A Complete Guide To Barbecue Sauce Throughout The US

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.