CYBER TRAVEL:

G.A.S. BARBECUE

CYBER TRAVEL:
G.A.S Rates the Best of K.C. Barbecue
Charles Williams
St. Louis The Post-Dispatch

Let's talk barbecue, succulent, stick-to-your-ribs meat smothered with a rich, tangy sauce. Sound good? Barbecue is legendary in Kansas City, and the great debate about the best meat, sauce and beans rages on. With dozens of choices, it's downright confusing.

Never fear, the Gastronomic Appreciation Society (G.A.S.) for Kansas City barbecue is here to help (http://www.gasbbq.net).

There's nothing fancy about this site. You won't find great design or award-winning photography. It's just plain entertaining. These people are having too much fun to be on a lunch break.

Their quest for the holy grail of Kansas City barbecue began with charter members Jeff Sauce Anderson, Jeffrey It's Gotta Be Smoked, Baby Couch, Dave Portions Ellis, Rick Napkins Moehring, Dan Rich and Spicy Mueller, Dick Wanna split a pig with me? Vallandingham. Moehring describes the group's mission as "a passionate, sometimes comical, always candid search for the best of K.C.'s BBQ joints."

The group has been at it for two years. "We see no end to this in sight, unless, of course, we all start regularly failing our cholesterol screenings!" says Moehring.

Among G.A.S.'s favorite establishments are Oklahoma Joe's, Laura's BBQ and the Smoke Stack. Noticeably missing from the top picks are perpetual favorites Arthur Bryant's and Gates, although the gang didn't pass on the chance to patronize those joints, too.

So next time you're rolling down I-70 toward Kansas City, consider taking the advice of those hearty souls who have polished off reams of ribs and sampled a slew of sauce. In G.A.S. we trust.