Smokin’ Tunes Need Smokin’ BBQ

There’s only one thing better than a platter of great Kansas City barbecue, and that’s a barbecue meal accompanied by a great live band.

The key, of course, is for the ’cue to be good enough to stand on its own. Fans of places like R.J.’s Bob-Be-Que Shack and BB’s Lawnside Blues & BBQ know this. In our latest quest for smoked meat and smoking tunes, we made a run to the northeast fringe of the KC metro to experience Wabash BBQ in Excelsior Springs (646 S. Kansas City Ave., Excelsior Springs).

It was well worth the trip. And we weren’t the only people to think so. On a recent Saturday night with the band Four Fried Chickens and a Coke playing, the indoor/outdoor complex was packed with hundreds of people. Parking was scarce, and there was a 45-minute wait for an indoor table. 

Before the pandemic, live bands were a weekend staple at Wabash. Now? Not so much. Live music returned to Wabash about a year ago, and it’s been a slow build back; there’s a music schedule on the website, wabashbbq.com.

The restaurant is actually a complex of buildings and outdoor spaces. The core restaurant is the former Wabash Railway Station, a small brick building dating to 1927, situated a block away from the historic Elms Hotel. There’s a bar and second dining room attached to the station, plus a separate smokehouse, an outdoor bandstand, a large patio and an outdoor bar serving beers with a limited sandwich menu on music nights.

Wabash BBQ opened in 1997, 70 years after the depot was built. Lifetime Excelsior Springs residents Jim and Cheri McCullough and Mitch and Malinda Dickey are the owners.

The Wabash website boasts their “award-winning ribs and chicken.” According to Jim, who was a backyard barbecue hobbyist before opening the restaurant, Wabash’s accolades include winning the American Royal Legends Division grand championship in 2022, plus championships at the Smokin’ in the Creek contest in Sugar Creek, Missouri, and at several contests in Colorado.

The chicken is as good as it gets anywhere. It was flavorful with smoke and seasoning and fall-off-the-bone tender; even the white meat was nicely moist. The sliced brisket was lean, tender and satisfying. The ribs were tender and meaty, with subtle seasoning, and the house sauce—tomato-based with a nice balance of molasses and vinegar—made them shine. Wabash also offers a spicy sauce that is less sweet than the regular, with a sneaky heat that builds as you eat. 

Meats are served unsauced, except for the pulled pork, which comes moistened with a blend of the two house sauces. The result is rich and flavorful with a mild vinegar bite.

Fries were by far the best of the sides—thick, brown, crispy on the outside and fluffy white on the inside. Beans come in a thick, mild sauce spiked with shards of smoked meat. Slaw and potato salad are standard familiar recipes, basic but satisfying. The potato salad is the only menu item not made in-house, simply because the restaurant lacks a stove for boiling potatoes.

Wabash is a truly unique setting. The original train station housing the restaurant, in the Elms Historic District, “retains a high degree of architectural integrity and is a good example of a Mission-style station with Craftsman influences,” states Wabash’s website.

Jim wants to give credit to the mentor who played a vital role in making Wabash BBQ a success. When he and his team were putting the final touches on their restaurant, they had an unexpected visitor who walked up unannounced. 

“I hear you folks are opening a barbecue,” said the mystery man. He turned out to be the late Bob Wheeler, who had recently been laid off from his job as executive chef for the Burlington Northern Railroad.

“Big Bob came to us a few weeks before we opened,” Jim says. “He taught us a lot about the restaurant business. Bob was instrumental in getting us off the ground.”  

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