Paul Kirk, a Kansas City barbecue legend from Roeland Park, died on May 26 at the age of 84.
Over the past four decades, Kirk became known as the Kansas City Baron of Barbecue. He was an award-winning pitmaster, a chef, an author/co-author of 12 books, a founding member of the Kansas City Barbeque Society and a 2015 inductee of the Barbecue Hall of Fame.
While the barbecue community, in Kansas City and worldwide, will remember Kirk as the Baron of Barbecue, his friends say they’ll remember him as having “a crusty exterior, tender heart.” A kind person who was a good mentor and a better friend.
Kirk gave back to the community by regularly feeding Kansas Citians experiencing homelessness. He knew how to laugh at himself, cracking jokes about accidentally putting “ice craving contest” on ice carving contest awards years ago.
Ardie Davis, a fellow Barbecue Hall of Fame member who co-authored several books with Kirk, said his lifelong friend made a lasting impact not only in Kansas City barbecue, but also around the world.
“When you mention Paul Kirk in the barbecue world, most people know the name,” Davis said. “And that’s all over the world.”
“Pay it forward”
Davis met Kirk through barbecue, specifically through the American Royal Barbecue Contest that Davis dreamt up in his own Roeland Park backyard. Kirk and his wife, Jessica, were some of the first judges of the contest.
Kirk and Davis became quick friends. The pair drove across the country on barbecue-related road trips; they wrote several books together.
“I told him this last book we were working on would be our swan song and at the eulogy, I said I didn’t intend for him to start singing so soon,” Davis said.
Davis said Kirk was blunt, infrequently editing what he said before he said it. Kirk also had a more tender side, Davis said: the side that loved to share his food and knowledge with students.
On Saturdays, Kirk frequently fed Kansas Citians without housing at a park near Crown Center. He started the Friday night fish fry at St. Agnes in Roeland Park.
Davis said one of the best ways for people to honor Kirk moving forward is “just being good to other people.”
“The old expression, ‘pay it forward,’ you know, just care about your fellow human beings and do what you can to be of help,” Davis said.
Kirk’s legacy is cemented in KC barbecue culture
Jill Silva, an award-winning food critic and writer, met Kirk about 25 years ago when she first started covering Kansas City barbecue.
Silva said she remembers Kirk as being “crusty on the exterior, really tender on the interior.” He liked to tease people and encourage his barbecue students to take diligent notes of their recipe trial runs, she said.
When he wasn’t wearing overalls, Kirk was dressed in his white coat. He was a professionally trained chef who spent most of his career in non-barbecue restaurants, Silva said.
Still, he was heavily involved in competitive barbecue culture in Kansas City. As a pitmaster, Kirk was the precursor to Food Network star chefs, Silva said.
Kirk’s legacy lies with his influence on Kansas City barbecue culture, she added.
Kirk and the Kansas City Barbeque Society heavily impacted competition barbecue judging and events, which propelled Kansas City barbecue on an international level — to the point where, Silva said, people in countries as far away as Germany are making Kansas City burnt ends.
“His legacy is, you know, that he was one of the originals of competition barbecue, and that laid the groundwork for Kansas City remaining an iconic barbecue city,” Silva said.
He was an inaugural participant of the Great Lenexa BBQ Battle
Back in 1984, Kirk was one of the inaugural participants of the Great Lenexa BBQ Battle — which is still hosted by the city of Lenexa today.
Ronna Keck, a member of the Flowers of Flame team, said Kirk and his team were only a couple of booths down from the Flowers at the Great Lenexa BBQ Battle.
Kirk and Keck’s sister, longtime pitmaster Karen Putman, competed together on Team Kansas City. The team traveled the world to share Kansas City barbecue in other cities and won a grand championship in Limerick, Ireland, Keck said.
Keck and Kirk’s friendship grew over the years. She affectionately called him “Captain Kirk,” a nod to the iconic protagonist of “Star Trek.” She’ll remember his smile more than anything.
Now, Keck is coming up on her 40th year at the Great Lenexa BBQ Battle, which takes place the last weekend of June. This will be her final year competing with the team her sister, who died in 2011, originally started.
“With Paul passing away, it was just kind of sad, you know, that this is my last year and it’s his last year too,” Keck said.
Keep reading: Roeland Park resident Paul Kirk — the Kansas City Baron of Barbecue — marks final appearance in Great Lenexa BBQ Battle
