Best BBQ Sandwich: Scott’s Kitchen’s Chipotle Ghost Pepper Cheese Sausage on a Hoagie
Scott Umscheid’s chipotle ghost pepper cheese sausage has been the talk of his restaurant for years now, and yes, he knows the name is a mouthful. We’ll skip the debate on whether a sausage wrapped in a soft hoagie bun is technically a sandwich. The juicy sausage is the stuff of legends, and it sits under the sandwich section of the menu. That’s enough to qualify for us.
The sandwich also just so happens to be getting a makeover—dressed with slaw and drizzled with a red chili fire sauce—which only made us more secure in this decision. It doesn’t matter what iconic burnt end sandwich you throw at me; this is the best barbecue sandwich in KC right now.
“I haven’t changed my menu, the prices or anything since August 22, 2022,” says Umscheid, who is bringing several new items to his restaurant’s menu this month.
Scott’s Kitchen was stationed as a vendor in Kauffman Stadium for the past two years, and although he’s skipping the stadium this year due to a busy schedule, several of the specialty menu items he made for The K will now be making an appearance at his flagship restaurant, the new sausage sandwich being one of them.
Typically, the chipotle ghost pepper cheese sausage is served on a hoagie, and really, it doesn’t need anything else. But, while at The K, Umschied served it topped with a jalapeno apple slaw and guajillo-based hot sauce (it’s merely a zesty kick, not a melt-your-face-off kind of heat). The snap of the zesty sausage on a soft hoagie with the crunch of a lime zest-brightened slaw is impossible to beat.
The lore of the ghost pepper sausage is well known: The recipe came about because Umscheid “looked around and everyone had a jalapeno cheddar sausage on their menu,” he says. “Like, everybody.”
The ghost pepper sausage was on his restaurant’s menu, and while it was a hit, he rarely made more than 70 a week. Several years ago, he was invited to participate in a barbecue throwdown at Arrowhead, and all the other pitmasters had already been picked to smoke the usual standout meats: brisket, pulled pork, ribs, etc. He reluctantly accepted the task of showcasing his sausage, but because they’re so time-consuming to make, he reached out to the sausage makers at Paradise Locker Meats over in Trimble for some help.
“It’s better,” Umscheid says. “It’s more consistent. They make it with heritage-breed pork. It’s just better.”
Paradise Locker Meats continues to make the sausage. With Umscheid’s permission, they showcased his sausage recipe in a conference in Iowa. It won first place.
Runners-Up
Joe’s Z-Man
It’s not a “Best Barbecue Sandwich” list without an honorary mention of Joe’s onion ring-laden pulled pork sandwich. We’re willing to bet the Z-Man was probably the first mainstream barbecue specialty sandwich. That being said, the Rocket Pig is also fantastic.
Taste of Kansas City BBQ & Grill’s Brisket Cheesesteak
There are some regions of barbecue in which putting melted cheese on smoked live-fire meats is sacrilegious. Taste of KC’s brisket cheesesteak makes me happy that I don’t live in one of those regions.
Chef J’s The Bomb
1401 W. 13th Street, Suite G., KCMO
A towering sandwich stuffed with brisket, turkey and sausage and topped with a juicy rib. Need we say more?
Hawg Jaw Que & Brew’s The Irish Hog
Barbecue has always been a workin’ man’s meal, and that has never been more true in the industrial district of North KC at Hawg Jaw. The Irish Hog is their take on a Reuben (available year round, not just in March). It comes with smoked corned beef brisket, a spicy sauerkraut and smoked sausage.
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