About the Authors

Chris's fiery love of pork was ignited by his father, a Texan with a taste for barbeque. Chris (not a Texan) was raised in the Kansas City area where good barbeque can be found almost on every corner. In fact, he grew up taking good pork for granted.  His fire only grew after moving to western Kansas where he learned the sad truth that good pork eating experiences are few and far between.  As an alumnus of Kansas State University with a degree in animal science, Chris knows a thing or two about his porcine pals.especially that they are delicious when slow cooked over a wood fire! For fun, Chris Petty works as a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) certified barbeque judge. For pay, he works as a County Extension Agent. Chris has been married to his beautiful wife Cristina for over nine years and has a two year old son, Garrett who he hopes to pass on his passion for good times and good meat.

Mike spent his first 18 years in southeast Kansas on his family’s livestock and row crop farm. Growing up with beef cattle, his diet seemingly consisted of mostly home-raised beef, but to his surprise this would all change after he went away to college at K-State. After receiving a B.S. degree in Agronomy at KSU in 2005, he decided to stick around to get his Master’s in Agronomy too. Soon after that decision, he met his wife-to-be, Jan, but she quickly moved to Kansas City to pursue a graduate degree in Physical Therapy. As he made trips to Kansas City to kindle his relationship with Jan, a second relationship was budding for Mike, but this one was with a newfound discovery known as “Kansas City Barbecue”! He too moved to the Kansas City area after graduation in 2007 and he and Jan got married in 2009. They still live in the area, where he works as a crop adjuster, and she works as a Physical Therapist. Barbecue remains second only to Jan in Mike’s heart these days, as he eats his way through the lengthy list of barbecue restaurants in Kansas City.