Kansas, more specifically Kansas City for many it is the central hub of BBQ for in America. Kansas City is home to the Kansas City BBQ society , the largest competition BBQ sanctioning body. When most Americans think BBQ sauce they are thinking of the Kansas City sweet stuff. We got a chance to talk to Eric Barnett pit master of Rubbing Butts BBQ.
Eric Barnett
Andy-What’s your earliest memory of BBQ?
Eric-I think I might of been 10 on my grandpa’s farm I would stay a few weeks in the summer. He would pull out these huge steaks, as big as my face. He had this old metal box on a stand that someone had built for him and what ever expanded metal around the shop he could find, now he would build a small forest fire in this thing, and once he was thought it was ready we would throw the steaks on. Those steaks was some of the best steaks that I could remember.
Andy-How did you get started in BBQ?
Eric-I used ride alot of motocross about 11 or 12 years ago and I kept getting hurt or breaking something on my bike, then one day I bought a little smokey bullet cooker and start playing around with it, and some friends of mine from kansas city asked me to come to a bbq contest in North Kansas City. We didn’t have a clue what we was doing,but had alot of drinks with alot of very nice teams and slept in the back of the truck,and I was in ahh of all the big fancy cookers and team set ups and I was hooked from there on, and sold my dirt bikes and gear and been bbq’ing ever since.
Andy-In your opinion what make your state’s BBQ different/better then everyone else’s?
Eric-Kansas is the melting pop of all things bbq, unlike some states we don’t discriminate among types of meat pork, chicken, beef, and even turkey are all fair game, then add our thick sticky finger-licking tomato-molasses sauce and you have your self some Kansas City BBQ. Home of the Kansas City Barbeque Society and the famous World Series of BBQ, The American Royal World Series BBQ contest, which should be on every ones bucket list to attend once, nothing like a sea of 600 teams all cooking up some bbq.
Rubbing Butts BBQ
Andy-Does your state have separate sub regions of BBQ, if so how do they vary?
Eric-For Kansas it is pretty much even across for the most part , yes we will have our little pockets of areas where spicer does a little better or sweater does alittle better but Kansas for the most part is pretty even.
Andy-What is your favorite BBQ restaurant in your state? Why is it so good?
Eric-I have two them the smoked chicken gumbo at Oklahoma Joes in Kansas City which is now called Joes of Kansas City these guys have several National contest titles as the Slaughter house Five team , the second would be Q39 in Kansas City also which just opened this year which is owned and operated by Rob Magee who’s team Munchin Hogs at the Hilton won to many national titles on the compitition circuit to even list. His ribs, wow you could take these ribs and go win most contest with them they are that good. Two top notch outfits all from the competition background
Andy-What is your favorite thing to make on the BBQ?
Eric-We cook so much bbq for both contest and catering we rarely eat it anymore, I am always looking for something different other then the same old typical bbq, here lately we been cooking alot of shrimp with a twist. My daughter calls it JP’s Shrimp, named after a fellow competitor and friend John Patty of JP Custom Smoke. He has a line of rubs and one them is called Sweat Heat, mix that with some butter and grill them for a few minutes on the pit and man that shrimps pop.
KC Ribs
Kansas City Sticky Ribs
slab of pork spares
coat with 3 Little Pigs Championship Rub
then a light coat of 3 Little Pigs Cherry Rub
Set the cooker at 275′
Cook for about 11/2hr till you get that nice color you want
Now wrap your ribs with a mixture of brown sugar and honey
and continue to cook for about another 11/2 or until toothpick tender
after they are where you want them for tender drain the liquid and apply your favorite sticky sauce
wrap them back up for about 10 to 15 minute just to give the heat off the ribs to set the sauce
cut them up and enjoy
