If ever there was a time to plan a tour of the best barbecue stops in Kansas, it’s now.
May 1 kicked off National BBQ Month, and Kansas ranks as the fifth-best state for BBQ, according to WorldPopulationReview. The only states ranked above Kansas are Texas at No. 1, followed by Tennessee, Louisiana and South Carolina.
Some of the most popular BBQ spots in Kansas include Slap’s BBQ, Jack Stack Barbecue and When Pigs Fly BBQ.
BetKansas.com, your source for the best coverage of Kansas sports betting, utilized Google Trends to calculate the most popular BBQ restaurants by search volume from May 1, 2022 until Sept. 6, 2022. The BBQ restaurants chosen were determined by USA Today.
Top Kansas BBQ Restaurants by Search
Kansas BBQ is Slap Happy
Slap’s BBQ in Kansas City, Kan., tops the chart with 59% percent of the searches, just as it leads the list of BBQ restaurants in USA Today. If Kansas sports betting apps took money on barbecue, you’d definitely know the favorite.
Slap’s — an acronym for Squeal Like A Pig — is run by brothers Mike and Joe Pearce. Their following is nationwide, as those doing the searching for Slap’s BBQ are not just from Kansas.
According to the Google Trends data, it seems like people looking to travel to Kansas are learning more about some of the state’s best BBQ. Nebraska, Georgia, Colorado, Ohio and Michigan are the states doing the most searching for Slap’s. The brothers have appeared on several television shows, including “BBQ Pitmasters,” so they’ve gained quite a following since opening their restaurant in 2014.
The restaurant has 35,000 followers on its Facebook page and 13,600 on Instagram, where you can see photos of the brothers competing in contests and most recently cooking for the NFL Draft in Kansas City — which also proved to be a big event for state bettors cashing in Kansas sportsbook promos.
Jack Stack BBQ and Angry Elephant both tied with 13% of the searches. Most of Jack Stack searchers are from Kansas and Missouri. Sadly, the Angry Elephant shut down earlier this year. Jack Stack also has a robust Facebook following with 58,000 and 14,700 on Instagram.
When Pigs Fly in Wichita, No. 2 on the USA Today list, is still at it like owners Brian and Kendra Choy have been since 2010. They came in with 10% of the searchers and oddly enough most of them are from Pennsylvania and New York.
No matter where you are or where you go in Kansas, chances are good you can find some great BBQ. With some planning, and searching, you can find the best.
Author
Douglas Pils has been a sports journalist for 30 years in Texas, Arkansas and New York having worked for the San Antonio Express-News, the Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News and Newsday. He currently runs the Student Media Department at Baylor University.
