Chef J BBQ - Kansas City, Missouri Chef J BBQ is one of the growing number of Texas style BBQ restaurants in Kansas City, Missouri. They are doing a great job on their meats, but still have a ways to go with their side dishes. They are in the area known as the West Bottoms, about 1,000 feet from the Kansas state line. Our first visit was in August. It was an extremely hot day and there were only 4 people in line when we arrived about 12 minutes before 11:30 AM when they open. A minute later there were 10 more in line behind us. There was a line all the time we were there, but the line was never very long. Chef J BBQ opened at the beginning of Covid in 2020 in the building which houses the haunted house called The Beast. Originally the restaurant was open only for lunch on Saturdays, but the hours slowly expanded and they are now open until 4 PM on Thursday through Sunday. You order at a counter just inside the door and the menu is on a large board above the counter. We ordered a 4 meat plate, selecting brisket, house made jalapeño cheddar sausage, bacon burnt ends and pork ribs. with hickory pit beans and smoked elotes as our choice of sides for $32. We also got a daily special dessert, Coconut Milk Cheesecake for $7. The meats come in half pound servings with 1, 2, 3 & 4 meat options and I believe most customers will want two servings of the meats. The meats are very good, with the pork ribs having some of the best flavor of any ribs I have had. On that first they were too tender and the meat literally fell onto the plate off the bones, but they tasted so good that wasn't a deal breaker. The ribs were firmer on our 2nd visit. The brisket is as good as the ribs. The meat is nicely seasoned and if you like fat, the fatty parts of the brisket are heavenly as they melt in your month. You also need to be a fan of fatty meat to appreciate the bacon burnt ends. My favorite thing about the jalapeño cheddar sausage is dipping it in the house made mustard BBQ sauce. I liked the smoked elotes (Mexican street corn). Many online reviews complain about it and I think the problem is that the put "cheesy corn" next to the name on the menu. It isn't cheesy corn and people wanting cheesy corn are likely to be quite disappointed with it. The beans have their fans, but neither of us cared for them. They are a mixture of two types of beans and they are not flavored with smoke or BBQ sauce. They are the only thing we didn't either finish or box to take home. On our second visit I tried the bacon & blue potato salad. I enjoyed it more than the beans, but overall I am unimpressed with the side dishes. With better sides and maybe the addition of fresh cut French fries, Chef J could be one of the top BBQ restaurants in the city. Diners also come with house made pickled vegetables. They make a nice garnish, but I didn't notice many people eating them. The cheesecake itself was light and delicious. We would have liked it better without the pineapple compote and large quantity of nutmeg dusted coconut flakes on top. I was anxious to try their peanut butter pie on our next visit, but they were out that day. The vinegar based BBQ sauces come in, mustard, sweet and spicy (more tangy than heat). The meats really don't need sauce, but the thin sauces may not satisfy those who like the thick, ketchup like sauces served at many KC area BBQ restaurants. I really wish they will provide metal eating utensils instead of plastic!
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