2Q23 in Review
A NOTE FROM THE WRITER: disKCovery has declared this year to be “The Year of the Pit”. This is the final installment of a wide selection of articles, essays, and rankings devoted to a year-long deep dive into Kansas City barbeque. To see the rest of the 2Q23 series, click HERE.
Wolfepack BBQ opening a stand-alone restaurant in Columbus Park was one of MANY barbeque highlights in 2023. PHOTO CREDIT - disKCovery
Published December 29, 2023
Dear Kansas City,
Thank you.
I don’t know what else there is to say. It has been exactly one year since I wrote to you declaring 2023 to be “The Year of the Pit”. In doing so, I signaled a dramatic change for this website in that I was going to spend the year with nearly all of my focus on one thing, barbeque.
While barbeque was a key factor that inspired the creation of this website, the goal was to never have a singular focus. The idea was to be such a tourist in my own backyard that this website would never be able to be forced into one bucket, unless that bucket was “Kansas City”. disKCovery was never supposed to be seen as “just a BBQ blog” but in the Fall of 2022, my eyes were opened to the notion that, temporarily, that’s exactly what this site needed to be.
I was exposed to the amazing people and community that exists behind our world-famous barbeque scene. I came to realize just how rare my particular experience with Kansas City’s barbeque scene really is. Some may say I am bragging. Perhaps I am. But, it has yet to be proven that anyone has been to more Kansas City BBQ joints than me.
I came to understand that some of the stories of Kansas City barbeque I had always wanted to tell, were no longer going to be able to be told. For some of these, I had missed my chance.
The driving force behind 2Q23 was a desire to tell a great number of barbeque stories and a need to develop a number of barbeque resources. It occurred to me that to accomplish everything I had ever hoped to on this subject, would demand a year in which barbeque had the entirety of my attention.
So into the cloud of smoke I went, and thankfully, you all followed.
I told the story of how Kansas City barbeque came to be, and why we need to FINALLY honor the man who started it all.
Ribs, burnt ends, and barbeque sandwiches were ranked. Fountain City Superlatives were handed out for every possible smoked meat, BBQ side, and offering.
The unlikeliest of barbeque stories were told. Beyond profiling barbeque restaurants, I talked about the barbeque chips, barbeque pizza, and barbeque sauces. I took the time to highlight vegetarian barbeque options. When I realized that the vast majority of BBQ joints in town use the same bread, I told that story too.
Even when I was outside of KC, barbeque was on my mind. I snuck down I-70 to the other side of the state and checked out the underrated barbeque scene in St. Louis.
It all came to a pinnacle in May when this website published the single-most comprehensive and ambitious guide to Kansas City’s barbeque restaurant scene ever assembled - The Fountain City Foodie’s Guide to the World Capital of BBQ.
Quickly dubbed the “BBQ Bible”, this ever-evolving two-part guide chronicles every single barbeque restaurant, joint, stand, trailer, and pop-up in the metro and what to order, and avoid, at each one. It also includes a corresponding checklist and map.
My goal had been to give all Fountain City Foodies that which I wished I’d had when I first began my barbeque journey. I had always felt the need for such a guide to exist. That did not prevent me from being overwhelmed when the reception was even greater than I could have imagined. Having put in the time, energy, and money to make such a guide a reality, I am thankful for every day that someone consults this guide.
In the end, I published 16 pieces about Kansas City barbeque. Well, 17 if you count my debut in The Kansas City Star, and you can be sure that I most certainly do.
Enough people read my Kansas City Star piece, that it even led Kansas Citians to, unofficially, vote for a “weird” new name for our airport.
These pieces spanned every single genre that this site has to offer. Well, I guess if you look closely you will realize that there was not a single “Better Know A DistriKCt” piece but I would argue, the spirit of the BBQ Bible always aligned best with that genre. While I struggled with how to file both parts of that guide, including “Fountain City Foodie” in the title kind of made that decision for me.
As I look back on 2023, I will remember that I got the chance to talk about something that I truly love - Kansas City barbeque. Thousands upon thousands of Kansas Citians took the time to read what I had to offer which only proved something we all know - Kansas City loves barbeque too. For that, I am truly grateful.
Thank you for letting me share these stories with you.
Thank you for sharing these articles and resources with your friends.
Thank you for endorsing my rankings that you agreed with and arguing with the ones you didn’t.
Thank you for the countless conversations about barbeque.
Thank you, most of all, for helping to spread the gospel of KCQ.
“Our city is so much more than barbeque. It always has been. ”
While thousands of people came to disKCovery to read about barbeque this year, it was one of the few articles that was not barbeque-related which garnered the most readers. A piece that I wrote about Patrick Mahomes back in February was so widely read that the mark may never be surpassed.
Even I understand that there’s some things in this town that do loom larger than barbeque.
And for that reason, 2Q23 must come to an end. This time last year, I announced a clear direction for this site. As I look ahead to 2024, all I can promise is that there will be no singular focus in the coming year. While I do not know the direction I will take, I anticipate a return to business as usual.
There are still many stories to be told about barbeque, and I have no plans to leave it entirely behind. The BBQ Bible is a commitment that will span the entire existence of this website. The living nature of that guide makes it an endeavor that Professor Mad-Eye Moody would remind us all requires, “CONSTANT VIGILENCE!” I will continue to update it as needed.
When the time comes, and it does make sense, I will continue to share stories about barbeque. I may even sneak in one last 2Q23 submission before all is said and done. The Year of the Pit was inspired by an amazing barbeque community that needed a voice, and I have no plans to abandon them.
Our status as the World Capital of BBQ is something to embrace and celebrate but that is the Kansas City that the world knows. Our city is so much more than barbeque. It always has been. There are so many things that make Kansas City great and so many stories worthy of being told. disKCovery has always been about telling them.
As I look ahead to 2024, I can honestly say that I have no idea where it will take me. I have no idea of what you can expect from this site in the coming year. I put so much of myself into ensuring that 2Q23 was everything I intended for it to be, that I never gave anything beyond that much thought.
You would think, that might scare me. To be honest, it excites me! Like the feather in the opening credits of Forrest Gump, I am ready to go wherever the wind carries me the new year. And hopefully, as I float around Kansas City, I jot down a few notes and take a couple of pictures along the way.
Thank you for joining me on my barbeque quest in 2023. Thank you for always making this worth my time. While I have no clue exactly where 2024 will take me, I hope you will stick around and find out.
Godspeed!
Devan Dignan
CBO, disKCovery
Thank you to all those who joined me on this journey through Kansas City barbeque in 2023! While I am unsure where 2024 will lead me, I hope you’ll stick around for the ride. Happy New Year!
