Finally, Barbeque as good as back home…in South Dakota? Let me explain.

When I first moved to Kansas City, I had a mission: find the best barbeque.  How naive I was.  To do that, in Kansas City is a flippin impossible task for many reasons, but here’s the number one reason: you cannot ask for advice.  Seriously, don’t do it.  People here are passionate about which KC staple is the best Q joint or which spot has the best sauce.  It’s not that they won’t try to be helpful. I love this city and one reason I love it, is that people here are very friendly.  It is just that they all have strong opinions on which of the hundred’s of BBQ eateries is the absolute best or rather, which five are the best.  They will often break out a list, “Well, if you want a classic, it’s (fill in the blank), but if you want something contemporary, it’s (again, fill in the blank; I am not about to start listing them here and get people riled up).  They are trying to be helpful, but ask three people and you already have twenty spots that you simply must try.  I soon realized my initial mission was too broad and therefore a fool’s mission.  So, I narrowed it down to a new mission: finding the very best brisket in town.  I was unaware, at the time, that this would be difficult for the complete opposite reason.

You see, Kansas City Q is about so many things, but the one thing you can ultimately point to as “the” thing, is the sauce.  KC loves it’s Q sauce.  Now, I will not go into the city’s history of barbeque here, as that will take a lot more research.  I will, however, delve a little into my history, as that will inform my remarks.  I moved here from South Dakota, not exactly the epicenter of good grilling.  However, we had one place up there that made some amazing brisket.  It was called JR’s Roadhouse BBQ Pit.  I did not have much of a frame of reference, but I knew that when I took a bite of their brisket, the bark was full of smoke and spice and the center was juicy and perfectly cooked.  In my mind, that was how brisket was supposed to taste (and still is) and the one thing I never did to it was add sauce.  Not only should good brisket not require sauce, it should actively resist it.  

So, when I went looking for brisket in Kansas City I was completely missing a big part of what makes the scene here so wonderful.  I tried the brisket at Joe’s, a local icon I had heard of long before moving to town.  There, the brisket was chopped and put on a sandwich.  Not bad, but not what I was looking for.  I tried it at Jack’s Stack.  I have had a lot of good food at the Stack, but the brisket is cut too thin and has little bark and almost no smoke.  Then, there is Gate’s.  An amazing eatery with what I have come to believe is the best Q sauce in the world.  What they do not have, though, is brisket.  Like, at all.  They do not serve it.  My search was going nowhere and I was becoming disheartened.

I have since realized that KC-Q is just not about brisket and after having that realization, I have enjoyed many of the local options for what they do offer.  That story is for another blog post, though.  This one is about my search for the perfect brisket, or heck, even just good brisket.  It was at that low point in my mission that something happened and it changed everything for me.  I found a BBQ joint that was newer to KC than I was.  What a perfect way to sidestep the whole problem wherein Kansas City’s BBQ scene is too vast to break into, without trying a hundred different restaurants.  Moreover, this new place was only ten minutes from my house, in downtown Liberty.  I had first heard rumblings of it opening shortly after moving to the area.  A new smokehouse opening up mere minutes away from my new home? As soon as it opened, I had to try it. 

The place is Jousting Pigs; a name that references the team behind it’s penchant for participating in and winning competitions.  What I found there was my own personal Holy Grail; brisket that made me feel right back at home up in South Dakota.  I realize “just like in South Dakota” is probably the most unflattering compliment I can give good Q, but seriously, if you are ever near Rapid City, go try JR’s; you will see what I mean.   

The first time I went to Jousting Pig’s, I stepped in and immediately fell in love just from the smell alone.  It was not just the smoked meat, either.  You see, Jousting Pigs was opened as a joint venture with 3Halves Brewing Co.  I know this has become quite a trend, but that was the first BBQ/Brewery combo I had been to and the mixing of the unmistakable, heavenly scent of a brewery and the mouth frothing aroma of a smoker full of meat hit me in a way I was not prepared for.   I studied the beer list as I waited in line to order my Q.  What a fabulous sentence that is.  I studied the beer list as I waited in line to order my Q.  It is no wonder the trend is taking off.  I have been back to Jousting Pigs many times since and standing in line deciding which beer to pair with my “whichever variety of smokey ambrosia I’m in the mood for that day” is still one of my favorite feelings.  

There is so much to discuss when it comes to Jousting Pigs, but I really feel I need to just jump into the matter at hand.  How is the brisket?  I had been searching everywhere for good brisket, so when I saw it on the menu, I had to go for it.  I ordered the combo plate and added burnt ends as my second meat.  Fifteen minutes later, when the food was delivered to my table, I knew I was in the right place.  The brisket was not chopped up and it was not slathered in sauce.  It was just sliced and laid bare, for me to do with what I pleased.  It was sliced thick enough to have a good amount of barked surface and the bark looked phenomenal.  I could not wait any longer. I picked up a slice, because that is the only way you eat sliced brisket, with your dang hands, and I took a bite.  Juice, flesh, pepper, it all exploded in my mouth and I don’t care how that sounds, because it was amazing and yeah, maybe a bit erotic.  

After all my searching, months of trying the classics, I had found what I was looking for in a place that was as much a newcomer to this great city as I was.  It is not that Kansas City had become complacent in its barbeque scene; far from it, in fact. It is just that the long and rich history, all the twists and turns that I would love to research and put forth in a future blog post, had all led to a remarkable place, but a place that had, for whatever reason, forsaken a major BBQ staple: good brisket. Now, I know that if you’re from Kansas City, you probably are thinking of at least three places right now that have great brisket.  I am sure it existed before Jousting Pigs, but I had tried some of the more popular Q spots in town and had not found it and that is an issue.  An issue that thankfully, Jousting Pigs has handedly resolved. 

That, however, is not all that is notable about Jousting Pigs.  There is much more to this Kansas City newcomer. In fact, brisket is not even my favorite thing to eat at Jousting Pigs.  That honor goes to its twist on a KC staple: cheesy corn. I had never heard of cheesy corn before coming here, but I saw it on the menu at pretty much every Q joint I went to.  It quickly became my favorite side dish of all time. JP’s version adds a green chile kick and it is hands down the best rendition I have tried yet. If you have not tried cheesy corn, it is a lot like creamed corn,  but thickened with cheese.  Every restaurant seems to add its own twist but JP’s is the only place I have seen green chiles added to it. It is not enough to make it a “spicy” dish, but it adds another layer to the flavor.  

At Jousting Pigs, though, cheesy corn is not just relegated to the “sides” menu.  They make something there called the Aimee. This is essentially an entree sized portion of the cheesy corn with brisket piled on top.  Now, I would not normally condone the chopping of brisket, but it does make for an awesome topping when piled high on some green chile cheesy corn.  The juices from the meat seep down into the corn and create a smoky, cheesy concoction that has no rival when I just want a pile of pure flavor.  There is no subtlety to the dish, but that ends up being its strength; it is just two amazing things smashed together and thrown into a bowl.  It’s the only time I will bring myself to use a fork to eat brisket.  Though, if I am honest, I still use my hands plenty when eating the Aimee.  

Jousting Pigs also has all the other things you would expect at a Kansas City barbeque joint.  There are plenty of great sides, in addition to the cheesy corn.  They have a good potato salad, which is ranch based instead of mustard based.  Also of note is their mac and cheese, another side that can be made into an entree and topped with smoked meat.  Since you get to choose two, I allow my mood to dictate my second side, but I always go with the cheesy corn for my first.  

Obviously, too, brisket is not the only type of meat they serve.  There are the burnt ends and the ribs and of course, pulled pork.  They are all done really well here, though I would not say they have the best of any of them in KC.  I am not sure I can really render a verdict there at all, at this point. Nothing at JP’s, though, is bad or even average.  They do a good job of mixing it up with special dishes, too, like the Aimee mentioned above and a few really good sandwiches, such as the Brisket Philly which is another twist on a classic.

It is all so good, that each person in my family has their own favorite thing.  My son will always get a double portion of the fries for his side.  He is a bit of a french fry connoisseur and never lowers himself to add ketchup, Q sauce, or any condiment for that matter.  At Jousting Pigs, you get two sides with your plate and he always gets fries for both and eats them completely dry and loves it.  If we make it in on a Tuesday,  my wife loves the BBQ nachos, which are only served on that day.  Any other day of the week, though, she will likely go for the KC Que-tine.  As the overly clever names implies, it is a BBQ twist on the Canadian staple, poutine.  My daughter will always go with the ribs, as she will always do, no matter what Q joint we find ourselves at.  Her favorite thing at JP’s, though, is not even something you have to pay for; it is the bacon jam.  This wondrous little topping comes on a few dishes, such as the aforementioned KC Que-tine, but can also be added on the side for dipping purposes.  While she swears they have changed the recipe since the first time trying it, she still loves the stuff.  

That is, I think, what makes Jousting Pigs so good.  That we can keep going and each time we go, we all have something we are looking forward to.  It can change, too, depending on the day of the week.  As mentioned before, Tuesday is the day for BBQ nachos, but it is also when you can find a decent taco there. Not the best tacos in KC, by any stretch, but a nice mid-week treat.  On Saturdays, you will find the pork belly burnt ends.  While the normal beef burnt ends are pretty good, these Saturday only gems are basically candy made of fat and I love them.  Of course, I will always pair them with the brisket, because despite the sheer variety and the level of excellence with which the team at Jousting Pigs executes all their dishes, it is the brisket that makes the place so special. That may be something unique to me and my story, because of the journey that led me there.  Perhaps, too, I feel a sort of kinship with Jousting Pigs because they are new to town, just like me.  None of that changes, however, the fact that you will not find better brisket north of Texas and south of the Dakotas than what you will find at Jousting Pigs.

The “B”eer side.

I am not doing a “B”eer side this week, as Jousting Pigs beer offering deserves an entire post to itself, since they are teamed up with one of the best breweries in the KC area.  I will be doing a full write up of 3Halves Brewing Co next week, so stay tuned for that!