The Kansas City area is not the only serious barbecue region in the U.S. — Memphis, Texas, and the Carolinas can all stake a plausible claim to that reputation.
But KC is home to the Barbecue Hall of Fame and the World Series of BBQ. And soon it will add another notch to its barbecue belt.
The Museum of BBQ, which will feature interactive, barbecue-centric exhibits, plans a spring debut at Crown Center Shops.
“Barbecue is a feast for your senses,” said founder Jonathan Bender. “Here in one of the BBQ capitals of the world, we’re creating a place where you can immerse yourself in the stories of barbecue.”
Bender is a longtime local food writer and editor. He’s worked for The Pitch and KCPT and is the author of books “Cookies & Beer” and “Stock, Broth & Bowl.” He’s also served as a certified judge for the American Royal World Series of Barbecue and made a documentary about Kansas City burnt ends called “Burnt Legend.”
With the museum, Bender is teaming up with Alex Pope, the chef and owner of the butcher shop Local Pig. They have leased space on the second floor of Crown Center that was formerly occupied by Function Junction, which closed earlier this year.
According to a release, museumgoers will follow two storytelling trails — first learning about the elements of barbecue (meat, rubs, wood, fire, smoke and sauce) and how pitmasters approach different cuts of meat. Then the exhibit explores the various American regions of barbecue — including, of course, Kansas City — and how each place created its distinct styles and traditions.
Also at the museum: a gift shop that sells rubs, sauces, hats, aprons, shirts and other barbecue-themed products, plus a “bean pit” — a McDonald’s-like ball pit area where kids can play in an oversized crock filled with “barbecued beans.”
“The room will have custom bean illustrations and plenty of bean puns,” Bender said.
Plans for a barbecue museum of some kind date back to at least the early 2000s, when the American Barbecue Hall of Fame and Museum proposed the idea. The Kansas City-based group struggled to get financing and the museum never materialized. In 2018, the Atlanta History Center hosted “Barbecue Nation,” an exhibition devoted to the history and culture of American barbecue. But that was only a temporary show, gone in a year.
The addition of the Museum of BBQ will add to an already-dense portfolio of family-friendly attractions at Crown Center and nearby, including the Sea Life aquarium, Legoland, the Coterie Theatre, Science City, and the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
“We believe the broad appeal of barbecue will make this unique museum a destination for local and national visitors alike,” said Stacey Paine, president of Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation.
“This (will be) a place where barbecue comes alive,” Bender said. “We want you to play and learn and come away with an appreciation for the joy and community that is part of barbecue culture.”
Stay tuned at museumofbbq.co for updates on the museum’s opening.
