Kansas City barbecue sauce
Photo: Daderot · CC0

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.

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Make it at home

Yield 1Hands-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.

Where to eat kansas city barbecue sauce

Kansas City barbecue sauce in Kansas City

Arthur Bryant's Barbeque ★ 4.7

$$ Bbq18th 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.

OrderBurnt ends sandwich on Wonder Bread with the rust-coloured original sauce.

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

Directions Book

Gates Bar-B-Q ★ 4.6

$$ Bbq18th 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.

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

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

Directions Book

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que ★ 4.8

$$ BbqKck

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.

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

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

Directions Book

Q39 Midtown ★ 4.5

$$ BbqMidtown

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.

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

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

Directions Book

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