Real easy Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce

[Sawdustguy]

When my BBQ team cooks in competition we use commercial BBQ sauces because quite frankly, we don't have the time to develop our own and there are some really good ones on the market. We use Blues Hog and Head Country when we compete. In competition we only get one bite to get a score from the judges so the flavors are very amped up. When we are at home and cooking BBQ for ourselves we prepare our Que a little bit differently.

I happen to love Kansas City Style BBQ sauces. Kansas City BBQ sauces are usually a bit thicker, always tomato based and on the sweeter side to balance out the heat. Here is a recipe I have used throughout the years. I can not take credit for it. The recipe was devised by Larry Mayes of the Two Fat Larry's BBQ Team and I got the recipe from Dr. BBQ during at a class we took. It is also featured in Dr. BBQ's Big-Time Barbecue Cook Book.

The recipe is very simple, only requires a saucepan and is cooked over low heat. Anyone and I do mean anyone can make this sauce. This sauce can be enjoyed by any member of your family. The name of the sauce is Thick and Sticky and here is how you make it.

Ingredients:

2 cups of ketchup
1 cup of dark molasses
1/2 cup of white vinegar
1 teaspoon on chili powder (we like San Antionio Red from Pendry's)
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of mace
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Optional: 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. As soon as the molasses dissolves you are done. There is no need to boil.


I hope you enjoy this ultra easy but delicious sauce.

 

[dfess1]

see, i think this is one of the reasons I hesitate to go to a BBQ comp. I do my best to stay away from sauces. They have their place, but I don't want them on my ribs. I like my dry rub and smoke to shine through, not get covered up with a sauce. But this is just me. I generally, at my own bbq parties, put the sauce out as a side for those that want it. But I always get annoyed when it's automatically put on the rib/pulled pork sammi/brisket, etc. I'd like to be the one to determine whether it needs it or not (and hopefully it doesn't!).

Then again, that's just me. YMMV. Are sauces a neccesity to get a good grade at a comp? Do you get any kind of feedback at a comp (needs a bit more sweetness, to dry, etc)? Or just a number (4.5/10).

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I'd probably like that on baby backs.

It seems I like a different style of sauce (or no sauce at all) on each type of BBQ. I like sweet on baby backs but mustard-based on sliced pork, no sauce on chicken, vinegar-based on pulled pork, etc. I don't think I have a sauce for brisket since I rarely get it (even though I'm from Texas and LOOOVE good brisket). I never make brisket because I'm not that experienced and it's easy to FUBAR brisket and at BBQ joints I just don't often get 'good' brisket. I'd probably be happy with a glaze of some sort.

 

[dfess1]

BTW Sawdustguy, your recipe looks good. My response was in no way intended to be directed at you or your recipe. Didn't want to give the wrong idea. I do make a sauce from time to time, but use it mainly on chicken. Anyway, it was more so an inquiry into the vital"ness" of using a sauce in a BBQ comp, having never been in one/attended a KCBS sanctioned event.

 

[Sawdustguy]

see, i think this is one of the reasons I hesitate to go to a BBQ comp. I do my best to stay away from sauces. They have their place, but I don't want them on my ribs. I like my dry rub and smoke to shine through, not get covered up with a sauce. But this is just me. I generally, at my own bbq parties, put the sauce out as a side for those that want it. But I always get annoyed when it's automatically put on the rib/pulled pork sammi/brisket, etc. I'd like to be the one to determine whether it needs it or not (and hopefully it doesn't!).

Then again, that's just me. YMMV. Are sauces a neccesity to get a good grade at a comp? Do you get any kind of feedback at a comp (needs a bit more sweetness, to dry, etc)? Or just a number (4.5/10).

In a word, yes. In a KCBS sanctioned contest it is difficult to score highly without sauce on your ribs, chicken and pork. To me it is sacriledge to put bbq sauce on brisket. On brisket we use an aus jus from the brisket's own juices. Part of the reason for the heavy use of sauce is that you really ownly get a bite or two to get the judges attention so the flavors are amped up accordingly. I like ribs both ways depending on my mood. If I am in the mood for a dry rib I simply sprinkle on some Willie B's Burbon Rub and if I am in the mood for a sauced rib I use the sauce recipe above. Keep in mind that this is what I eat if making Que at home. A contest is a different story.

At a KCBS Sanctioned event (mostly what I cook at) you get three marks from 1 to 9. You get a 1 to 9 score for presentation, a 1 to 9 score for taste, and a a 1 to 9 score for tenderness/texture. A 6 is considered average. Below 6 is sub par and above 6 is better than average. The judges can fill out a comment card at their discretion (usually when well above or below average).

 

[Sawdustguy]

BTW Sawdustguy, your recipe looks good. My response was in no way intended to be directed at you or your recipe. Didn't want to give the wrong idea. I do make a sauce from time to time, but use it mainly on chicken. Anyway, it was more so an inquiry into the vital"ness" of using a sauce in a BBQ comp, having never been in one/attended a KCBS sanctioned event.

No offense taken. I try to post recipes or methods that I think people are interested in and a snapshot of what happens at a contest. What we prepare and turn in at a contest is not what I eat at home. I prefer things not too spicey but my wife on the other hand loves to eat our turn in stuff. She loves spicey.

 

[Revvy]

I miss KC BBQ...Especially LC's.

What I noticed when I lived there was that it seemed they used a significant amount of what appeared to be celery salt in their Sauces. I'm not normally a fan of Celery Salt (I tend to be able to pic it up a mile away in something) BUT in the sauces there that I liked, it was a nice balance with everything else.

KC bbq!!!

*drool*

 

[Bensiff]

Think I might try this recipe as I love me some Kansas style sauce and living in the PNW we have crap for BBQ. However, I think I'll change to cider vinegar and maybe add some tamerind. We also don't have good chili powder at the store so I have to go to the Mexican aisle and get the whole dried chilis and make my own...mmm mm.

 

[JeepDiver]

I'd probably like that on baby backs.

It(even though I'm from Texas and LOOOVE good brisket). I never make brisket because I'm not that experienced and it's easy to FUBAR brisket and at BBQ joints I just don't often get 'good' brisket. .

Not to derail, but if you smoke, go ahead and do a brisket. Not sure why they have such a bad rap for being hard to do. The main thing with brisket is you have to have paitance, and have to cut it against the grain. You just cant rush brisket like you can some othere meats, but if you have good control of your smoker, they aren't any harder than a butt. Just cook it at 225 until it hits slicing temps (205-210)

 

[Sawdustguy]

Think I might try this recipe as I love me some Kansas style sauce and living in the PNW we have crap for BBQ. However, I think I'll change to cider vinegar and maybe add some tamerind. We also don't have good chili powder at the store so I have to go to the Mexican aisle and get the whole dried chilis and make my own...mmm mm.

Thats the great thing about bbq sauce, you can doctor it up to your personal taste. The recipe is just a starting point. Let me know how the additions to the sauce turn out. I would like to give them a try also.

 

[Sawdustguy]

Not to derail, but if you smoke, go ahead and do a brisket. Not sure why they have such a bad rap for being hard to do. The main thing with brisket is you have to have paitance, and have to cut it against the grain. You just cant rush brisket like you can some othere meats, but if you have good control of your smoker, they aren't any harder than a butt. Just cook it at 225 until it hits slicing temps (205-210)

I agree with you 150%. Brisket is not terribly difficult. I personally think chicken is the most difficult catagory we cook at a contest. We cook thighs because they have more fat than a breast and tend not to dry out as easily as a breast. Unfortunately a lot of that fat is on the underside of the skin and it doesn't make for bite thru skin. The judges with give you poor marks for non-bite thru skin. Lots of competition bbq cooks remove the skin from the thigh and scrape the fat off until the skin becomes translucent and re-wrap the thigh with the skin but that is time consuming and a pain in the neck. Recently we have discovered a cooking method to get bite thru skin without removing and scraping the skin.

 

[JeepDiver]

I agree with you 150%. Brisket is not terribly difficult. I personally think chicken is the most difficult catagory we cook at a contest. We cook thighs because they have more fat than a breast and tend not to dry out as easily as a breast. Unfortunately a lot of that fat is on the underside of the skin and it doesn't make for bite thru skin. The judges with give you poor marks for non-bite thru skin. Lots of competition bbq cooks remove the skin from the thigh and scrape the fat off until the skin becomes translucent and re-wrap the thigh with the skin but that is time consuming and a pain in the neck. Recently we have discovered a cooking method to get bite thru skin without removing and scraping the skin.

The other thing with brisket is they can have mulitple plateaus. I had a 19 lb brisket hit 3 pateaus and take 22 hours once before. I've seen it take a couple of hours to get through a plateau also. A lot of people see it doing that and panic and crank up the heat, you just have to wait it out and let the meat do it's thing.

 

[Sawdustguy]

The other thing with brisket is they can have mulitple plateaus. I had a 19 lb brisket hit 3 pateaus and take 22 hours once before. I've seen it take a couple of hours to get through a plateau also. A lot of people see it doing that and panic and crank up the heat, you just have to wait it out and let the meat do it's thing.

I agree! That's what the guy at Resturant Depot hates me. We buy CAB Briskets and I usually make him get me a couple as close to 13 lbs as possible. I like CAB (Certified Angus Beef) briskets because they publish the slaughter date. If we know the slaughter date we can wet age the brisket in the refrigerator the proper amount of days to get them to their peak. I can't afford Waygu brisket and I think a $100 for a 14 lbs brisket is rediculous so I stick to CAB.

 

[Bensiff]

Thats the great thing about bbq sauce, you can doctor it up to your personal taste. The recipe is just a starting point. Let me know how the additions to the sauce turn out. I would like to give them a try also.

I have a mason jar half full still of the last batch, but as soon as I get through it I'll make your recipe up and let you know how it turns out.

 

[Beezy]

I usually lean toward KC style when making sauce. I did baked beans in KC style at a tailgate and they got inhaled. I'll try this one next time. Looks good.