NC or KC? Who has the BEST barbecue?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Charlotte is home to the Carolina Panthers and home to delicious gameday food - including barbeque! The BBQ scene in the Queen City is unmatched - at least, we think so.

Since WBTV and KCTV are teaming up to cover the NFL Draft this week, we thought it would be the perfect time for a little friendly competition to see who has the “best” barbecue.

Kristen Miranda of WBTV’s QC Life:

And we’re known as the Queen City, but BBQ is King here...

Grace Chapin of KCTV in Kansas City, Missouri:

In Kansas City, we’re a real smoke show. And what I mean by that is we’re the CHAMPS! From the World Series to the Super Bowls, yes, I said Super Bowls with a plural there. Oh yea..and we’re the BBQ champs too. Yea, Kansas City is home to the BBQ Hall of Fame.

Kristen:

Grace, I have to say – we’re pretty proud to be IN that hall of fame – North Carolina boasts five inductees - including the woman many consider by many to be the first female barbecue entrepreneur in North Carolina.

Grace:

Here in Kansas City, we are known for our awards and I want to invite you to mark your calendar for September 27 through October 1 where we will have the largest barbecue competition in the world. We’re talking about “The American Royal.”

Kristen:

Here they say REAL BBQ... [traces back] to Explorer Hernando DeSoto who brought pigs to the southeast from Spain.

Grace:

We’re here in LC’s BBQ with trustee Tasha. Obviously, you and I both know that KC has the best BBQ in the country. But as the professional here, what makes KC the BBQ capital of the world?

LC BBQ:

Our flavor. From our rub to where we marinade it, to the tenderness of our meat to fall off the bone, to our sauce you can’t go wrong with Kansas City BBQ.

Kristen:

To really dig in on what makes North Carolina BBQ so special, we came HERE. To Sweet Lew’s BBQ to talk to pit master Lewis Donald.

Sweet Lew’s BBQ:

We don’t cook with coals. We cook with smoke.

Kristen:

All of North Carolina cooks pork with smoke – but we have to admit to a little infighting. There’s a divide from east to west in the Tarheel state – over which part of the hog a pitmaster cooks.

Sweet Lew’s BBQ:

When you talk about eastern Carolina, you’re generally talking about whole hog BBQ. So Western is going to be more of a pulled pork if you will. Less whole hog, probably more shoulders.

Grace:

As far as what makes Kansas City BBQ unique, it has to be that everything is made with love. And also, the variety of meats. From pork to beef, it’s not even uncommon to see fish on the menu. But the true Kansas City rite of passage is the burnt ends. Think of these as the crispy charred edges of a perfectly smoked hunk of meat.

Kristen:

I just don’t think we’re going to settle this.

Grace:

Let’s just say maybe you can find great – but different – barbeque in both of our cities!

Kristen:

That’s fair. So come on to Charlotte Grace– and taste what we have cooking.

Grace:

And I’ll send some of this back with Nate and Cam to you, Kristen!

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