Immersive experience to feature 10 installations dedicated to the elements and regions of barbecue
BBQ museum founder wants visitors to immerse themselves in 'American culinary traditions'
Jonathan Bender, a food writer and founder of the Museum of BBQ in Kansas City, tells Fox News Digital what barbecue lovers can expect when they visit the taste and smells of the different regional "American culinary traditions."
One of the most distinctly American cuisines in the world will soon have a museum to celebrate its place in the culinary landscape.
Dedicated to all things barbecue, the Museum of BBQ is scheduled to open in Kansas City, Missouri, in the spring of 2025. It will showcase everything from the different elements of the cuisine to the distinct flavors of each regional variation.
Food writer Jonathan Bender is co-founder of the Museum of BBQ alongside Kansas City chef Alex Pope, owner of the Local Pig restaurant.
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"If you could take the basic elements of barbecue and the regions of barbecue and turn them into experience, have the ability to literally walk through those things as you learn about them, I loved that idea of a story coming to life in a physical space," Bender told Fox News Digital of his inspiration for what's being billed as the world's first barbecue museum. (See the video at the top of this article.)
The immersive experience will feature 10 interactive installations dedicated to the elements and regions of barbecue, along with a gift shop featuring rubs, sauces and barbecue-themed goods.
"You get the opportunity to walk through and have your senses be tickled. You can learn why smoke and rub and spice and wood and fire all impart flavor into barbecue." (Museum of BBQ)
Museum visitors will follow two storytelling trails, the first describing the elements of barbecue to see how a pitmaster turns a favorite cut of meat into a delicious dish.
"You get the opportunity to walk through and have your senses be tickled," Bender said. "You can learn why smoke and rub and spice and wood and fire all impart flavor into barbecue."
Visitors will then travel through the main American regions of barbecue – from the Carolinas and Memphis to Texas and Kansas City – discovering how each location has developed its individual flavor and style.
Guests will be able to jump into an oversized crock of "barbecue beans."
"I think we have these beautifully distinct regions of American barbecue, each of which will claim their natural right as the epicenter or headquarters of barbecue," Bender said.
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"But to discover some of the subtle differences between Memphis and Texas and the Carolinas and, of course, Kansas City, where this is headquartered — I thought it was an opportunity to take a deeper dive while we are together into one of these really neat American culinary traditions."
There will even be a pit stop for guests to jump into an oversized crock of "barbecue beans" — that is, a ball pit with balls that are shaped like beans, a classic barbecue side dish.
The Museum of BBQ will feature a pit filled with balls that are shaped like beans, a classic barbecue side dish, as shown above. (iStock)
Located inside the Crown Center in downtown Kansas City, the museum is just above Burnt End BBQ, named for the city's iconic barbecue dish.
Bender said the Kansas City establishment serves "all of the classics."
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"You can get brisket and pulled pork and burnt ends, [those] crispy little bits of barbecued gold from the tapered edges of the brisket," Bender said.
"So, what's great there is, you can come learn about barbecue. We'll have a few small surprises when we open. But if you really want to sit down and enjoy barbecue, your journey can start right downstairs."
Burnt ends, as seen above, are an iconic barbecue dish authentic to Kansas City. (iStock)
With many regions vying for the distinction of best barbecue, why was Kansas City selected to serve as the home of the museum?
For one, it's the city where Bender has been living and writing about barbecue for the better part of two decades.
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"But perhaps more importantly beyond my experiences, barbecue is intrinsically linked with Kansas City's history because of the stockyards and the railways kind of coalescing here," Bender said. "So, there is this tremendous rich tradition of barbecue here, which also tends to be a melting pot in some of the other distinct regions."
Kansas City is also home to the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, which it claims to be the largest barbecue competition in the world.
This is a miniature display at the future site of the Museum of BBQ at the Crown Center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. (Museum of BBQ)
Although the museum won't open until next year, visitors of the Crown Center can already get a sneak peek of what to expect with a miniature installation near the museum's entrance.
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"A large part of this is about teaching people about where barbecue currently is but then also encouraging them to play around with barbecue on their own," Bender said.
That includes being "a friend in that space who can recommend some things, teach you some things and then share the joy."
Peter Burke is a lifestyle editor with Fox News Digital.
