FF12 · Barbecue Country · 10 days · moderate pace
Ten days of Kansas City burnt ends, Memphis ribs and Texas brisket
From $4,390 per person, shared double room
Questions? [email protected], Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:30 Eastern. Booking terms
Kansas City ribs
Overview
Three barbecue capitals, three styles: sauced ribs and burnt ends in Kansas City, dry-rub ribs and pulled pork shoulder in Memphis, then salt-and-pepper brisket in Lockhart and Austin, with a Hill Country finish. Short flights between cities.
American barbecue is a set of regional arguments, and this tour lets you hear all of them. Kansas City cooks everything, beef and pork alike, and sauces it thick and sweet; burnt ends began there as the free trimmings of brisket. Memphis is a pork town, with ribs either dry-rubbed or wet, pulled shoulder on a bun with slaw, and barbecue spaghetti. Central Texas strips it back to beef, salt, pepper and post oak.
The route flies between the three, so there are no all-day drives: three nights in Kansas City, two in Memphis, then four in Texas, with Lockhart, Austin and two nights in Fredericksburg. Along the way are breweries, a Memphis soul food lunch, a whiskey distillery in Kansas City and a pitmaster in each city who opens the smoker to the group.
Cody Alvarez hosts every departure. It runs in spring and fall, when the pits are busy but the weather is kind.
More on the destination: Barbecue Country: Texas, Kansas City and Memphis food tours. Tour categories: Barbecue & Grill, Cider, Sake & Spirits, Street Food & Markets.
Read first: How to order Texas barbecue: lines, cuts and the butcher paper
What you will taste
Tasting portions at the markets, producers, cellars and kitchens on the route, on top of the meals listed. Dishes follow the season, so one or two can change from date to date.
Itinerary
Day 1 is the arrival day: meet your host at the hotel in the late afternoon. The order of the days can shift with the weather, the harvest or a kitchen that closes early; the places stay the same.
Day1
Transfer to the hotel in the Crossroads district. Welcome dinner at a Kansas City joint: ribs, burnt ends, cheesy corn bake and a sauce flight, so you can tell sweet from tangy.
Day2
A morning at the City Market, then lunch in the 18th and Vine district at one of the oldest barbecue restaurants in town. In the afternoon a pitmaster shows how burnt ends are cut and sauced. Evening at a jazz club, optional.
Day3
Kansas City’s most talked-about barbecue is served inside a gas station, and we start there. After lunch a small distillery in the West Bottoms for a whiskey tasting, guests 21 and over. Free evening.
Day4
A short morning flight to Memphis. Lunch is a pulled pork sandwich with slaw on top. In the evening, dry-rub ribs in a basement restaurant off an alley downtown, then a walk on Beale Street.
Day5
Morning at a pit on the edge of town where shoulders cook for twelve hours, then a soul food lunch: fried chicken, greens, mac and cheese and chess pie. Afternoon free for the Civil Rights Museum. Barbecue spaghetti and nachos for dinner.
Day6
A morning flight to Austin and the drive to Lockhart. Lunch across two pit rooms, with brisket, shoulder clod and jalapeño sausage on butcher paper. Back to Austin for the night.
Day7
Breakfast tacos on the east side, a pitmaster’s talk at a modern Austin smokehouse and a brisket lunch. Afternoon at a craft brewery for guests 21 and over. Dinner on your own on South Congress.
Day8
A ring of hot sausage in Luling, then west into the Hill Country to Fredericksburg. Late afternoon on Main Street for German pastries and peach preserves.
Day9
A slow morning, then two wineries along Highway 290 with tastings for guests 21 and over. Farewell dinner of smoked quail and peach cobbler.
Day10
Breakfast and the drive back to Austin airport, about one hour and forty minutes, arriving by 12:30 pm.
The route
Hotels are listed by class and area; the names come with your confirmation and may be replaced by a hotel of the same standard.
What the price covers
One price covers 9 hotel nights, 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 6 dinners and the tastings listed, the tastings and classes in the itinerary, transport on the route and your host.
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Tell Lena about allergies, diets or mobility needs before you book, and we will say honestly whether this tour suits you.
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Flights are not included, so you can use miles or fly from any airport. Arrive at Kansas City (MCI) by mid-afternoon on day 1 for the group transfer, and fly home from Austin (AUS) after 2:30 pm on the last day.
Dates and prices
6 group departures, 12 seats each. Prices per person in a shared double room; the single room supplement is per person.
| Dates | Length | Price | Single room | Status | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to | 10 days | $1,190 | Guaranteed | Ask about this date | |
| to | 10 days | $4,440 | $1,190 | Guaranteed | Ask about this date |
| to | 10 days | $4,490No single supplement | $0 | Available | Ask about this date |
| to | 10 days | $4,540 | $1,190 | Guaranteed | Ask about this date |
| to | 10 days | $1,190 | Available | Ask about this date | |
| to | 10 days | $1,190 | Available | Ask about this date | |
| Private date, 6 or more guests | 10 days | Priced per group | As booked | Your dates | Plan with Grant |
Guaranteed means the date runs: at least five guests have booked. Few seats means three or fewer seats are left. A deal price is shown next to the regular price.
Prices per person in US dollars: multi-day tours in a shared double room, flights not included; day tours paid when booked. Deposit $300 per person, balance 60 days before departure, one free change of date or tour up to 45 days before. Booking terms
Before you book
Questions about this tour
General questions on booking, flights, insurance and luggage are on the main FAQ page.
Ask Lena directly
Lena Ortiz in reservations replies within one working day, Monday to Friday.
Kansas City to Memphis is a six-hour drive and Memphis to Austin about twelve. Two short flights save two full days for eating.
It is a lot, but portions are tasting size and several lunches include sides, soul food and Tex-Mex. Most guests skip one meal a day by choice.
Everyone argues about it at the farewell dinner. Sauce lovers tend to pick Kansas City, rib lovers Memphis, and brisket purists Texas.
The five-day Texas Barbecue Trail covers the Texas part.
Yes. About a third of our guests travel solo. A single room on this tour costs $1,190 extra, and some dates have no single supplement; we can also try to match you with a roommate.
Tell Lena when you book. Vegetarian, pescatarian and gluten-free versions are arranged with every kitchen before you arrive; for severe allergies we tell you honestly which stops we can and cannot make safe.
Your $300 deposit holds the seat, the balance is due 60 days before departure, and you can move once to another date or tour free up to 45 days before. The full scale is on the booking terms page.
Tips are welcome but never expected. Guests who want a guideline usually give 10 to 15 US dollars, or the same in local money, per person for a day walk, or per person per day on a multi-day tour; restaurant tips on included meals are already paid.
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Dates and seats
Tell us the tour, the date and how many of you are coming. Lena Ortiz in reservations replies within one working day with seats, room options, the total price and any questions about dietary needs.
Lena, Grant and Priya, Charleston
SubjectThe Great American Barbecue Trail: Kansas City, Memphis and Texas: dates and seats
Please include
Lena Ortiz in reservations replies within one working day. No payment now. A $300 deposit per person holds seats on a multi-day tour; day tours are paid when you book.
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