...The tradition of bar-b-q and blues in Kansas City had its start in the 1930's when Count Basie, Joe Turner and Charlie Parker hung out at the Old Kentucky Bar-B-Q near 18th & Vine. The granite stones that were used to build B.B.'s bbq pit in 1950 came from the gravel streets down-town where they served as crosswalks.... Perhaps Joe Turner once high stepped across these same granite stones.

The granite stones hold heat, allowing a slow-smoked cooking process. Briskets are smoked 14-16 hours and ribs 10-12 hours, using an indirect heat source fueled by hickory wood. All meats on our menu, including sausage and chicken, are slow-smoked on the over 50 year old pit. When the blues music floats off the bandstand, it wafts across your plate of bbq, imparting a flavor you can only get in Kansas City at B.B.'s Lawnside Bar-B-Q ...AB