Oklahoma Joe's

Best Barbecue in Kansas City!

History about Oklahoma Joe's

Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue and Catering can be traced to competition barbecue and the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS). Tagging along with friends at the American Royal and The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle was all the inspiration Jeff needed to get started cooking on his own. The first smoker purchased was an Oklahoma Joe’s 24” smoker, christened below in April 1991.

The competition team, Slaughterhouse Five, went through some personnel changes the first two years and by 1993, Jeff, his wife and business partner Joy, and Jim Howell were ready to make their mark on the KCBS competition circuit. And make their mark they did, winning eight Grand Championships, including the prestigious American Royal BBQ, three Reserve Grand Championships, and the Kansas City Barbecue Society’s Grand Champion “Team of the Year” in 1993. Over the next several seasons Slaughterhouse Five won dozens more awards and was generally recognized as one of the top competition BBQ teams in the Country.

All of this eventually lead to the opening of Oklahoma Joe's restaurant in Kansas City, KS. Oklahoma Joe's has gained a local and national reputation for outstanding barbecue. The Zagat national restaurant survey rated Oklahoma Joe's "Excellent" for Barbecue in 2000. To learn the rest of the story visit our history page.

Essex Places Favorite Dishes

Carol's favorite dish is the Smoked Chicken dinner.

Kelli loves the Smoked Chicken Gumbo.

Sammi Jo likes the mouth watering Z-mann Sandwich.

    

Locations