Kansas City Ribs at Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbeque

I was traveling through Kansas City, Missouri on a business trip from Carthage, Missouri and our gracious host (HE Williams) had set up a barbecue dinner at the famed Jack Stack Barbecue Freight House location.

We started the day with a tour of their impressive manufacturing facility, enlightened with all their new products and lines (especially the LED), won some prizes and got on the beer bus at 3 for dinner.  Oh, and in the meantime, we ate lots of food for breakfast, lunch and in between.  Hey-if you're looking for a career change, lighting may be the answer.  Being the "Foodie" that I am, I looked up the restaurant before my trip and learned that it's the number one barbecue house in the country based on Zagat and was also featured on the Food Network for its delicious barbecue.


We arrived via our luxury motor coach, rolling deep with almost 30 people after a 3 hr beer filled bus ride from Carthage, Missouri.

The Jack Stack Barbecue Freight House location is set in the Cross Road Arts District in a historic converted Freight House with 25' ceilings.

Photo Courtesy of Kansastravel.org

We were sat in 2 long tables of 15 in the center of the restaurant.  I was surprised that the restaurant was almost at full capacity on a Wednesday night at 5:00 PM.

Dining Room  Photo courtesy of Missadventuretravel.com

As soon as we sat down, the servers brought over stacked racks of colossal size onion rings and fried mushroom.  The Pitch Blog describes them as 'The Fattest, Sexiest Onion Rings"

$ 8.95 for a Rack of 6 Onion Rings,
Photo courtesy of "The Pitch" Blog

Next appetizer course were the burnt ends.  My whole office recommend the burnt ends and they all raved about it.  Burnt ends are a traditional pat of Kansas City barbecue and are flavorful pieces of meat ends cut from smoked briskets.  There were scrumptious pieces of pork and beef ends brought to our table to share.

Ahh-mazing Jack Stack Pork Burnt Ends $ 9.50

We were already stuffed but it was time to order dinner.  We were encouraged to try the platters and advised that the leftovers could be wrapped for us to take home on our flight the next day.

My coworker ordered the Signature Jack's best platter than included one Crown Prime Beef Rib, Baby Back Ribs, and beef burnt ends.  It came with 2 large sides.  The meal was colossal.

Jack's Best Signature Platter $ 28.50

Since I already had some burnt ends as an appetizer, I opted for the Crown Prime Beef Ribs signature barbecue item.  The menu description reads, "The ultimate barbecue experience featuring three well-marbled beef short ribs that will melt in your mouth."

The menu was right! The 3 ribs were colossal and each piece seem to have had about 6-8 ounces of meat on it.  I could only get down 1/4 of one rib before I had to call it quits.  Not to mention the 2 large sides that were included.  The hickory pit beans had slow cooked beef in it and was out of this world!  I tried the cheesy corn bake that was nothing like I've had before.  It was heavy and flavorful but not too overwhelming.

Crown Prime Beef Ribs $ 30.25

My other friend got the 9 oz Top Sirloin dinner and she said it was so tasty and tender that it was almost like a filet without the price.  It came with a ginormous baked potato loaded with cheddar, bacon and sour cream.  She barely could finish 1/4 of the potato.

9 oz Top Sirloin with salad and loaded Potato side $ 20.95

Just as I thought I couldn't get down anymore food or even breathe, the servers brought out Mom's carrot cake and Triple Chocolate brownie for the group to share.  Everyone was stuffed but we were coerced to give it a try.

The Triple Chocolate brownie was rich and had a hot fudge sauce and creamy vanilla ice cream topping as the melted cream trickled down the side.  You only needed once spoon and you were done.

My favorite was "Mom's Carrot Cake" that was served hot with a cream cheese frosting topped with walnuts.  There were real pieces of carrots in the dessert and it was definitely worth the extra calories.

By far, it was the best barbecue that I've had in my life. I am so glad I got to experience authentic Kansas City style barbecue.

Can't get to Kansas Cit? The restaurant also ships its delicious meats nationwide at premium price on its Mail Order website.

Thanks to the team at HE Williams for a great meal and your warm hospitality!