Jon Russell’s BBQ

Try the Jon Russel Sandwich! Burnt Ends and Chopped sausage. This is the only thing I’ve had, but it’s probably the only thing I’ll ever get because it is fantastic. Also, please try the blueberry habanero bbq sause.

Great burnt ends and fair prices. The sides are delicious and have a unique flavor. While the bbq is great, the sauces are absolutely amazing. I loved the blueberry habanero and my wife raced about the ghost pepper BVW sauce. We will definitely be back!

The good was that the sausage was juicy and tender. However, the brisket was as dry as David Spade’s acting career, and equivalent to his awful comedic repitorre and the pulled pork was soft, and chewy, «uuurrhh, aahhrr, arrgghh.» (Quote from Chewbacca). Last time I checked there wasn’t supposed to be cartlidge in my pulled pork (elastic fibers). Maybe I’m wrong. If I am, then please let me be wrong.
On to the sauces, oh the way too many sauces. It was simply just a base sauce morphed 8 different ways. Cheap trick, if you ask me, and you just made Mommy and Daddy not all right. They are freaking pissed.
Finally, the sides. «Yo Dog» just bland and tasteless. The sides even triggered Paula to a relapse on booze and prescription pills.
Sincerely,
«that was a completely forgettable experience.» (Simon Cowell)

This is a restaurant on the way down. There was a period of time that I recommended them.
No more. I think someone else either runs it or it is under a new manager because it is not the same. Really disappointing. In fact when I bought a pound of biscuit I was refused an extra BBQ sauce container. I was told what was given me was enough. It turned out it wasn’t even close.

There are too many good BBQ places in the KC area to waste much time on so-​so BBQ. The service was fair, the sauces were all way too sweet, the brisket was dry and flavorless, the turkey was dry and salty, and the cheesy corn just didn’t come together.
However, there were a couple of highlights. The burnt ends were very good. I just didn’t have any satisfactory sauce to eat with them. The beans were also pretty good. They had a bit of a scorched flavor in them, but overall they were still better than most.
That’s about it. Won’t likely be back. There are too many other places that are much better, like Joe’s Kansas City, Jack Stack, and even Dickie’s.

Outstanding. Of all the barbecue I’ve had in Kansas City, Jon Russell’s has been the best, hands down. Granted, I’ve not been everywhere yet, with the most notable omission from my résumé being Joe’s, but I can recognize damn good barbecue and you can find it at Jon Russell’s. It’s quite a bit out of the way if you’re looking for something downtown, but since I was staying in Lenexa it was convenient, and the best part was not having to wait in a long line for something that was hyped by everyone I met. The atmosphere of the little storefront is very unassuming, and you wouldn’t think it was so well-​established. But the food spoke for itself, and if you needed, the incredibly helpful and friendly waitstaff could too. This is clearly a place where people are clearly passionate about making good food. Our server even offered suggestions about what to order at competing restaurants, acknowledging that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.
I ordered:
The Jon Russell sandwich (burnt tips and sausage)
Little Jon’s Pit Beans
Boulevard Brewing Wheat Ale
EatIng the Jon Russell was one of the best culinary experiences of my life. The burnt tips were incredibly juicy, cooked to perfection, but what really blew me away was the BBQ sausage. BBQ sausage has never struck me as something I absolutely have to have in my life, but that changed after this meal. The combination of the perfectly tender and crispy beef and the wonderfully smoky sausage was sensational. It’s the only thing I’ve had in Kansas City that I absolutely have to order again. As recommended by the staff, I tried dipping my sandwich in several delightful and unique combination sauces and found the blueberry habanero to be the best of the ones I sampled. None of these are the bland, tomato paste sauces that seem to be so popular west of the Mississippi. This was my kind of barbecue.
The baked beans, though exceptional, were not on the same level as the ones served at Jack Stack. The Boulevard Ale had nothing to do with the quality of the restaurant but as a side note, it was my first time drinking it and it was indistinguishable from Budweiser. Perhaps some of their other varieties are more flavorful but my first experience with Boulevard was uninspiring to say the least. I didn’t get to sample the seasonal potato salad, or the Frito pie I heard so much about, but needless to say there were plenty of reasons to get excited about coming back. And since the prices for this world-​class barbecue are dirt cheap, I can do so pretty much as often as I like when I’m around. The extraordinary food and the passionate staff makes Jon Russell’s Barbecue an essential experience if you’re looking for some of the best Kansas City, or anywhere else for that matter, has to offer.

Decided to get out & try another BBQ joint. Place wasn’t busy on this Saturday night at 7. A few customers picked up take out while we were here. With some collaboration from my husband — he got the platter with pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends, Mac n cheese & pit beans. I ordered the half slab & with some input from the cashier ordered the potato salad. My ribs were very meaty and had a good tasting rub. But like most K Citians the sauce matters. I liked both their original and Ghost sauce separately but liked them better combined. The spiciness of the Ghost sauce and sweetness of the original sauce was excellent. Potato salad had a hint of spice but was nice & chunky, needed a little salt. Burnt ends & pulled pork were to fatty so I wouldn’t recommend them. The brisket was alright but nothing memorable. Mac n cheese was runny and bland tasting — exchanged them for the tasty fries. Pit beans had a good texture & a good taste. I would either get the ribs again or try one of their sandwiches on my next visit.

High hopes for today’s lunch with two other long-​time BBQ aficionados. What’s better than some fine Kansas City BBQ on a gorgeous spring afternoon when the sun is out and it’s close to 70 degrees? Nothing. It’s my definition of a fine day in the city. We ended up here because with the Big 12 basketball tournament downtown, all of the KC smokehouses were sure to be overrun by people from out of state hunting down Kansas City’s most prized cuisine.
So what’s going on here, because this meal was so far off the mark, and it wasn’t just me that noticed but also my two lunch companions. A slab of ribs and a full order of sausage to split between two. Cheesie corn and BBQ beans our sides. Our third a BBQ beef sandwich and beans.
The ribs were clearly not cooked properly. The meat was tough, lacked taste and did not detach properly from the bone – a sure sign it wasn’t properly prepared. Moderate smoke flavor but uninteresting to the palette.
The sausage we think is made in-​house but it doesn’t really matter because it was underwhelming, had a soft mealy texture that we mutually found unpleasant and lacked any kind of interesting taste. I’d say it wasn’t even seasoned properly with salt. The casing was falling off and gooey. Small bits of hot pepper is good in sausage but not enough to save this from being shoved to one side of the plate.
The cheesie corn was decent but not great. Bits of smoked meat in it could not save it from mediocrity. No richness you might expect in a Jack Stack side, that’s for sure. The beans were probably the best item of the meal. I’d only rate them middle of the pack compared to most great Kansas City BBQ institutions.
More telling, go to any BBQ joint near downtown KC or even to the Joe’s KC a few miles away on a Friday. The lines will be out the door. Here, upon leaving around 1:00 p.m. there were but a half dozen in the entire restaurant. Maybe it’s just me, but for a location that’s been here for quite awhile the crowd seems to have voted with their feet and have gone elsewhere. Won’t be back.

I have eaten at this place a number of times and I think its good not great! To be fair I have eaten the special of the day, and have not tried the ribs… and all barbecue joints should be partially measured on ribs. I had the the full pull sandwich today with slaw, the pulled pork was chopped and good, the bun was basically a sub role and not my favorite, the slaw was different, not bad but different. I will go back and try the ribs, and will adjust review if needed.
Quick rant, lots of reviews of this place by people with virtually no reviews, always pay attention to the reviewers review count.

My 2 favorite food memories today were the Burnt Ends and the… oh so interesting house made BBQ sauces. Do ask for a sampler, you must try them all! Cherry chipotle, raspberry jalapeño, blueberry habanero, and smoky Ghost were all outstanding. I do wish that as the names implied, there would be a change in the level of heat, ie: habanero should be hotter than jalapeño, and ghost should spontaneously combust your head. No such head combustion occurred!
The burnt ends were tender, juicy, and yes, dare I say… succulent. They were a tad fatty, but I do not have a fear of fat! But, beware those that do! I really don’t have a comparison for the burnt ends, cuz I’m pretty much a pig party animal. Bear’s smoke shack was awesome but they are now defunct.
The ribs were just ok, no Etherial experience. Tender, but not a lot of meat, smoke or bark. My favorite ribs are at Woodyards, baby back heaven, just to give you a point of reference.
The sausage… once again, OK. Tender, slightly dry. Not a lot of smoke and some crunchy spices that I can not name. My standard of excellence would be RJ’s Bob BQ and the jalapeño sausage.
Unfortunately, that’s pretty much the end of the love Fest for me. The Mac N cheese was thick, bland, and gloppy. My 4 year old Grandaughter might like it, so perhaps that was their demographic.
The BBQ beans were not like anything I have ever had at Barbecue restaurant before. The most intense flavor was cumin. It reminded me of Chili and Mexican food. They were thick and rich, heavy on the pinto s, but I just can’t get over the huge cumin hit!
The Cajun cole slaw was interesting, it was crunchy with a variety of cabbage etc. but, once again I totally missed the «Cajun» flavors. I prefer my cole slaw with more of a mayo base, but you can’t make everyone happy.
If I came back… I would order the burnt ends. Unfortunately you can just order a single kind of meat. But, perhaps the namesake sandwich, the Jon Russell. That way the bread would soak up the extra fat without the slimy mouthfeel. So…4 stars for the winners, and 2 stars for the loosers, averages out to 3 stars. So much of Barbecue is personal preference and everything effects the outcome, but even OK barbecue is a good thing!

Wonderful BBQ place. Salads were a surprise treat. Salmon was tasty. Recommend highly for quick wonderful food