Barbecue sauce with sliced meat.

A Complete Guide To Barbecue Sauce Throughout The US

NEWS

By KATIE MELYNN

Ribs with Kansas City barbecue.

Kansas City

Kansas City barbecue sauce is tomato-based with a unique sweetness. Rich and thick, it features brown sugar and molasses as its most important ingredients.
Vinegar based Carolina barbecue sauce.

Carolina Vinegar

This apple cider vinegar-based sauce has a sweet and tangy flavor. Thinner than its Kansas City counterpart, some recipes incorporate cayenne and hot sauce.
Carolina gold barbecue sauce on a sandwich.

Carolina Gold

Yellow mustard gives Carolina gold sauce a golden color. It’s tangy, like Eastern North Carolina sauce, thanks to vinegar, but also has sweetness from sugar or honey.
Texas grilled meat with sauce.

Texas

East Texas sauce is similar to the vinegary sauces of the South, Central Texas focuses more on dry rub and smoking, and Southern Texas borrows flavors from Mexican cuisine.
Meat being coated with Virginia barbecue sauce.

Virginia

Apple cider vinegar is a staple ingredient in most versions of Virginia barbecue sauce. It’s thinner and includes herbs and spices, which gives it a strong flavor.