3002 47th Ave., Kansas City, KS 66103
FROM MAN V. FOOD, NO RESERVATIONS, AND MANLIEST RESTAURANT IN AMERICA
"Winner of Manliest Restaurant in America. "Burnt Ends" (19-hour smoked beef brisket ends) "Z-Man Sandwich" (Slow-smoked brisket and provolone cheese topped with two crispy onion rings on a Kaiser roll) "hog-O-Maniac" (pulled pork, smoked pork ribs and pork sausage with Texas toast and pickles)"
"What you're getting: Ribs & burnt ends (if they have 'em)
Getting its start as an award-winning competitive BBQ team in the '90s,
Oklahoma Joe's eventually settled into a KC gas station and hasn't
looked back since, spawning several more locations and an endless stream
of accolades. It's hard (actually, damn near impossible) to make a bad
call, but don't miss the ribs, and if they happen to be serving burnt
ends (availability is limited), definitely don't miss those.
Also, purists might scoff at their celebrated Z-Man sandwich because of
the smoked provolone that sits atop sliced brisket along with thick
onion rings, all jammed into a kaiser roll, but your taste buds will
not."
I will state this for the official record: this is far and away, hand down, no questions asked, some of the best BBQ I have ever had in my life. I have been to Memphis and Texas, North Carolina and beyond, I have had mega restaurant BBQ and back roads shack BBQ, and this my friends, is the best. It is also far and away, hands down, no questions asked the best pulled pork, ribs, and sauce I have ever had in my life. It's in a gas station. My t-shirt reads "my favorite restaurant is in a gas station"! Sprint, do not run, you dare not walk, sprint straight to Joe's if you are anywhere withIn a 300 mile area of Kansas City. Mind-blowing! Epic! Epically mind-blowing!
This was stop one of my road trip cross country with my brother. We were on a KC BBQ crawl trying to get to Bryants, Gates, and this place in one night (those to come later). This was stop one, and the line almost sent us away. Two hour wait. We have been down this road before in San Diego (see Phil's) I made my brother wait in line at Phil's and he wont let me forget (I liked it, apparantly he didn't.) But like a trooper, he said "no we will wait...this is your dream"...and my god.....greatest decision of our lives.
That night after we finished the BBQ crawl, we got into bed stuffed full of meat and smelling of BBQ sauce in our hotel in Lawrence, 50 miles past KC. I said goodnight and my brother said "Let's go back to Joe's for lunch....will be be too far out of the way?"