Q the music with BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ

Courtesy BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ

Blues and barbecue both have tremendous legacies woven into the cultural fabric of Kansas City. The historic jazz district of 18th and Vine has showcased some of the biggest names in jazz and blues in history, including Count Basie and Kansas City native Charlie Parker, and discussing the KC food scene without debate over the best BBQ spots in town is practically impossible. For Jimmy Nickle, owner and GM of BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ, paying homage to those dual legacies is the name of the game—and one of his favorite parts of the gig.

“I started working at BB’s in 1992, just a couple of years after it opened,” Nickle says. “The husband-wife duo of Lindsay and Jo Shannon opened BB’s just a few years earlier, and they originally envisioned a standard, old-school barbecue joint.”

Lindsay helped make BB’s into what it is today when he added another passion into the mix: live music. Lindsay was a founding member of the Kansas City Blues Society, and he hosted the long-running “Kansas City Blues Show” on 101 The Fox for decades. It wasn’t long before BB’s became one of the go-to spots in town for live blues music.

It also wasn’t long until Jimmy started learning the ropes, both in the kitchen and behind the scenes. “Me and my brothers, Mike and Kenneth, started at BB’s at the same time, and we fell in love with the restaurant. We dove all-in to learn as much as we could,” he says. “Jo Shannon ran the kitchen, and my brother Mike wanted to learn everything he could from her about barbecue techniques. I learned from Lindsay how to book bands and run a restaurant. We made quite the team.”

In fact, the brothers took their skills on the road and started the NICKLEBOYSBBQ competition team. Competing in barbecue competitions not only improved their techniques back at the restaurant, but also pushed them creatively and helped them develop new recipes. There were some bumps in the road—especially considering they were teenagers when they started—but the brothers found plenty of success in their decade-plus competing.

Jo Shannon passed away in 2021, and Lindsay sold the restaurant soon after to the Nickle brothers. They promised to maintain the Shannons’ legacy of blues and ‘cue. Mike put all that competitive spirit to work as BB’s pitmaster, and frequently popped up on television to spread the KC BBQ gospel on shows like Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, the PBS feature Burnt Legend and Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Sadly, Mike passed away earlier this year after over three decades at BB’s, the only job he ever held. His brother’s legacy is yet another on the long list that Jimmy continues to honor.

The Big Sweet Special // Courtesy BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ

Mike’s legacy lives on through a number of dishes at BB’s and through their new pitmaster, Reggie Davis. BB’s barbecue pit is made of granite stone and is built into the side of the building. Jimmy describes his relationship with BB’s pit as a love-hate relationship: “It takes a lot of work and experience to get our pit to work its magic. Once you get it hot, it’s amazing what you can do with it, and it imparts a unique flavor that you’re not going to find at the other pits in town. We typically set up big cuts of meat overnight before we close down. Reggie comes in the morning and adjusts things as needed. The temperatures fluctuate and evolve, and you never quite know what things are going to look like when you arrive. Our pitmaster has to have a deep knowledge and intrinsic ability to adjust things as needed to maintain our quality standards.”

BB’s is open for lunch and dinner six days a week, so there’s a lot of meat to be prepped before the doors can open. The classic order is the BB’s King Combo with burnt ends added on. It is a massive amount of food, with several different barbecue meats and sides, including whole pork spare ribs and BB’s signature side: battered fries. These giant potato wedges are made almost like chicken tenders, hand-dredged and fried to order. They’re extremely labor-intensive and messy to make—Jimmy says making the battered fries is one person’s sole job in the kitchen—but they’re popular enough to make it worth it.

BB’s doesn’t just do classic BBQ meats, either. Daily rotating specials consist of everything from classics, like Rib Tips, which are only available on Tuesday and always sell out, to experimental recipes that have the chance to graduate onto the menu if they’re popular enough. Recent successful specials include the BBQ Street Tacos, made with chopped brisket and topped with crushed Cool Ranch Doritos, and the BBQ Brisket Philly, filled with a half pound of chopped brisket, chili cheese dip, fried peppers and onions. Another signature dish that always turns heads is the Bar-B-Q Sundae: a mason jar filled with layers of smoked pit beans, creamy coleslaw and pulled pork, topped with BBQ sauce and a pickle spear.

Pork Spare Ribs // Courtesy BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ

When it comes to BB’s, the barbecue is just one side of the coin. Staying true to his word, Jimmy Nickle still books bands for every night BB’s is open. “We’re lucky to have such a thriving local music scene,” he says. “I would guess about 75% of our acts are locally-based—they’re still touring bands a lot of the time, but they just happen to call Kansas City home.”

Music typically starts at 7:00 p.m. with a $5–10 per person cover. There’s no cover for Mama Ray’s Weekly Open Jam on Saturdays from 2:00–5:00, and there’s never a Sunday cover unless there’s a special event. Musicians always set up inside, but there are garage doors and a large, covered patio to help expand the seating and keep the tunes going—rain or shine. Head to BB’s website and check out their calendar for a monthly list of all the acts coming through. If you’re interested in getting your band booked, you can also contact Jimmy through BB’s website.

If you’re looking to kick back with classic Kansas City traditions, all while honoring the spirit of some KC legends, BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ hits all the right notes. Pull up a seat, tuck your napkin in and call for the encore.

BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ is located at 1205 E 85th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64131.