Kansas City: Tomato and molasses-based sauces are common in Kansas City BBQ. Most of the flavor of Texas barbecue comes from the fat in the meat after it has been cooked low and slow. Dry rubs are often used in Texas and BBQ sauce is almost always served on the side.

The first indigenous tribes Christopher Columbus encountered on the island he named Hispaniola had developed a unique method for cooking meat over an indirect flame, created using green wood to keep the food (and wood) from burning.

Yet while barbecues may be dear to the American soul, they are not native to the US. Instead, they trace their roots to the indigenous peoples of North and South America – and their troubled, often confusing, history says more about colonialism, war and migration than it does about freedom.

Kansas City’s barbecue craze can be traced back to Henry Perry, who in the early 1920s started barbecuing in an outdoor pit adjacent to his streetcar barn, serving slabs of food wrapped in newspaper. Perry’s ‘cue became so popular that fans began imitating his technique and style to create their own unique recipes.

Despite its humble start inside a gas station, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que has grown to become one of the most popular barbecue joints in Kansas City. Today there are several locations, but for the original, head to 47th & Mission in downtown Kansas City.

This unique dish is made from the tips of smoked beef brisket. Usually, the chef carves them off and puts them back into the smoker to get a flavorful char on the outside, hence the name burnt ends.

• Dixon’s Famous Chili.
• Garozzo’s Ristorante, chicken spiedini Garozzo.
• In-A-Tub, deep-fried tacos.
• Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, Z-Man sandwich.
• Kitty’s Cafe, tenderloin.
• Minsky’s Pizza Cafe & Bar, barbecue pizza.
• PeachTree, peach cobbler.
• The Peanut, Buffalo chicken wings.

Mary Bloch, Around the Block:

• Rye — lemon meringue pie.
• Rye — MoKan pie.
• Upper Crust Pie Bakery — cherry.
• Upper Crust Pie Bakery — lemon meringue.
• Cafe Sebastienne — chocolate budino.
• Cafe Europa — carrot cake cupcake.
• Capital Grille — flourless chocolate espresso cake.
• Andy’s Frozen Custard — Jitterbug Concrete.

Everyone In Kansas Absolutely Loves These 10 Foods And Drinks

• BBQ. Flickr/Mike Willis.
• Zwiebach. Wikimedia Commons.
• Bierocks. Wikimedia Commons.
• Lefse. Flickr/caren litherland.
• Homemade Chicken & Noodles. Flickr/jeffreyw.
• Corned Beef & Cabbage. Flickr/jeffreyw.
• Homemade Breads. Flickr/Aurimas Raciukaitis.
• Fried Chicken.

These 11 Iconic Foods In Kansas Will Have Your Mouth Watering

• Lefse. Flickr/litherland.
• Loose meat sandwich. Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM.
• Sour cream and raisin pie. Flickr/Larry & Teddy Page.
• Pork. Flickr/Patsy.
• Steak. Flickr/Mark Walker.
• Burgers. Flickr/Jeremy Noble.
• Fried chicken. Yelp.
• Potatoes.

Fun Facts

• Kansas was named after the Kansa Native Americans.
• Kansas has so many tornadoes, it has the nickname ‘Tornado Alley’.
• Kansas is the home of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.
• The State Song of Kansas is ‘Home on the Range’.
• Smith County is the center of the 48 contiguous United States.

Known for its outstanding vodka and gin spirits, S.D. Strong Distilling is a cave-bound distillery in Parkville, Mo. —the only legal one of its kind in the United States.

Kansas City produces some of the best jazz in the country, its epicenter at 18th and Vine is known as the Jazz District. The historic African-American community gave rise to a distinctive KC-style sound, heavily influenced by both blues and ragtime genres.

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Kansas has been named among the top five most dangerous states in the nation as crime rates are on the rise….Kansas named among most dangerous states as crime rates rise nationally.