Snead’s Bar B-Q

I ordered pulled pork with fries and skipped the Cole slaw because I find it yucky. I instead ordered beans and a side of corn nuggets. The beans are ok but had that same funny gamey smell and taste and a bit overcooked. Corn nuggets were fine just deep fried frozen… the pulled pork had a very old gamey taste. It even smelled funny. I didn’t ask for anything else and I didn’t eat it. Tastes microwaved and not fresh. I also noticed no smell of BBQ being cooked inside or out. If it’s cooked fresh that’s pretty typical and draws you in to eat. Another big draw back was no lunch menu.

Growing up in South Kansas City, this was nowhere near my first time here (that was in the 1950’s when folks from my neighborhood went there for Sunday beer), but it was my first time in a while. But if you are a Kansas City boy who seeks out BBQ wherever he might be, return trips can have a bit of time in between.
Like I said, Snead’s has been around here for a while. In the earlier years it was way out in the country, but with last couple of decades of urban sprawl it is only a little off the beaten path. No place can stand that kind of test of time and not be above average, Snead’s proves my point.
From the outside it looks like it could be a BBQ, but it also looks like it could be VFW hall. The parking lot is big enough to handle the biggest of pushes, and there are two entrance doors (one of which actually opens!). And then it smells good (all BBQ’s should)!
Inside there is none of the upscale /​yuppie /​chain décor you run into at other places, just the look and feel of «been here a while, and we are not trying to be anything we are not!» As expected there are booths and tables (they can set up for large groups easily) and even an «Non-​PC Smoking Area» that does not infringe on other diners. The service is fine, the beer is affordable (no crazy beer list, remember what I said about the upscale /​yuppie stuff), and it is exceptionally clean.
There is the usual BBQ menu expected in Kansas City (in Kansas City they do not «over specialize» but will smoke anything that is available!). So it is a good idea to ask questions about what you see, like «brownee’s are really burnt ends. The two available sauces are what I would call mild and spicy. They are both OK, but I would recommend trying each first. I usually mix the two and come up with one that suits me better than either by themselves.
If you are from (or pass through) Kansas City you know and judge BBQ by the burnt ends. Over the years i have always found them above average in flavor. The same for their ribs. For sides DO NO MISS their BBQ beans — you will want to write home about them!
Ah, but from time to time there is a shortfall. The past couple of times I have been there they must have had the wrong guy on the smoker. A third of my burnt ends were notably over cooked (actually «burnt» about half way through) and very tough. Saving the day, the other two thirds very tender, moist, and full of flavor. Back to the guy on the smoker, while the ribs had great taste, they had also been left in the smoker too long. Ribs should not «fall off the bone» (that’s over cooked), but you should be able to actually take bite out of them without having to catch the rest of the meat with (hopefully) your plate. I knew that there was more flavor and a better texture but it had been left in the smoker. I am looking forward to better times in the future. I still found it much better than nearby Jack Stacks (but not Q39 or Joe’s Kansas City).
The prices are very affordable and you do easily get value and quality (usually) for your hard earned money. Will I be back? Count on it! Should you put it on your Kansas City BBQ list? You better!

Yes this place is very good and is nowhere near the boonies. The beer draws are nice and cold in real glass. I always get the jumbo with beef and pork but the brownies are very good.

These are the best burnt ends I’ve ever had. I go far out of my way when craving this food. Drive right past Jack Stack BBQ. This pitmaster knows his stuff… No doubt!

Beef burnt ends had a nice black bark and a distinct wood smoke hit. Onion rings and fries plentiful and greaseless. The «hot sauce» is not a BBQ sauce but a condiment, taste before applying. This is a cool old place, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Ordered two slabs, beans and potato salad for four. Everything was on point. The ribs had to have been smoked on the high altar of the BBQ Gods. If Sneed’s held church service on Sunday I would consider a monastic life. This place is the closest thing to heaven in the Southland IMHO.

Love Sneads. I think they have the best darn coleslaw in the Kansas City area!!! Their fries are awesome too, real potatoes. I always get the log I believe… SO good!!!

There’s a reason this place has been around so long. I missed several turns, being from out of town, and saw the sign for Snead’s pointing south. I remembered reading an article on Facebook about it and remembered some good things people had said about it. So, I took the turn and made way for it.
I drove and drove and wondered if I would ever get there. Finally! A random gas station with a restaurant attached. Alas, there were no windows on the building at all and a big wooden door saying «Open». I opened it and walked in. Now first, you should know, that I was coming from a very important test and I was wearing a dress shirt, tie, and wingtips. Needless to say as soon as I walked in I got a look from every single person here. AND I was by myself. Anyways…
I was given a booth and decided what to order. I looked around and the place looks like some kind of VFW or American Legion Hall or something in a small town like that. It wasn’t dirty, just old. Their draft beers are only $ 2 but they come in some weird mug that’s sloped on the inside so it contains less beer. Oh well, $ 2 and they do have good old local Boulevard Wheat. I ordered a half rack of ribs and fries for my dinner.
The ribs really seemed like they were St. Louis style, but maybe I’m wrong. I’m not a BBQ expert and am only from lowly Omaha where we don’t have any decent BBQ joints. However… I put some of their hot BBQ sauce on them and the meat was fall off the bone. Easily some of the better ribs I’ve had, even in KC. Fries were nothing special but good.
I really like this place and it’s full of locals. I also noticed a number of service members walk in and sit down (Salute!). An older lady fell down and lots of people ran to help her… I don’t know if i can justify driving all the way down here every time I’m here but maybe you can!

OK but not great… the Guy raved about past visits, but it didn’t knock my socks off when we stopped for lunch. It’s deep in the boonies, with a large open dining room with all the ambiance of a church-​basement rec room. We ordered a bunch of meats. Apparently you can’t order «burnt ends» here without confusing the server, they are called «brownies», and you can get whatever kind of meat with the «brownie» treatment. That’s not right, burnt ends are supposed to be the triangular tip of the brisket that’s cut off before heading to the slicer. This «brownie» thing tells me that they are just taking the regular cuts of meat & smoking them a second time, or something… not really sure what that’s about.
Anyway, the beef brownies were dry & unpleasant. The sausage was pretty darn good, but the ham was unremarkable.
Not a bad stop if you happen to be in Belton for some other reason, but I can’t see making the drive out from the Metro just for a meal here.

Something familiar was missing in the air.
There should be no greater joy in life than a Friday lunch away from the office with a couple of fellow KC BBQ aficionados that meet weekly to explore one of the greatest gifts the greater metro area has bestowed upon the appetites of its fellow citizens.
Snead’s is an institution in spite of being a considerable jaunt out of the main metro area. They’ve been here since the 1950s it’s my understanding. A lot of meals have passed through the smoker in those decades. I can’t remember the last time I dined here but it had to be at least 25 years ago. It’s a long way out of the way from where I live and I arrived with anticipation.
What in the hell happened?
Our party of three gave it a unanimous thumbs down, and for good reason. Let’s start with the rib dinners. Consensus was these ribs were finished cooking at least 24 hours, but more than likely 48 hours prior and rewarmed. Tough, tasteless and dry, the meat wouldn’t detach properly from the bone as it should on a great rib. But the thing that really had our collective heads shaking was, where’s the smoke? We even noticed from the parking lot we couldn’t smell it.
The sauce: whatever this item they call their hot BBQ sauce is, it’s probably the most dreadful sauce I’ve tasted in the city, and there’s competition for that. Way, way overloaded with too much black pepper and some kind of citrus, it was beyond unpleasant and almost smelled rank. That’s a recipe that just doesn’t work. Read the other reviews that agree. Their regular sauce lacks depth and richness. Yes, lots of sugar, but no character. No hint of celery salt, vinegar or some other ingredient that smokehouses use. I love sweet potato fries and it’s pretty hard to screw them up. First time in recent memory I’ve left them on the plate untouched. No sauce worthy of dipping them in.
One of our party had fries and a pork sandwich. It was only average for his rating. I didn’t taste it and quite frankly sort of lost my appetite so I’ll go with it was decent, nothing to write home about.
Service: a cheerful waitress, but why can’t servers be trained to keep their fingers off the top of the water glasses and their thumbs not hooked onto the tops of the plates?
Sadly, as I drove back down Holmes Road on the way to I-​435 I passed the original Jack Stack BBQ. With air conditioner blasting and windows rolled up I received my first blast of true BBQ smoke of the day. I inhaled deeply and drove home in silence.

Among the oldest BBQ joints in town. My grandfather swore by the place.
Great burnt ends and ham. 2 sauces, including a pretty spicy, black pepper-​heavy one. All you can eat fried catfish on Sundays.
The interior is clean, and feels untouched, minus some room expansion, since my childhood. Employees were polite.
I’ve been here hundreds of times and I’ll happily be back.