Meat Mitch

Meat Mitch Barbecue is the flagship restaurant of competition-BBQ champion and pitmaster Mitch Benjamin, whose Meat Mitch sauce-and-rub brand is used on the competition circuit worldwide. After years of delays, it opened in late 2021 in Leawood’s revamped Ranch Mart North, serving competition-style smoked brisket, ribs, and burnt ends.¹²³

Description

Meat Mitch Barbecue is a 6,300-square-foot, full-service barbecue restaurant at the northeast corner of 95th Street and Mission Road in Leawood, Kansas.¹ The menu specializes in 16-hour smoked Black Angus brisket, St. Louis-style pork ribs, pulled pork, and burnt ends, alongside signature items including sticky curly fries with honey drizzle and a three-tiered “meat tower” appetizer.¹ The kitchen markets its food as “classic, competition-style winning recipes to boundary-pushing ‘Cue,” with offerings such as smoked chicken wings and corn ribs, plus a weekend brunch featuring smoked brisket and eggs.² The restaurant carries the same Meat Mitch sauces and rubs that owner Mitch Benjamin sells commercially and that competitors use globally.²³

Ownership and history

The restaurant is owned by Mitch Benjamin, a pitmaster who built his reputation over roughly two decades on the barbecue competition circuit, winning awards at major events including the American Royal.¹ Benjamin has helped open BBQ restaurants in Paris and served his smoked meats at Yankee Stadium and Kauffman Stadium.² In 2014 he partnered with James Westphal and Mark Kelpe — co-owners of Char Bar in Westport — to develop and sell the Meat Mitch line of barbecue sauces and rubs, which is now used by competitors worldwide; at the 2023 American Royal the brand took first place for its Whomp! mild rub and third for its Naked mild tomato sauce.¹²

Benjamin first signed the lease for the Leawood space nearly four years before opening; the launch was delayed by the roughly $40 million renovation of Ranch Mart North and by COVID-19.¹ The restaurant held a soft launch on December 28, 2021, and the brand publicly announced the opening in January 2022.¹³ The Meat Mitch product brand (meatmitch.com) and the restaurant (meatmitchbbq.com) are operated as a single connected business, with the brand site linking directly to the restaurant.³

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-17 · Source: Meat Mitch BBQ official restaurant site + Meat Mitch brand site · URL(s): https://meatmitchbbq.com/menu/ · https://meatmitch.com/ · Confidence: High

BBQ meats & platters

• Competition burnt ends — the house signature; 16-hour-smoked Black Angus burnt ends, available by the half-pound or pound and featured across appetizers, sandwiches, and platters.⁴ (half-lb $26 / full-lb $36)⁴
• 16-hour hand-carved Black Angus brisket — the kitchen’s flagship smoke; available on platters or as an add-on to the build-your-own meat picks.⁴
• Smoked St. Louis-style pork spareribs — competition-style ribs by the half-slab ($24) or full-slab ($34).⁴
• All-Star platters — pick two meats ($22) or three meats ($27) from pulled pork, smoked turkey, and sausage, with brisket or burnt ends as add-ons; served with pickles, Texas toast, and two mini sides.⁴
• “WINNERS WIN!” plate — brisket, burnt ends, and three rib bones ($31).⁴
• Pitmaster Platter — large shareable spread for two ($64).⁴

Sandwiches

• “Naked & Afraid” — burnt ends, smoked sausage, and pepper jack on a toasted potato bun; named for the brand’s Naked sauce/rub line.⁴
• Texas Ranger — chopped brisket sandwich.⁴
• Burnt End Grilled Cheese — burnt ends pressed into a grilled cheese.⁴
• ‘Bama Fried Chicken — fried-chicken sandwich variations.⁴ (sandwiches roughly $14–17)⁴

Appetizers & shareables

• The Meat Tower — three-tiered tower of burnt ends, sausage, bacon, fried pickles, wings, pimento cheese, and cheesy fries ($44).⁴
• Sticky curly fries / honey-drizzle fries — signature curly fries with honey drizzle.¹
• Smoked wings, sweet BBQ corn ribs, candied Brussels sprouts — competition-to-”boundary-pushing” snack lineup.⁴²

Sides

• BBQ pit beans, potato salad, coleslaw, jalapeño cheesy corn, fries, onion rings, and mac & cheese (burnt-end mac add-on +$6).⁴

Sauces & rubs (also sold retail)

• WHOMP! Competition BBQ Sauce — the flagship “eat what the judges eat” competition sauce used on the circuit worldwide.⁵
• WHOMP! Naked BBQ Sauce — the “all sweet, none of the heat” all-natural, HFCS-free, gluten-free competition sauce.⁵
• Naked / Whomp! rub line — championship rubs (the Whomp! mild rub took first at the 2023 American Royal); brand also sells Steer Season rub, candied jalapeño rub, and seasonings.⁵²

Note: prices reflect the official online menu at time of verification and may change; treat exact dollar figures as approximate. on individual price points over time.

Links

• Restaurant site: https://meatmitchbbq.com/
• Brand (sauces/rubs): https://meatmitch.com/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/meat-mitch-barbecue-leawood

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. Johnson County Post, “After years of waiting, Meat Mitch Barbecue opens in Leawood’s revamped Ranch Mart North” (Jan 18, 2022) — https://johnsoncountypost.com/2022/01/18/meat-mitch-opens-leawood-139745/ asserts: Dec 28, 2021 soft launch; 6,300 sq ft; 3620 W 95th St at 95th & Mission Rd; owner Mitch Benjamin; two decades of competition wins; 2014 sauce/rub partnership with Char Bar’s Westphal and Kelpe; signature brisket, ribs, burnt ends, curly fries, meat tower. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Meat Mitch BBQ official restaurant site — https://meatmitchbbq.com/ asserts: owner Mitch Benjamin; Paris restaurants, Yankee/Royals stadium service; “every major BBQ competition”; 2023 American Royal awards (Whomp! 1st, Naked 3rd); competition-style menu, wings, corn ribs, brunch; address 3620 W 95th St, Leawood, KS 66206. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Meat Mitch, “Meat Mitch Barbecue opens restaurant in Leawood” (brand blog) — https://meatmitch.com/blogs/news/meat-mitch-barbecue-opens-restaurant-in-leawood asserts: flagship restaurant; opening announced Jan 2022; direct brand-to-restaurant tie (product line and restaurant operated together). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Meat Mitch BBQ official restaurant menu (accessed Jun 17, 2026) — https://meatmitchbbq.com/menu/ asserts: competition burnt ends (half-lb $26 / full-lb $36); 16-hour hand-carved Black Angus brisket; St. Louis-style pork spareribs (half-slab $24 / full-slab $34); All-Star platters (2 meats $22 / 3 meats $27) with pulled pork, turkey, sausage; “WINNERS WIN!” $31; Pitmaster Platter $64; sandwiches incl. “Naked & Afraid,” Texas Ranger, Burnt End Grilled Cheese, ‘Bama Fried Chicken ($14–17); The Meat Tower $44; smoked wings, corn ribs, candied Brussels sprouts; sides (pit beans, potato salad, slaw, jalapeño cheesy corn, fries, onion rings, mac & cheese with burnt-end add +$6). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

5. Meat Mitch brand site — sauces & rubs (accessed Jun 17, 2026) — https://meatmitch.com/ · https://meatmitch.com/products/whomp-naked-bbq-sauce asserts: WHOMP! Competition BBQ Sauce (“eat what the judges eat”); WHOMP! Naked BBQ Sauce (“all sweet, none of the heat,” all-natural, HFCS-free, gluten-free); rub/seasoning line (Steer Season, candied jalapeño, etc.); Memphis in May and American Royal competition recognition; same sauces/rubs served at the restaurant and sold retail. ↩ ↩² ↩³