‘Dumbest thing I’ve ever heard’: Kansas City has the 39th-best barbecue in America?

Caution: You may find this hard to swallow. I sure did. A new ranking of the best barbecue cities in America puts Kansas City at an insanely low No. 39.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” was all Mayor Quinton Lucas could manage.

“Like every other Kansas Citian who read it, I got a great laugh!” says Tim Cowden, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council.

“When I saw it, I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” adds Emily Detwiler, CEO of the nonprofit Kansas City Barbeque Society.

In fact, to rub extra spicy in the wound, Chef’s Pencil’s “Best Cities for BBQ in America,” based on reviews from TripAdvisor.com, puts Wichita in a tie for third in the nation, behind New Orleans and Oklahoma City.

Hello? What are we? Chopped liver?

No. We’re barbecue. That’s what we do here.

“New Orleans is an amazing food town and I am sure they can do any cuisine well, so mad respect to them,” says Cowden, “but everyone knows BBQ is not their jam. I am from Oklahoma City and know firsthand they aren’t even in the same universe as KC for barbecue — and the people who live there agree with me.

“Good for Wichita making the Top 3, but please. I really believe the folks from Australia-based Chef’s Pencil are just a little confused.”

That’s Cowden for you. So diplomatic.

So, what happened?

Well, for one thing, the ranking appears to include only Kansas City, Missouri proper — which leaves out some phenomenal offerings in the greater metropolitan area. Thrillist.com, for example, mentions Harp Barbecue in Raytown and Jones Bar-B-Q in Kansas City, Kansas in its “33 Best BBQ Joints in America.”

In its “Best BBQ in America: Top 15 Cities,” Condé Nast Traveler mentions both Kansas City and Kansas City, Kansas — noting Arthur Bryant’s, LC’s and Gates on the Missouri side, and Joe’s Kansas City, Slap’s and Woodyard BBQ on the Kansas side.

Detwiler — whose Kansas City Barbeque Society boasts over 20,000 members across the planet — cites Joe’s Kansas City, Slap’s and LC’s as well, but also Q39, Ploughboys and Jousting Pigs.

KC pitmasters reap tons of deserved praise

Pro athletes, who get around, also sing Kansas City barbecue’s praises. Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Dorian O’Daniel said Kansas City crushes it. Visiting St. Louis Cardinal pitcher Adam Wainwright said in 2019 that LC’s, near Kauffman Stadium, is “special.”

Not only that, but many restaurant owners here got their start toward being world-class pitmasters in Kansas City Barbeque Society competitions. Joe Pearce, owner of Slap’s, was worldwide reserve grand champion in the KCBS team of the year program last year.

“Some of the top barbecue restaurants in Kansas City actually came about because their pitmasters had tremendous success — and still do — in competition barbecue,” Detwiler says. “Those are the types of stories that we need to talk about, because we’ve got some fantastic pitmasters right here in Kansas City. These are world champions. They’ve won all kinds of competitions around the world. We are lucky enough here in Kansas City to be able to have competition-quality championship barbecue. I don’t care what Chef’s Pencil says.”

And that’s maybe the only other problem with Kansas City barbecue: Laid-back, Kansas City-nice Midwesterners that we are, we may not talk ourselves up enough. Starting with our best-in-class barbecue.

Remember: The Chef’s Pencil rankings are based on consumer reviews on TripAdvisor.com. Good meal? Say something!

“I think what we need people to do is to talk about it,” says Detwiler. “We need people to share the love of barbecue on their social media channels, write up some reviews of their favorite places around town.”

More important, support the restaurants you love financially. They’re having trouble emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.

And, what the heck, if you know anyone at Chef’s Pencil, invite them to town and take them out to eat.