3/26 Round 3: KCFoodGuys.com BBQ Tournament

March Madness: The Ultimate KC BBQ Tournament by KCFoodGuys.com

Note: Bracket results are determined by the food critics and staff contributors of KCFoodGuys.com. Fan voting will be used to identify the “2015 Kansas City People’s Champ” and will be recognized when we announce the 2015 KCFoodGuys.com BBQ bracket champion.

Q39/BBs LawnSide: BBs LawnSide has been a KC landmark for 25 years at 1205 E 85th Street in South KC and has been serving up a healthy dose of BBQ & Blues the entire time. One interesting aspect about BBs LawnSide besides the live blues music is they have a Gluten Free Menu. BBs LawnSide is good, but this weeks matchup pit them against Q39 at 1000 W. 39th St in KCMO. While Q39 doesn’t have live music, you won’t go home singing the blues after eating their burnt end sandwich, potentially the best in town.  Also be sure to ask your server if they serving the burnt end appetizer that day, its not a regular menu item but consider yourself special if you’re able to score one.  If this contest was based on a good time with food and friends then BBs would have matched up well, but since we are focused on food for this pairing Q39 easily advances and comes away victorious.

Danny Edwards/Char Bar: Danny Edwards pulls ahead of CharBar and wins a great matchup of contrasting styles.  Danny Edwards is located at 2900 SW Blvd and is one of the most underrated BBQ spots in KC. They have a great sauce, perfect fries and one of the thickest slices of brisket in town. Danny’s brisket sandwich is heaven and makes them a contender. CharBar brought BBQ back to Westport at 4050 Pennsylvania Ave and they are trying very hard to do something special. CharBar is one of the new gourmet BBQ’s restaurants to recently open in Kansas City. They have multiple sauces, a large menu with great sides. CharBar has great ribs and is one of the many local places to offer breakfast or brunch items on the weekend. CharBar is great and a perfect pick for a family outing or impressing friends. However, the clever plates and refined techniques at CharBar cant beat the basic thick cut brisket sandwich at Danny’s.

Fiorella’s Jack Stack/Slaps: Slaps gets backhanded by Jack Stack. KCFoodGuys.com loves Slaps at 553 Central Ave in KCK but they lose a matchup against a titan. It is almost unfair because every dish at Jack Stack is excellent world class banquet BBQ. You name it: sandwiches, ribs (pork and beef), burnt ends, steaks, sides, etc… and Jack Stack serves it up like a champ with some of the best BBQ beans in the United States. Jack Stack has multiple locations: the original at 135th at Holmes in Martin City, 95th & Metcalf in Overland Park, 47th street on the Country Club Plaza, the Freight House a District at 101 W 22nd, and a fifth location is under construction in Lee’s Summit.

Plowboys BBQ/Arthur Bryant’s: Plowboys is supposed to be the competitive BBQ powerhouse in this match-up, but Arthur Bryant’s and their rich tradition showed the youngster a thing or two about consistent, restaurant quality Kansas City barbecue. From the vinegar-based gritty sauce to the tender, savory ribs, Arthur proves that he is a force that stands the test of time in this region. There is something to be said for a a mecca like Bryant’s that has set Kansas City apart from other barbeque styles around the country, and Bryant’s shows they can still swat away pesky young guns in head to head matchups. With locations across from the Legends in KCK and the original historic landmark at 18th and Brooklyn, Arthur Bryant’s has been visited by celebrities, dignitaries, and faithful followers since the 1920’s. Plowboys has thrown down the gauntlet and is set to challenge polished veterans in the future, but this year just wasn’t their time.

Updated Complete Bracket