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Welcome to Travel and Photo Today’s KC Barbecue Tour!
(If you are new to this series about Kansas City BBQ you can visit the Frst Stop on the KC Barbecue Tour at KC BBQ 1st Stop for a bit of history and background.)
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Today’s Tour Stop – RJ’S BOB-BE-QUE SHACK
RJ’S BOB-BE-QUE SHACK has been in the Kansas City area since 2003. Located in the Southwestern section of the KC area at 5835 Lamar Avenue – Mission, Kansas – it’s not one of KC’s “Big Name” BBQ spots. Still, it has earned a solid reputation in it’s neighborhood and it serves up some fine “Q.” RJ’s has solid group of “regulars” and fills up with other BBQ lovers on weekends. And yes – the name of the place is a bit odd. Robert “Bob” Palmgren is the owner and the name references his son, Robert Jr. (RJ). The “Bob-Be-Que” is certainly not the typical name / spelling for a BBQ joint – but hey – it’s his restaurant and he can do whatever he wants.
RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack has a nice cozy feel to it. It’s not a big empty barn of a place. Instead there are two nice little eating areas as well as a small, centrally located bar. It feels right. It has the look and feel of a real BBQ Joint. It’s the kind of place where you can feel at home even if it’s your first visit.
Staff is friendly and accommodating which adds to the feeling of comfort and welcome.
RJ’s has it’s own brand of BBQ sauce ( Or should I say “Bob-Be-Que” sauce? – nope – can’t get into it – it looks wrong, takes too long to type and it’s too darn difficult to enunciate correctly!) But they do have their own sauce and it’s really rather good.
Now, of course, everyone has their personal favorites when it comes to BBQ. For me, BBQ means pork ribs and smoked turkey. That’s my go-to combo whenever I visit a BBQ place for the first time and it’s what I have ordered on every stop of The KC BBQ Tour. RJ’s does offer port ribs – and also lamb ribs as you’ll hear more about below. Unfortunately, while RJ’s offers sliced turkey – it is not smoked turkey. To me – turkey is for Thanksgiving. BBQ joints need Smoked Turkey. They do, however, offer smoked chicken. Somewhat disappointed, I ordered up some ribs and smoked chicken. I was a bit surprised when my order arrived with sliced ham rather than chicken. The waitress was surprised as well and made it right with a nice serving of sliced, smoked chicken which arrived a bit later.
Meanwhile, my dining and BBQ tasting companion for the evening decided to order the lamb ribs. Both orders were served with a side of fries, bread and the always present – pickle slice.
Taste results for RJ’s tended to be a bit mixed. The pork ribs were good – sort of average really. Tender but nothing special and not terribly tasty. Sauce helped but I always prefer ribs that have a taste which can stand on it’s own. I would say the same for my impression of the ham and chicken. Both tended to be a bit on the dry side with sort of average flavor. Satisfying but not memorable.
Two menu items that we sampled were truly tasty. First, those fries were as good as they look in the photos. Very nice, tasty – a yummy side dish for sure. The big hit of the evening were the lamb ribs. You don’t often encounter lamb ribs on a BBQ menu. So they were unique just by their presence. They looked good on the plate and they tasted even better. Cooked just right – tender, moist and full of great flavor. Truly a winner.
Recommendation – If you are into exploring some of the better but lesser known BBQ places in the Kansas City Area, RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack is definitely worth checking out. If you do stop in, be sure to try the lamb ribs and the fries. You’ll be glad you did.
Check Out RJ’s Lamb Ribs ………
………………… And Enjoy The Adventure!
