What Should Really Be Missouri's Official Food, According To Reddit

There's more to Missouri than just the Gateway Arch, Mark Twain, and Budweiser (although those are all pretty great, in their own right). Indeed, the menu in Missouri is not to be underestimated. With locally famous offerings like St. Louis-style pizza, gooey butter cake, and concretes, it's tough for many to choose what the best Missourian recipe is.

But the answer became crystal clear thanks to a Reddit thread started in 2019 by user emilou09. She charged users with suggesting the best recipe from their states, so that she could make each one and document it on Instagram. 24.5 thousand comments later, Emily had more answers than she could believe. "This will be more than enough to get me through this challenge, thank you Reddit!!!" she wrote.

Per the number of upvotes on the thread, there was one clear winner to the all-important question of what Missouri's official food should be. Spoiler alert: although many people sing the praises of gooey butter cake, that wasn't it.

"BBQ burnt ends are a Kansas City MO classic," said commenter 1ckyThump, and apparently most people agree with him, since the comment garnered 466 upvotes, far more than any other.

Toasted ravioli came in second place, for what it's worth, says Food and Wine, which went through all of the answers to determine winners for each state. Says user nehima_, "They look like toasted cardboard and taste like delicious, juicy, meaty heaven."

Back to BBQ burnt ends: the delicacy is made from beef brisket, and is a complex process, explains Bearded Butchers. During the cooking process, burnt ends absorb the fat flavor, which turns them into juicy, crispy goodness. So although they aren't the most visually appealing things ever, they are said to be flat-out incredible. "Contrary to the name, burnt ends aren't actually burnt. They're just cooked to a point where the bark is predominant, lending a fantastic crunchiness you won't find if you overcook a steak," Bearded Butchers explains, adding that they have an "intense beefy flavor." Paired with a super-thick concrete, it sounds like BBQ burnt ends are tough to beat!