History

Henry Perry, the father of Kansas City barbecue, served his meats with a peppery vinegar sauce starting in 1908. The current tomato-and-molasses base evolved through Arthur Bryant's house sauce (rust-orange, vinegar-forward) and Gates' sweeter style. KC Masterpiece, developed in 1977 by Kansas City psychiatrist Rich Davis, cemented the sweet-smoky template and carried the city's sauce style nationally.

Make it at home

Yield Makes about 1 quartHands-on 15 minTotal 60 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup tomato paste
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Method

  1. Whisk all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until smooth.
  2. Reduce heat to low; simmer 45 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  3. Taste and adjust: more vinegar for tang, more brown sugar for sweetness, more cayenne for heat.
  4. Cool to room temperature; transfer to glass jars. Keeps refrigerated for 3 weeks.

Tip from the editors. The simmer is the key: long enough for the brown sugar to caramelise, short enough that the vinegar bite stays bright. Use it as a finishing glaze for the last 10 minutes of grilling, not as a marinade.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat kansas city barbecue sauce

Kansas City barbecue sauce in Kansas City

Arthur Bryant's Barbeque ★ 4.7

BBQ$$18th-and-vine

Arthur Bryant's on Brooklyn Avenue in Kansas City is the canonical BBQ address, with roots back to Henry Perry's 1908 pit and the Bryant family's takeover at the Brooklyn Avenue location in 1958.

Signature: Burnt ends, Beef brisket sandwich, Pork ribs

Order: Burnt ends sandwich on Wonder Bread with the rust-coloured original sauce.

Tip: Open Monday through Friday 10:00 to 20:00, Saturday 11:00 to 20:00, Sunday 11:00 to 19:00. Cash and card; sauce sold by the bottle.

1727 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64127 Book →

Gates Bar-B-Q ★ 4.6

BBQ$$18th-and-vine

Gates Bar-B-Q's Emanuel Cleaver II flagship in Kansas City has run the city's tomato-sweet sauce style since 1946, with the famous greeting at the door.

Signature: Burnt ends, Beef on bun, Mixed plate

Order: Beef on bun with extra sauce and a side of beans, plus burnt ends if you can get them.

Tip: Open Sun to Thu 11:00 to 23:00, Fri and Sat 11:00 to 24:00. Five metro locations; sauce sold retail.

1325 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64110 Book →

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que ★ 4.8

BBQ$$kck

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que runs out of a working Shamrock gas station at 47th and Mission in Kansas City, Kansas, where the Stehneys opened in 1996 and invented the Z-Man sandwich.

Signature: Z-Man sandwich, Burnt ends, Carolina pulled pork

Order: The Z-Man sandwich, slow-smoked brisket with provolone, onion rings and barbecue sauce on a kaiser roll.

Tip: Open Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Walk-in only and the line moves; lunch sells out by 14:00 on weekends.

3002 West 47th Ave, Kansas City, KS 66103 Book →

Q39 Midtown ★ 4.5

BBQ$$midtown

Rob Magee's Q39 on 39th Street in Kansas City applies a competition-circuit pitmaster's discipline to weeknight barbecue, with a full bar and table service.

Signature: Burnt ends, Pit Master Brisket sandwich, Mr. Burns sandwich

Order: Pit Master Brisket sandwich on a brioche bun and the burnt-ends plate to share.

Tip: Sun to Thu 11:00 to 21:00, Fri and Sat 11:00 to 23:00. Walk-ins and reservations both accepted; the brisket plate sells out late.

1000 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111 Book →

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