The Smoke Show: Kansas Tourism Releases New Story Series Episode Featuring BBQ

TOPEKA – Kansas Tourism has released a new Story Series episode, this time showcasing Kansas barbecue pit masters and mouth-watering smoked meat from across the state. Viewers are advised not to watch the video hungry. Episode 5, “The Smoke Show: A Story of Kansas BBQ,” features barbecue made by the special people and families that helped make Kansas the famous BBQ destination we are known for today.

“Kansas is known worldwide for our BBQ and the pit masters in “The Smoke Show” highlight some of the best our state has to offer,” said Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland. “In towns of all sizes, all across our state, there are great places to visit and delicious eats to be had. The Story Series is a unique and exciting way to lift up those stories and let people know that if they aren’t exploring Kansas, they are missing out.”

The BBQ pit masters and destinations featured in the video include:

Alex Hudson
Luther’s BBQ
Fort Scott

Desiree Amidon
Billy Sims BBQ
Hays

Ryan Collum
Roy’s Hickory Pit BBQ
Hutchinson

Mary “Shorty” Jones & Deborah “Little” Jones
Jones Bar-B-Q
Kansas City

Katie Wise
Bite Me Barbecue
Marysville

Stan Englert
The Ole Cook Shack BBQ
Syracuse

“The Story Series is about showing the faces and places that make Kansas special. BBQ is in our veins and on our fingers,” said Kansas Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe. “We’re telling the story of Kansas one chapter at a time, and we think everyone in the country should discover a new favorite BBQ spot in Kansas.”

Kansas Tourism launched the “To the Stories” campaign in May of 2021. The campaign evolved from a desire to share the fascinating faces and places across the state. The videos give an inside look at attractions, locations and people that help make Kansas a great place to live, work and explore.

Other episodes in the series can be found below and at TravelKS.com/things-to-do/stories-series/

Exploring the Space Race at the Cosmosphere

Big Things In Small Batches at Union Horse Distilling Co.

Mountain Biking In Kansas! At Wilson State Park

A Cowboy State: A Tribute From The Kansas Poet Lariat

About the Kansas Tourism Division

The mission of the Kansas Tourism Division is to inspire travel to and throughout Kansas to maximize the positive impacts that tourism has on our state and local communities. Kansas Tourism is a division of the Kansas Department of Commerce and works hand in hand with other Commerce community programs to elevate and promote Kansas as a tourist destination. Kansas Tourism oversees all tourism marketing and PR for the state, produces travel publications and advertising, manages state Travel Information Centers, manages both the Kansas By-ways program and the Kansas Agritourism program, approves tourist signage applications, produces the KANSAS! Magazine, and provides financial and educational support to the tourism industry in Kansas through grants, education, and support.

About the Kansas Department of Commerce

As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, the nation and world. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses. Through Commerce’s project successes, Kansas in 2021 was awarded Site Selection Magazine’s Governor’s Cup awardArea Development Magazine’s Gold Shovel award for two years in a row and was named Site Selection Magazine’s Best Business Climate in the West North Central region of the United States. Find the Department’s strategic plan for economic growth here: Kansas Framework for Growth.

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