Tommy "Big Bite" Brennan

BBQ & Comfort Food

Kansas City, MO

3 Reviews

3 Restaurants

About Tommy "Big Bite" Brennan

Tommy Brennan earned his nickname by winning the Kansas City BBQ Society's amateur championship three years running before anyone knew he was also writing reviews on the side. A former firefighter, Tommy brings blue-collar authenticity to every review.

His beat is comfort food — barbecue, burgers, fried chicken, diners, and the kind of places where the walls are covered in signed photos and the portions are enormous. But don't mistake his love for casual dining as a lack of sophistication. Tommy can dissect a brisket's smoke ring with the precision of a surgeon.

He drives a converted school bus across the Midwest visiting roadside joints, and his annual "Best BBQ in America" list is widely followed. Tommy believes the best food in America is cooked low, slow, and with love.

Reviews by Tommy "Big Bite" Brennan

This Is the Best Brisket in America

★★★★★ 4.9

Smoke & Ember

BBQ Kansas City $$ Jan 20, 2026

I don't say that lightly. I've eaten brisket in every state that thinks it does brisket well, and Smoke & Ember's version is the benchmark. Pitmaster Rodney Wells burns post oak exclusively, and his fire management is masterful — the smoke ring is a consistent quarter-inch, the bark is mahogany and ...

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The Platonic Ideal of a Kansas City Steakhouse

★★★★★ 4.6

Ember & Rye

Steakhouse Kansas City $$$ Jan 8, 2026

Ember & Rye understands that in Kansas City, steak isn't just dinner — it's identity. The bone-in ribeye, dry-aged 45 days, cooked over a wood-burning grill to a perfect medium-rare, is the single best steak I've eaten in this city. And I've eaten a lot of steaks. The sides are serious. Creamed cor...

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Sixty-Three Years of Doing One Thing Perfectly

★★★★☆ 4.4

Betty's Diner

American Diner Kansas City $ Dec 22, 2025

Betty's Diner doesn't need a gimmick because it has something better: consistency. The double smashburger is exactly what a burger should be — thin patties with crispy, lacy edges, American cheese melted into every crevice, soft bun, pickles, onions, mustard. That's it. That's the whole recipe. And ...

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