiencing, Colson, told me, “You’re going to get a bit of everything in one bite. Sweet, smoke, umami, it’s all there.” Indeed it was.
I just found myself wishing I had the room to enjoy a second serving of these marvelous bites. About a half hour later, I did return for a second helping of the bread pudding because you know what they say, “there’s always room for dessert”.
To learn more about Smoak Craft BBQ & Coffee, their hours, and location, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram.
Bernetta McKindra, the granddaughter of Henry Perry, next to local artist Philip Bergantine, who painted a portrait of McKindra’s grandfather, the Father of Kansas City Barbeque, for Party in the Pit.
Across this great nation of ours, there a number of barbeque cities and states that all deserve the chance to be recognized and take pride in their respective crafts. That said, there can be only one World Capital of BBQ and luckily, I am living in it!
More than simply having the best barbeque (which this city undoubtedly does), there is something to be said about the sheer quantity of quality barbeque joints across our 14-county metro. No one can reasonably deny the unbelievable diversity of styles, meats, cuts, sauces, rubs, and sides that pitmasters across this city excel at. And while these have always been the major factors I cite when talking about our status as the Q Capital, the Party in the Pit reminded me that there is one factor that stands above all the others and has made this distinction possible.
”It’s the people.” Terra Whipple must have told me this at least a dozen times in our conversation. She’s absolutely right. It is indeed the people.
Today, the Kansas City (MO) City Council will be recognizing Whipple, Cooper, the pitmasters and all of those who brought the Party in the Pit to fruition. This cements a future for this event that was always the intention. Whipple made it clear, “we plan to throw this party every year!” and today’s recognition by the city will represent an endorsement of the BBQ community and their efforts to engage the greater Kansas City community.
Too often, the word community gets thrown around but here in Kansas City, that’s what our barbeque scene is - a tight knit group of men and women who not only care about their own craft, but they care about elevating both barbeque and Kansas City overall. From Henry Perry to the Gates Family to Jake Edwards to the Bryant Brothers on down to the pitmasters of today, Kansas City barbeque has ALWAYS been about the people who are behind the pits. This unique mix of long-established barbeque blue bloods, competition pitmasters, and craft chefs not only make KC’s barbeque scene the best in the world, but make this city a wonderful place to live, work, and of course, to eat. It is this amazing group of people that made Kansas City’s first Party in the Pit even possible. And even more than the incredible food and fun entertainment, it is these very same people that made this party so “badass”.
Chef J BBQ preparing another order of their beef brisket sliders with pickled onion.
A very special thank you to Chef Justin Easterwood of Chef J BBQ for inviting me to take part in this incredible event. Also, thank you to Terra Whipple (@bbqhandler) for everything you did to make the inaugural Party in the Pit such a success. Thank you to Terra, Chef J, and all participating pitmasters for everything you do to make Kansas City the World Capital of BBQ!
