This Award-Winning BBQ Sauce Brand Is Also An Iconic Missouri Staple

For an authentic taste of Missouri history, one need look no further than Wicker's. Founded in 1947, just two years after the end of World War II, the brand became a household name and a legend in the grilling world; now, it's found in over 1,400 stores and countless homes nationwide. Wicker's American-made barbecue sauce has won regional, national, and international awards. 

The company was started as a weekend barbecue shack in Hornersville, Missouri, by W. C. "Peck" Wicker, a local bus driver and school cafeteria worker. U.S. Air Force service members stationed nearby were among the many who frequented the eatery, and Wicker's owes much of its early success to them, as its popularity grew whenever airmen got reassigned or retired and told more people about Peck's barbecue. The business started receiving lots of mail orders, and, well, the rest is history. 

Peck hand-mixed the sauces himself in those early days in the 1950s. Later, Wicker's made a game-changing upgrade by acquiring a couple of large, electric motor-powered tubs with a combined capacity of 300 gallons, which enabled much more efficient production. Grocery stores throughout the mid-South bought jars of Wicker's sauce by the box. 

While the company is no longer owned by the original family, their successors have continued using the old handwritten recipe, which is still kept safely locked away in a bank to protect the brand's secret. To this day, Wicker's still mixes its sauces in those same vats from the '50s, and the production facility is a mere 50 yards from the original barbecue shack that started it all.

Wicker's legacy line of marinade and basting sauces includes Original, Hickory, and Mesquite varieties. These vinegar-based sauces contain only three additional ingredients: water, salt, and that secret blend of spices. The Original brings bold, Memphis barbecue flavor to chicken, pork, fish, and other foods, while Hickory and Mesquite incorporate smokey notes into the mix. The Premium Top Shelf variety takes the classic marinade and ages it in fine oak bourbon barrels. Wicker's also offers a Cajun sauce for when you need some heat, and a Fiesta version for Southwest-inspired proteins. The brand is known for not adding sugar to its sauces, so they won't char when you're basting on the grill. However, CEO Jeff Jones' award-winning DeltaQ 483 BBQ Sauce offers a sweeter option with a little spice.

If you're looking for a marinade to grill the perfect tri-tip steak or other cut, Wicker's produces a soy-based, umami-rich steak marinade called Black Label. The brand infuses this basic formula with notes of whiskey and charred wood in its Premium Whiskey Wagyu Barrel-Aged Marinade. Wicker's third Premium Line sauce is the aptly named Wild variety, specifically developed to mitigate the dryness and toughness you often encounter with wild and exotic game such as deer, boar, pheasant, duck, and other animals hunted for food. 

In addition to its bastes and marinades, Wicker's offers dry rubs and diverse seasonings, including lemon pepper, Cajun, smokehouse, chophouse, and more. Wondering whether a marinade or dry rub is better for steaks? They both have their uses among particular cuts and recipes, so it might be worth trying out both from this iconic Missouri staple brand.