Oklahoma Joe's

Oklahoma Joe's was originally started by Joe Davidson as a smoker manufacturer, then a decade later launched its barbecue restaurant with locations in Oklahoma and the Kansas City area. The first Oklahoma Joe's opened in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1995. The original Kansas City location is located inside a gas station in Kansas City, Kansas. There are also locations in Olathe, Kansas, and Leawood, Kansas. There is an Oklahoma Joe's barbecue restaurant located in Tulsa, Oklahoma inside the famous Cain's Ballroom and in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; however, these operations are entirely separate from the Kansas City-based company. The Kansas City-based company is owned and operated by Jeff and Joy Stehney. On November 17, 2014, the Kansas City-based company changed its name from Oklahoma Joe's Bar-B-Que to Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que. The Oklahoma-based company is owned and operated by Joe Davidson.

History

Oklahoma Joe's 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 Stehney needed to get started cooking on his own. The first smoker purchased was an Oklahoma Joe’s 24” smoker, christened 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. They won eight Grand Championships, including the prestigious American Royal BBQ, three Reserve Grand Championships, and the KCBS’s 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.[1]

Jeff and Joy Stehney opened Oklahoma Joe's in Stillwater, Oklahoma and in Kansas City, Kansas with Joe and Page Davidson in 1996. After the Davidsons sold Oklahoma Joe's Smokers, the Stehneys assumed full control of the Kansas location.[1]

Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain listed Oklahoma Joe's original Kansas City location as one of "13 Places You Must Eat Before You Die."[2] Men's Health magazine named it America's manliest restaurant.[3] It was named "Kansas City's Best Barbecue" by Zagat.[4]

In August 2014, Jeff and Joy Stehney announced that the name of their three Kansas City area restaurants would be changed to Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que as of November 17, 2014. Their ownership and operation of the restaurants remains unchanged.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Great American Bites: Award-winning Kansas City BBQ at Oklahoma Joe's - USATODAY.com
  2. ↑ International Dining | Men's Health
  3. ↑ Oklahoma Joe's Named Manliest Restaurant In America By 'Men's Health'
  4. ↑ Oklahoma Joe’s is recognized as One of the Best | Three Locations Serve Some of the Best Barbecue in the World | Johnson County Lifestyle

External links