I grew up in Chicago and always loved barbecue sauce on ribs, chicken, anything. Imagine my surprise to learn that other sauces with uniquely different flavors shared the same name. After years of barbecuing and more than a little research I managed to concoct all of them. They not only taste good but I saved a lot of money making my own, particularly on some of the more exotic flavors.
What became apparent was that each shared 3 common ingredients in varying proportions: ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar. What makes them distinct is the proportions of these ingredients and some local spices. All of them are simmered in a sauce pan to meld the flavors. The proportions yield anywhere from 3 to 4 cups. Here’s the secret to each:
Kansas City Style
The Kansas City style has a distinctive dark, brown color. This is due to the high proportion of brown sugar that dominates the recipe. The spices are standard and include a little salt and pepper. It starts with the 3 primary ingredients of ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar, but the brown sugar is supplemented with molasses. Here’s the proportions and some of the spices that define this style:
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp chili powder
Some recipes call for other ingredients from garlic to Worcestershire sauce, but the basic recipe is defined by these ingredients.
Midwestern Style
A warm, brown color that results from the even distribution of the 3 primary ingredients. Salt and a bit of pepper in the same proportion as Kansas City. Balance is the concept with this recipe.
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
That’s basically it although you can always add stuff if you like.
Texas Style
The color is red as in “Texas Red,” due to the high proportion of ketchup. Brown sugar and vinegar are in smaller proportions. The primary spice is a significant amount of black pepper along with a little salt.
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
The brown sugar is a hint in this recipe compared to some others and the black pepper is the dominant flavor note. Some variations call for the addition of everything from beer to butter. That’s up to you. Served on everything from chicken and pork to beef.
Carolina Style
Light brown and very thin and runny. This is due to the higher proportion of vinegar in the sauce. It’s used largely as a basting sauce throughout the cooking process and has a bit of salt added.
2 cups vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp hot sauce
This it is. Carolina style sauces are often referred to as “mopping sauces.” The idea is that you continually baste or “mop” the meat throughout the cooking process. That’s something you typically wouldn’t do with a sauce containing a high proportion of sugar. The sugar burns fairly quickly and turns to a dark, carbon-black. A mopping sauce made mostly with vinegar stands up to the heat over time and imparts a tart, piquancy to the meat.
Cajun Style
Another sauce with a higher proportion of ketchup and not surprisingly, cayenne pepper and hot sauce.
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 clove minced garlic
1 small onion minced
There are numerous variations but the concept tends to be built around a thick sauce that’s highly flavored with the garlic and the peppery flavor notes. You can dial this up or down depending on your tolerance for spicy-heat.
I’m quite sure they would be significant disagreement about my simple approach to these 5 sauces. That’s not surprising given the fact that there are hundreds of variations and too many cooks with that secret recipe. To those cooks I’d simply say, “Tell us all of your secrets and we’ll make it your way.” Until then, I’m just going to keep it simple and make them my way.
