Oklahoma Joes Barbecue

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Anthony Bourdain chats with 98.9 The Rocks Johnny Dare about Oklahoma Joes and his new book Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook.

A brief history of great BBQ at Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue in Kansas City
Born the son of an immigrant Lithuanian lamp maker, Jeff Stehney, Oklahoma Joes owner, got his first taste of . . . . .
Sorry, thats the wrong story.

Oklahoma Joes Barbecue and Catering can be traced to competition barbecue and the Kansas City Barbeque 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 Joes 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 Barbeque Societys 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 Joes 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.

The first smoker purchased was an Oklahoma Joes 24 smoker, christened in April 1991.

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