His BBQ sold only at food truck or pop-ups. Now he’s opened this Kansas City restaurant
You can’t say Jared Wolfe hasn’t put in the work.
The owner of Wolfepack BBQ, which softly opened a few weeks ago in Columbus Park at 910 E. Fifth St., was once upon a time an electrical automation salesman daydreaming about a life where he could stand next to a smoker all day.
He knew a little bit about barbecue — enough to judge some competitions in his spare time. With his young daughter about to head off to kindergarten and a small nest egg built up from his day job, he took a leap and started chasing his passion.
That meant learning the trade first. He traveled to America’s barbecue meccas: Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas. “Kansas City barbecue will always be number one to me,” Wolfe said, “but there’s a lot of great stuff that happens around the country that we don’t always see here.”
He also took jobs at local joints like Scott’s Kitchen, Jousting Pigs and Fox & Fire.
“I did everything from line cook to pitmaster to washing dishes,” Wolfe said. “I started to hone my craft a little, picking up ideas I liked and storing them away for when I was ready to do my own place.”
In 2021, not long after turning 30, Wolfe struck out on his own with Wolfepack BBQ. Like Tyler Harp, a kindred spirit who earned his pitmaster reputation at Raytown’s Crane Brewing, Wolfe started out serving brisket and pork during weekly pop-ups inside Callsign Brewing in North Kansas City. He also branched out to other local breweries like Pathlight Brewing and Fringe Beerworks.
He found a permanent home for Wolfepack BBQ last year. The Columbus Park space was formerly occupied by the North End bar and grill. Wolfe and his crew (which includes partner Sam Parker, who handles front-of-house duties) got the keys in December and have spent the months since gutting and revamping the place while serving barbecue on weekends from a food truck parked outside the building.
Aug. 24 marked the first official sale inside the Wolfepack brick-and-mortar. The space is airy and bright, with lots of wood, brick and metal — materials that are not coincidentally, Wolfe said, the three components of a smoker.
In all, there’s seating for about 100 guests, half in the indoor dining section and the rest on a garage door-enclosed patio on the building’s east side.
A full bar inside has taps from several local breweries, including Fringe and the nearby Strange Days Brewing Co. The everyday menu is straightforward: meat plates, sandwiches, St. Louis-style ribs and sides like fries, street corn salad and white cheddar mac and cheese.
“People rave to me about the brisket burnt ends,” Wolfe said, “but don’t sleep on the turkey. You expect turkey to be a little dry. Ours is full of flavor, moist, juicy, tender. Your Thanksgiving will never be as good again after you’ve had this.”
But Wolfepack also distinguishes itself on the local barbecue landscape by offering rotating specials and entrees. Recent examples include a sweet potato Thai peanut salad and a walnut-crusted chicken breast stuffed with pear and Gorgonzola cheese and topped with a raspberry coulis drizzle and balsamic glaze.
“We try to throw our own spin on things,” Wolfe said. “I like to highlight what the chefs can do.”
Wolfepack BBQ is still staffing up, and though the liquor license is secured for the indoor area, it’s still waiting on the OK from the city to serve alcohol on the patio. For now, hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. But over the next few months, Wolfe expects to expand to Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Check their Instagram for updates.)
Wolfe said he sees his barbecue joint as a family place. His daughter is 12 now, and she’s been working at Wolfepack BBQ on weekends.
“I want her to feel comfortable when she’s here,” he said. “I want this to be known as a place where anybody and everyone is welcome.”
