Kansas City: Snoots & Spleens

Andrew makes a pilgrimage to meat mecca Kansas City, a city known for cattle farms and old-fashioned Americana culture. From jiggly pig snoots and chilled pig spleen to roasted woodchuck and unmatched BBQ, Andrew proves that Kansas City is truly a carnivore's kingdom. Andrew's first stop on a filling journey is none other than the 35-year-old institution, The Tenderloin Grill. Andrew meets Ashlee Ruhl, the owner who saved the family restaurant at just 26 years old! With no other choice, Andrew happily dives, nose first, into the KC-style pig snoot sandwich. A spicy sandwich of boiled pig nose, the dish has become so distinguished even the Kansas City Police Department uses it to initiate rookies to the force! Next on Andrew's excursion is The Local Pig, where Chef Alex Pope reinvents local tradition. After sampling the unique summer sausage, smoked beef heart, and smoked pig's head, Andrew moves on to his nemesis, the pig spleen! The spleen, which has a muddy flavor due to filtering blood, is lined with bacon and sage to neutralize the intense taste. Reinvented with a little texture and "pinwheel" presentation, Alex Pope does something to spleen Andrew never thought possible: makes it enjoyable! After Andrew gets his fill of pig, he heads to visual artist-turned-chef Jonathan Justus's 101-year-old Justus Drugstore. In Jonathan's laboratory, he wows Andrew with "mad scientist" takes on country classics like pear vinegar, dehydrated sweet potato chips and raw bass crudo. Jonathan takes Andrew to Paradise Meat Locker, operated by Mario Fantasma, a butcher shop that creates magical opportunities for Jonathan and other chefs to customize their cuts based on particular breeds of animals. Finally Jonathan invites Andrew to his family farmstead where they cook up a woodchuck trapped in his backyard on... a treadmill rotisserie, of course! The grand finale is a one-of-a-kind family meal where Andrew stuffs himself with rare woodchuck heart, home-made baked beans and pear-cider vinegar cole slaw. Andrew then meets up with James Beard Award-winning chef Celina Tio who is proud to take Andrew on a BBQ crawl around her home turf. Their first stop is iconic Arthur Bryant's, a BBQ joint that still boasts their standard pit ham sandwich and beef sandwich, a slice of America between two buns. With sauce fresh on the face, Andrew and Celina head over to Joe's Kansas City BBQ, an old gas station turned legendary BBQ joint. The constant line is worth the wait for Joe's Z-Man sandwich but the real draw is the burnt ends - a type of BBQ Kansas City proudly claims to have invented. Continuing down the BBQ trail, Andrew investigates Woodyard BBQ, a restaurant still cooking with an ancient smoker and unique array of wood, each creating a pungent taste. To close his time in this carnivore heaven, Andrew can't leave without experiencing a little good-natured Kansas City BBQ competition. To warm up, Andrew puts Q39's guarantee - national championship quality in every bite - to the test, under the watchful eye of restaurant owner and 2-time BBQ champion Rob Magee. The real fun begins when Andrew, with a well-versed BBQ palate, picks up a side gig with the prestigious Kansas City BBQ Society to judge a rib-cooking showdown between veteran Q39 and rookie Redneck BBQ. While only one team can emerge victorious, Andrew realizes eating BBQ - or any other food in this delectable town - is a win-win situation!