A new establishment dedicated to smoke, sauce, and regional pride is coming to Kansas City. The Museum of BBQ — billed as the world’s first museum devoted entirely to the art and culture of barbecue — opens April 12 at Crown Center, solidifying the city’s status as an international barbecue epicenter.
Occupying a 4,223-square-foot space, the museum is an interactive journey through the techniques, flavors, and regional identities that define American barbecue (not just the world-famous Kansas City style barbecue). There’s certainly lots of history to choose from, as a road trip through the Barbecue Belt shows, from North Carolina’s two core styles, to all of the influences that make up Texas barbecue culture. American barbecue culture is so vast — consider the regional barbecue styles in California, Chicago, Baltimore, and more — that it can’t be contained in one museum. But this is a good place to start for any lover of all things smoked, grilled, and cooked over an open flame.
