
Buck Tui BBQ
$$Championship KC smoke, cooked with a Thai pantry

“Chef-driven smoke in the West Bottoms”
Chef J grew from one of the city's most talked-about pop-ups into a West Bottoms brick-and-mortar in 2020, and Justin Easterwood never scaled up the ambition to match the address. Limited hours and routine sellouts are the cost of a small-batch, quality-first pit—plan the visit around the smoker, not the other way around. The brisket is the draw, regularly ranked among the best in Kansas City: a dark, peppery bark, an even smoke ring, and fat rendered to the edge of soft. Burnt ends come cut from that same brisket and are just as sought-after, while the pork belly turns up rich and rendered whenever it makes the board. Pork ribs round out a short menu that rewards showing up early. When the day's count runs out the doors close, and the people in line already knew that going in.
A chef-led, cult-favorite pit that sells out for a reason. Justin Easterwood's brisket lands on nearly every list of the city's best—dark bark, even ring, fat rendered soft—and the West Bottoms room keeps the batches small and the hours short.
6 dimensions, each scored 0-10
Regulars point to Brisket, Burnt Ends, Pork Belly, and Pork Ribs.
Thu–Sat 11:30am–4pm, Sun 12–4pm (or until sold out)
Chef J BBQ keeps limited hours and can run out — go early or check ahead before you visit.
Chef J BBQ is mid-range ($$).
Chef J BBQ serves Kansas City Style barbecue — Kansas City BBQ is defined by its variety of meats (not just pork or beef, but both plus chicken, sausage, turkey, and more), thick tomato-and-molasses-based sauce, slow-smoking over hickory wood, and the legendary burnt ends.
Chef J BBQ has been serving Kansas City barbecue since 2020.