Werner’s Fine Sausages in Mission, Kansas
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| Werner’s BBQ Combo beef sandwich |
Today I visited Werner’s Fine Sausages in Mission, Kansas. Werner’s is more of a butcher shop than a barbecue restaurant, but when comparing lists of all the barbecue restaurants in Kansas City with various different sources, they made the list. They offer a pretty diverse lunch menu of different sandwiches that you can view here.
Here’s a little background about Werner’s from their website.
Originally a Swedish store, Swanson’s was founded in 1898 down on Westport Boulevard. In 1972 Swanson’s was purchased: names, recipes and all, by German born Werner Wohlert. Major changes were on the way. First on the list was moving the business from Westport to the heart of Mission, KS, where it could be close to other German businesses. Second, Werner incorporated his heritage, including his name and techniques that he acquired during his apprenticeship in Germany. Werner retired in 1995.
New owners David and Judy Miller jumped in feet first. David has been in the meat industry since 1963. A fully trained butcher, he is very passionate about what he does. Continuing traditions of those before him, David not only makes sausages from the original recipes handed down through the years, but he is improving and expanding the product he makes.
I arrived around 11:40 on Friday and noticed that they have a grill and smoker outside the store. I usually don’t do much research or read any reviews about the restaurants I visit beforehand so that I have a fresh perspective with no prejudice. This was a rare exception to that rule, as I wanted to make sure that they served barbecue. The menu on the website confirmed that they do serve barbecue sandwiches so I felt better about including them in the quest. This is not really a restaurant, but a butcher shop and meat counter that serves hot or cold sandwiches. There are no tables inside, so you have to take your food to go.
There were three gentlemen working the counter as I walked in. I ordered the BBQ Combo, which normally comes with beef and ham but I asked for beef only, which didn’t seem to be a problem. They asked what kind of bun I wanted and I chose a hoagie bun. Then he asked if I wanted it it hot or cold and I said hot. Their way of serving it hot is to stick it in the microwave. That’s fine, but as I ate the sandwich it was half hot and half cold, so not a really good experience. The beef was thinly cut slices with a bit of barbecue sauce on the sandwich. I’d compare it to a sandwich you might get at a fast food place like Arby’s or Lion’s Choice or something like that rather than a true barbecue restaurant. They gave me a good helping of beef and the price was right at seven dollars and it filled me up pretty good, so it wasn’t all bad.
If you’re looking for a true barbecue brisket sandwich, RJ’s and Johnny’s are both within a couple blocks of this place and would probably be better alternatives.
This was visit number 68 on the quest. Two more to go! I’m going to try to wrap it up by next weekend, but we will see! Thanks for reading and following along. Till next time…
