Chef J BBQ

Chef J BBQ is currently located in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City Missouri. I say currently because they plan to move to Pennway Pointe in downtown KC next to the new ferris wheel soon. Chef J BBQ has also picked up a small side gig this year, slinging barbecue at Arrow Head stadium on Sundays during the Chiefs home games. I will preface the rest of this blog by saying this is the best true barbecue I have had since our Austin Texas trip in March of 2022.

We walked right past the pits on or way to join the line and the smell was intoxicating. The smell of slow smoked barbecue lingered in the air of the surrounding buildings, and made everyone walking by take notice. Like most great barbecue restaurants there was a line out the door, and honestly it should have been longer but it was very cold the day we went.

We were craving the Trinity with mac and cheese, and some smoked Elotes for our sides. The Trinity is loaded with brisket, sausage, and pork ribs. They carve up each meat right in front of you as you order, putting together a seriously epic spread. We also threw in the special sausage of the day, which I think was some kind of cheeseburger sausage. Oh, and don’t forget the three awesome sauces that come with the tray!

From start to finish, lemme tell ya, this BBQ tray is somethin’ else. The brisket? Oh man, it’s barky, smokey, moist, and just cooked to perfection. Apart from Franklins BBQ, I haven’t had brisket this good. No need for sauce on those magical slices. And the ribs and sausages? Just more of the same greatness. The spare ribs got that perfect bark, with a simple seasoning that lets the smoke and meat shine. And the sausages? They’re a true Texas sausage, made in-house, and the sauces just fit ’em perfectly. Now, let’s talk about the smoked Elotes and the Mac and cheese – oh man, they’re the perfect partners for the meats on the tray. And just when I thought I couldn’t be more impressed, my wife says, “Try the banana pudding.” Now, I’m not a big fan of banana pudding, but lemme tell ya, it blew me away. No doubt the best banana pudding we’ve ever had. The use of what we think were ginger snap cookies and pumpkin pie seasoning made it stand out from any others. We even tried to recreate this recipe for a family dinner, and we did pretty well, if I say so myself.

All in all, Chef J BBQ is worthy of its 2nd place ranking in the best barbecue article by Kansas City magazine. In a city full of great barbecue and restaurants in general, Chef J is one of the best. You don’t want to wait to get to West Bottoms before they move to their new spot.