We B Smokin'

The next time you are going through your pre-flight check list before turning AvGas or Jet A-1 into noise you should immediately think of BBQ. BBQ rather than your weather brief? Yep, because there is some serious BBQ at We B Smokin' at the Paola, KS airport!Go ahead and vector toward Paola, airport and after you land head over to the tie downs next to that little building with the industrial size smokers out front. Yes, I do have to say that it is the only BBQ I have been to that has aircraft tie downs outside their back door! But why not, pilots need brisket as much as you do!We B Smokin' is real competition winning Kansas City BBQ with a heritage that goes back for decades. When you walk through the front door you can see that the wall are covered, and I mean covered, with ribbons, and awards for their offerings. Kansas City? Yep, there are even a few framed Chief's Super Bowl tickets and autographed player photos.Inside you will find the 50's vintage chrome formica tables and chairs set around a view of the aircraft you landed in a few minutes ago (pretty good security, you watch your own aircraft).Their menu is loaded with everything Kansas City BBQ: ribs, ham, brisket, fries, beans, slaw, and all the rest. I will get it over with and say that everything I have eaten there is very, very good, with their BBQ beans being in the top two on my all time best list. I have never had dry or overcooked (over-smoked?) meat, and tender is usually the word for the day. Their sauce is a fairly thick sweet sauce that works well to enhance the flavor of the meat (similar to Gates), so it does stick to the meat.But I do have to warn you that the service has been their biggest downfall every time I have been there. Some places are known for their fast / friendly / efficient service - this is not one of those. I have heard it referred to as borderline rude!That said, maybe it takes tough folks to make tender BBQ (had to steal that one from the chicken guy). So if you have thick enough skin, you will be prepared for some BBQ to write home about! Keeping their service (attitude?) in mind, the place is always full at meal times with many regular return customers. Priorities are important in life and in BBQ.Oh, if you do not have an airplane, there is another parking lot in front to park whatever you drove or rode down I-35 to get there. Otherwise, let me know and I might lend you a hand with your tie downs.

This place is one of the coolest BBQ joints / locations in all of KC. It's located within the Miami County Airport so you can watch small planes take off from your table. It's a really cool space. And that's where the reasons to visit end. This is not a good BBQ joint. The service is meh because the woman who is the cashier / server could not be less interested in customers. The potato salad is excellent and has a wonderful flavor / texture. The ribs are MASSIVE and while a tad over cooked - they have solid flavor and the rib tip is perfect. Beyond that? It's garbage. The turkey is passable but a little rubbery and lacks flavor. The sliced pork may be the worst BBQ meat in KC. Not only is it chewy and somehow slimy, but the dry meat had the unmistakable flavor of freezer burn. This was trash meat that was in a freezer way too long. And the beans? They taste like straight maple syrup. Not even the Super Troopers could chug these bad boys down. If you want to experience this space, go for breakfast. Surely it can't be worse than the BBQ.

This restaurant is unique because it literally has two front doors. One is for normal customers who drive and park in the parking lot. The other faces the opposite direction, which is toward the runway. That's right, I wrote runway. This restaurant is located on the grounds of the Miami County Airport. Depending on your plans, and if you're able, you can fly in, park in a special lot next to the restaurant and walk in and enjoy some barbecue.This was a first for me and it lead to an a-ok dining experience.I ordered the We B Platter, which included two ribs, two meats (brisket and sausage) and two sides (baked beans and potato salad.) I have great confidence that when correctly cooked and served in a timely manner, this meal is fantastic. Unfortunately, either this plate was placed under a heating lamp to stay warm or it was reheated. The meat was dry and a little chewy, which was a bit disappointing. I enjoyed my meal, but I was hoping for a bit more.Another in our group ordered a ham platter. She had a similar issue. The ham was acceptable, but also dry and chewy.The third in the group ordered a grilled ham and cheese, which was consumed in record time. He said it's one of the best sandwiches he's eaten in a while. This could be a hint. The sandwich was made to order with fresh ingredients. Nothing had time to sit or dry out. It was reflected by a happy plate and a happier gentleman.Moving on, the sides were solid. Between us, we tried the onion rings, fries, potato salad and baked beans. Among them, the baked beans stood out. They were served in an overflowing cup with chunks of meat and a good hint of sauce and smoke. All of us rated them as our favorite side.Of note, the meals are served in large portions. Please don't be bashful about requesting a container to go.Some of the reviews mentioned service issues. We didn't have any problems during our visit. Our server was young, but she knew the menu and was able to suggest some good options. We were glad she was there.

Barbecue is not very good and the staff isn't any better. Not many options in the area for BBQ. I would rather not eat BBQ though than eat here.

The food was great. Sweet bbq sauce and decent portions of solid 4/5 BBQ. Cool ambiance with the planes landing in viewing distance and great old country feel. Staff may seem blunt but she just works her tail off getting so many orders right! Never had a mistake here ever! Lovely joint would recommend the trip to miami county

Of the 80+ BBQ restaurant reviews I've written, We B Smokin' takes the grand prize for most unique location. Located on the grounds of the Miami County Airport, allowing planes to taxi into a special parking lot in the back of the building and walk just a few feet from their private airplane to the back door. For those of us that used an automobile to arrive, it's just as interesting to dine while watching through the large windows, planes arrive and depart while passengers or individual pilots unload for some BBQ.There have been a lot of negative reviews for service, but my young waitress was extremely knowledgeable and helpful in explaining the menu. Since I had traveled an hour to get here, I wanted to experience as much of the menu as I could. I settled on the We B Platter - 2 bones, 2 meats, 2 sides, pickle and white bread. $18.95 The ribs were probably the weakest link - a nice smokey flavor, but greasy and fatty on one end and dry and a bit tough along the bone. The pork and beef servings were plentiful and smoked well. Each meat could have made a large sandwich. The regular and sweet sauce they served on the side was thick and flavorful - no complaints. The sides were my favorite. The slaw was a vinegar base and I'm pretty sure that they used a sweet apple cider vinegar - delicious. The baked beans were the star of the meal - overflowing a large bowl, with chunks of meat, red beans and pinto beans and tons of smoky goodness. Definitely in my top 5 for baked beans.

I had driven by this place several times when I'm in the area for work related business and I had told myself that I was going to check it out. Today provided me the time to be able to stop in. First of all this is a very unique place to get something to eat. It is a barbecue spot located on a airport strip. I don't fly and planes therefore being anywhere near an airplane is something I've never done, so this spot really caught my interest. First of all this is the Miami County airport which means it's very small. I doubt any commercial flights go out of here just personal small planes. With that being said it's very easy to find you'll see the signs letting you know that you're reaching the airport and that the barbecue spot is there when you make the turn onto the street you'll see the barbecue place straightahead so you can't miss itThe outside of the building there's a little loved and could use probably a little more sparkle, but that's if sparkle is what they really want to portray. When I arrived I was unaware of their hours. They have a breakfast time and then they close momentarily to open for the lunch crowd. If you're not from that area, which I am not it can kind of confuse you. I had to sit in my car and wait for them to open because I arrived between their breakfast and lunch crowd. As soon as you walk in your eyes are taken into so many different directions. To the right you see all of their different types of barbecue sauce is to the left you see all of their memorabilia with the Chiefs and through the years of their business. Apparently this is a family run business and they're very well known in the community there's even a picture hanging on the wall where they had a chopper that they rode at the White House. So there's a lot of history that you can see while waiting for your food to be prepared. I will say, I only had one person wait on me and it was an older Lady. I think my presence kind of threw her off a little bit because I really don't think a lot of African-Americans patronize this business not for any other reason except that they probably don't know it's there, I mean come on the only way I found it was I drove by it. So she seemed a little taken aback by my presence but she was very nice and cordial to me despite that. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger their homemade potato salad and a drink. I normally would've tried their barbecue, however I was on a time crunch and barbecue may have taken longer than I had to wait for it to be prepared.It did take a little while for my food to be ready, but nothing out of the ordinary. When I saw the burger I was very surprised at how big it was and it tasted OK it could've used a little more flavor but for a bacon burger it was not bad at all, it was pretty good. I will definitely come back and try the barbecue if I'm ever in the area. And one real cool thing about this place that I didn't get to take a picture of because of my time constraint, is that the restaurant faces the tarmac of the airport. So while you eat your barbecue you can look out and see the planes and it's really cool... especially considering that that's probably the closest I'll ever get to an airplane...lol

Female owner is rude to customers and employees. Food good but restaurant is outdated

I ate lunch there recently. I've eaten there several times before and I usually order the brisket sandwich and split an order of fries The fries were the best I've had in a long time, The brisket was lean and tasty as usual. Today was different. Our waitress was very rude and nasty, really unpleasant. Besides her attitude, she was an awful server. She was a bitter old woman who should work in the back of the house instead of waiting tables. We did nothing to provoke her. She obviously hates her job and lets everyone within ear shot know it. Too bad. I won't be back anytime soon.

It is a great place and has good food. went back many of times... all items are smoked on site, as you can smell as you drive up...