Are you having a Kansas city-style barbecue combo plate and wondering what kind of sauce would be best for it? Believe us when we say that nothing brings out the flavor and tastes better than a Kansas City BBQ sauce.
Barbecue in Kansas City is slowly smoked and is typically characterized by various meat types, including pork, turkey, lamb, sausage, beef, chicken, and sometimes fish. The BBQ sauces that go right with it have a tomato and molasses base and are usually spicy and tangy with a sweet profile.
To keep the Kansas City spirit alive on a barbecue night, we have compiled five (5) of the best Kansas City BBQ sauce available on the market. Kindly read the reviews below.
Best Kansas City BBQ Sauces
Image | Best Kansas City BBQ Sauces | Rating |
---|---|---|
![]() | 1. Gates Original Bar-B-Q Sauce | 99% |
![]() | 2. Jack Stack Barbecue Original and Hot Sauce | 96% |
![]() | 3. Joe's Kansas City Bbq Sauce | 92% |
![]() | 4. Cowtown Night Of The Living BBQ Sauce | 89% |
![]() | 5. Guy Fieri Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce | 85% |
Want to learn more?
Here are our Best Kansas City BBQ Sauce reviews.
1. Gates Original Bar-B-Q Sauce
For a Kansas City BBQ sauce that you’ll love, we recommend the Gates Original Bar-B-Q Sauce. It comes in a pack of two and assures you of sweetness and an added tangy taste to your barbecue. You’ll be getting an average spiciness but not exactly hot. However, its thick consistency and smoky flavor will get you hooked in no time. Ingredients mixed to get this great tasting Kansas city BBQ sauce include vine ripened tomatoes, high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, celery, peppers, onion, and garlic powder, and potassium sorbate others.
Each bottle of the Gates Original Classic contains 40-oz of sauce and offers about 51 servings per container. With each serving of about 2 tablespoons, you’ll be getting 35 calories, 12g of carb, 3g of sugars, and 360mg of sodium.
Why do we like it?
- Serves as a nice gift
- It can be used on almost any food
- BPA free container
2. Jack Stack Barbecue Original and Hot Sauce
The Jack Stack BBQ Sauce is made in the finest Kansas traditional way. It comes in a pack of 2 and features an Original flavor and another Hot flavor. The Original flavor has an appealing tangy and smoky note to it The Hot flavor adds a mild spiciness to your chicken and ribs. You’ll also find it as a great sauce for brisket, hamburgers, beefsteak, and meatballs.
Ingredients that make up this delicious sauce include vinegar, garlic, onion, molasses, cayenne pepper, and tomato paste. Each bottle contains 18.6-oz of BBQ sauce and is dairy-free. Remarkably, the Jack Stack Kansas City BBQ sauce is gluten-free and serves as a great sauce to be used as a marinade, glaze, and dipping sauce.
Why do we like it?
- Great sauce for vegetarians
- Nut and soy-free
- Low in sugar
3. Joe’s Kansas City Bbq Sauce
The one, the only, that’s the Joe’s Kansas City BBQ sauce for you. We recommend this BBQ sauce for you because of its undeniable smoky and tangy sweetness. Once upon a time, this sauce was unavailable for sale and was only present at famous BBQ joints, not anymore. So you can now have this Kansas City BBQ sauce that has been voted best in the world at the American Royal on your shelf for daily use.
The Joe’s Kansas City BBQ sauce is made from natural ingredients, including tomato puree, distilled vinegar, tamarind concentrate, ancho chili powder, granulated garlic, paprika, spices, cane sugar, and natural smoke flavor, amongst others. More so, it comes in a 20.5-oz BPA-free bottle.
Why do we like it?
- Great sauce for backyard barbecuing
- Nice for pork chops, brisket, and ribs
- Not too sweet
4. Cowtown Night Of The Living BBQ Sauce
For a BBQ sauce that is ideal for Kansas city-style barbecue combo, we recommend the Cowtown Night of the Living BBQ Sauce. The spice level is optimal to excite your taste buds. In addition, you’ll enjoy every bit of the outstanding flavor it has to offer. Ingredients that make up this sought-after Kansas City BBQ sauce include tomato paste, chipotle puree, cayenne powder, onion powder, tamarind concentrate, molasses, white vinegar, natural smoke flavor, and mustard powder, amongst others.
You’ll be able to get about 14 servings from the 18-oz bottle of the Cowtown Night of the Living BBQ sauce. Each serving offers 50 calories, 13g of carbohydrate, 140mg of sodium, 1g of dietary fiber, and about 11g of sugar. Use this BBQ sauce on your pork, fish, chicken, and ribs and experience Kansas city-style BBQ taste at its best. Interestingly, it contains zero amount of saturated and trans fat and zero percentage of cholesterol, thereby making it great for your health.
Why do we like it?
- It can be used as a dipping sauce
- Contains vitamin A
- Award-winning sauce
5. Guy Fieri Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce
Add the Guy Fieri Kansas City BBQ sauce to any food you’re about to grill and get finger-licking results. The sweet molasses add an irresistible taste to your wings, brisket, and turkey. A mild spiciness that hints of black pepper can be felt with each bite taken. The Guy Fieri BBQ sauce is your go-to sauce if you yearn for a traditional Kansas city-style barbecue flavor. Luckily, it is gluten-free and doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup.
The anchovy added to this sauce may be an allergen to some individuals. Other ingredients mixed to create this unique blend include tomato puree, natural hickory smoke, Worcestershire sauce, modified corn starch, cane sugar, and vinegar. It comes in a pack of three 19-oz bottles, which offer about 19 servings with 45 calories per serving. In addition, 10g of carbs, 9g of sugars, vitamins A and C are also present per serving.
Why do we like it?
- Doesn’t contain saturated fat
- Mild spiciness
- Impressive packaging
Kansas City BBQ Sauce Buyer’s Guide
Get your carving knife ready; it’s time to make some Kansas city-style barbecue. If it is not sharp enough, use a sharpening stone. Whether you’re using a Weber gas grill or a smoker-grill combo, get the barbecue grilled and enjoy it with the best Kansas City BBQ sauce. So that you won’t go amiss when purchasing one, read our buyer’s guide below to know the major things to consider before buying one.
Thickness of Sauce
If it’s not thick, it’s not Kansas City BBQ sauce and most probably would not be great on your Kansas city-style barbecue combo. Pay good attention to the viscosity of the sauce in the bottle. The right thickness would make it easy to brush each piece of meat with enough sauce to bring out the sweetness and aromatic flavor.
Spiciness
If it’s not a bit spicy, it’s not Kansas City BBQ sauce and would probably not give you that exhilarating heat. Look out for major ingredients like cayenne pepper, paprika, and red hot chili peppers on the list of ingredients on the body of the Kansas City BBQ sauce bottle. If you choose to go Kansas city-style, you should be prepared for some extra spiciness. Remember to keep your reusable water bottle close by.
Molasses or Tomato Base
If it is not made with molasses as a base or tomato as a base with added molasses, it is probably not Kansas City BBQ sauce. The sweet taste it offers is one of the reasons why they are highly sought after. Once again, ensure that you read the nutritional information label on the side of the bottle to confirm that molasses and tomato are included for that great tangy taste.
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