Wichita- 2 Brothers BBQ

On a recent trip to Wichita, I decided to branch out and try some "non-Kansas City pork barbecue" to see how it compared with what I’m used to. I did a short search online and decided to try a place I read about called 2 Brothers BBQ. 2 Brothers BBQ actually has 4 locations in the area, with 3 of them being in Wichita, and the 4^th one being in El Dorado. It is owned and run by brothers Mark and Matt Ryan and their parents Tom and Carole Ryan. The location I tried was their “West” location at Central and Tyler out in west Wichita.

I thought the place was a bit out of the ordinary when I walked in and saw smoked meats on a salad bar. I began to wonder if I was in the right place until I turned and saw the regular menu on the wall and felt a wave of relief! I went on to learn that the salad bar, known as the “Smokin Salad Bar”, offers smoked meats as salad toppings, which suddenly made the idea of eating salad sound a lot better!  

However, I had gone there to eat pork, and lots of it, so I looked at the menu and opted for the “2 meat dinner”. I chose pork ribs and pulled pork as my meats, and baked beans and potato wedges as my sides. Choosing ribs as one of the 2 meats added $0.99 to the total cost, but it was a decision I figured would be worth it. It turned out I was right. The ribs were delicious! They were tender and meaty, and served without sauce so you could choose which of the 3 sauces on the table you wanted to use. 

Amazing BBQ...probably close to you.

The pulled pork was very good as well. It might have been a bit salty for my taste, but that was more than made up for by how tender the meat was, and how little fat there was in it. The meat had a good hickory smoke flavor, and it paired really well with their “sweet and zesty” barbecue sauce. Had the ribs and pulled pork not been enough meat for me, I wouldn’t have needed to worry, as the baked beans have a lot of tasty smoked pork in them too; a pleasant surprise to say the least!

Being located in the Wichita suburbs for the most part, and offering smoked meats on a salad bar, 2 Brothers BBQ is certainly different from the classic Kansas City barbecue joints I’m used to, but it’s certainly worth your time if you’re in the area and craving some high-quality barbecued pork. With 4 locations to serve you, hopefully you’ll be able to find one and give it a try before long! 

-Mike

P.S. We caught up with a few of the Kansas Pork Association folks over dinner not long ago. We talked them into sponsoring some giveaways to add a bit more fun to the blog. Today will be our first giveaway. We want to challenge you guys a bit, so the first person to answer this question gets the giveaway. 

This week's giveaway is a barbecue set. It has an apron with pockets for the fork, spatula, and tongs that come with in the carrying case. 

Just in time for more football.

Question: What's the origin of the word barbecue?