John Brown BBQ may advertise itself as a Kansas City-style pork paradise, but the best thing on the menu at this smokehouse in Long Island City is the brisket burnt ends. They’re chewy yet tender, sticky, and somehow infinitely more delicious than the actual brisket, which skews a little dry. This is a spot for Kansas City purists, both in terms of barbecue sliced to order and city pride—there are several shrines to Chiefs’ legends, like Patrick Mahomes and Tony Gonzales. The ribs come in a sweet, but not overpowering glaze, and the pork belly leaves an oil slick on the butcher paper that would make any mechanic upset. It's a quiet neighborhood spot six months out of the year. But the great selection of beer and contingent of TVs make the LIC restaurant rowdy and fun on football Sundays, provided that your team isn’t playing Kansas City. And if the weather cooperates, hang out in the backyard with a couple of pale ales and Midwest transplants.